![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Humans of Harker: Connecting confidence and compassion
Aditi Ghalsasi (12) guides her life with a confident attitude
“I want my purpose in life to be to create lasting change. If, in the future, I’m able to take a piece of me and some research that I do and put it into a business — even if it doesn’t become some ridiculously famous thing — if I can change one person’s life with that … and have it be like a domino effect and create something else in the world, then I feel like everything that I’ve done, all the sweat, blood and tears that go into this kind of work, is all going to be worth it. Because at the end of the day, the point is to make life better for somebody. I feel like my point would be to make a change for the better in the world,” Aditi Ghalsasi (12) said.
When asked about Aditi Ghalsasi’s (12) most defining characteristics, her friends and teachers have a few adjectives to offer.
Sassy — often said with a laugh. Driven. Motivated. Outspoken. Independent. Compassionate. Perceptive. Caring.
Most words revolve around one particular theme: confidence.
One of the most significant accomplishments Aditi made was making new friends for a second time, as she joined Harker in freshman year. Coming from a large school to Harker where most students have already known each other for several years was a challenge. But even more so, Harker has a distinct environment that emphasizes strong academics.
And to her credit, Aditi quickly accustomed to the new atmosphere, heavily influenced by her inner voice that exudes confidence.
“When you go to a school like Harker, there’s a lot of stress, there’s a lot of academic pressure, there’s a lot of extracurricular pressure. You’re always trying to strive for the best and … you’re constantly going for things that are out of your comfort zone. I undoubtedly failed so many times,” Aditi said. “But [my] inner voice tells [me], ‘You can be sad for now, but it’s going to be okay. You’re stronger than this.’”
Aditi’s confidence and motivated spirit flow into her work with business and research. She strives to bridge the gap between the two industries, which came to life when she created 3D implants that can be incorporated into surgery and competed with the project at DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC) in Anaheim.
“She’s just a good combination of work hard and play hard,” Business and Entrepreneurship teacher Michael Acheatel, who has also mentored Aditi in DECA, CareerConnect and TEDx, said. “I think she’s just grown into herself in terms of her own confidence and of trusting her abilities, [such as] her trust in that work ethic, trust in that motivational spirit that she has when she sets her mind to something, she can do it.”
Confidence is one of Aditi’s strongest qualities, but another is her thoughtfulness. Aditi believes that every little action matters in the world and one thing that she persists in doing is picking up trash.
“I want my purpose in life to be to create lasting change. If, in the future, I’m able to take a piece of me and some research that I do and put it into a business — even if it doesn’t become some ridiculously famous thing — if I can change one person’s life with that … and have it be like a domino effect and create something else in the world, then I feel like everything that I’ve done, all the sweat, blood and tears that go into this kind of work, is all going to be worth it,” Aditi said. “Because at the end of the day, the point is to make life better for somebody. I feel like my point would be to make a change for the better in the world.”
Her compassion and emphasis on doing small yet significant things has certainly livened up her friends’ days. Allison Jia (12) reminisces all the times Aditi goes out of her way to help a friend, such as grabbing Allison lunch on a busy day.
“She’s super caring. When I’m studying in the library at lunch and. . . she sees I’m still not done, she’ll go to Manzanita, she’ll get me food, and she’ll wait outside the library, just so that she’ll make sure that I’ll eat something before I go to class,” Allison said.
Her friends characterize her as the “mom” of the group. Close friend Nikhita “Niki” Karra (12) recalls the many mother-like qualities Aditi exhibits. One particular time, Aditi picked Niki up from the Blackford campus after Writing Mentor, waiting in line alongside the many middle school parents.
“She’s literally the mom friend. If you need medicine or something, she has it. If you need water, she has it,” Niki said. “She’s like, ‘please wear sunscreen every day.’ She drives you everywhere, and she picks you up and drops you.”
Whether it is picking up trash, caring for a friend or creating surgical implants, Aditi has already begun her domino effect — her impact on the world.
Gloria Zhang (12) is the co-editor-in-chief for the Winged Post. This is her fourth year on staff. She hopes to continue her passion for sharing stories...