![“[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)
Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden receives more campaign endorsements as the 2020 presidential race narrows
Grant Tetmeyer, with the NSPA Campaign 2020 Photo Exchange project
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is left as the only Democratic nominee in the presidential race after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-V.T.) declared the suspension of his campaign on April 8.
May 4, 2020
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is left as the only Democratic nominee in the presidential race after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-V.T.) declared the suspension of his campaign on April 8.
Sanders, who trailed around 300 delegates behind Biden, has turned his support towards Biden, calling for the need to “come together to defeat the most dangerous president in modern history” on Biden’s campaign livestream on April 14.
Support for Sanders’ campaign has not ended. Many Twitter users have pointed out that Sanders’ campaign is only ‘suspended,’ signifying that his name can still be written on the ballot as a candidate, and Sanders is still technically a part of the election process.
The New York State Board of Elections’ decision to remove Sanders’ name from the ballot in the presidential primary angered both his supporters and Sanders himself. His campaign letter on Twitter states specifically that the campaign was “suspended, not ended” and that “New York has clearly violated its approved delegate selection plan.”
“I was disappointed to hear about [Sanders’ campaign suspension] but expected that it would happen eventually,” Bennett Liu (12) said. “I’ve been in support of many of Sanders’ policies in the past five years. I think to a very high degree he believes in a moral democracy where people are taken care of, which I don’t think is necessarily the state that the United States currently stands. We could do a lot more to take care of the underprivileged, and he represents the political side of that.”
The State Board originally canceled the primary, originally slated for June 23, due to fears surrounding COVID-19. Although this initially infuriated Sanders’ supporters as well as New York voters as a whole, the decision by Judge Analisa Torres on May 5 to reinstate the New York primary put the names of removed delegates, such as Sanders and previous candidate Andrew Yang, back on the ballot.
“I think that the reinstitution of the primary is a great development. While Sanders and Yang obviously still can’t become president, it will really help the Democratic left get fair representation,” Bennett continues.
Meanwhile, Biden has seen several endorsements in the aftermath of Sanders’ campaign suspension. On April 28, Biden tweeted his gratitude for the endorsement of 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was also a special guest featured in Biden’s virtual town hall dedicated to the impact of COVID-19 on women.
Clinton’s endorsement paves a crucial step forward for Biden, as her 65 million votes in the 2016 presidential race against current president Donald J. Trump provided her with a strong voter base.
She tweeted, “Americans deserve a president who will manage the COVID-19 crisis with the compassion, competence, and respect for science we need to save lives and revive the economy.”
Yesterday, Biden announced an endorsement from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.), who praised him as someone who “has fought for our health care, for our families & for our children’s future.”
Former 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) publicly endorsed Biden in a tweet on April 15. In the video beneath her tweet, Warren said, “I’ve seen Joe Biden help the nation rebuild…Joe Biden will lead a government that works for the American people.”
Former President Barack Obama announced his endorsement of Biden through a tweet on April 14. Obama appeared in a YouTube video on Biden’s channel to show his support. Biden also holds the endorsements of many former 2020 presidential candidates, including Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D.-H.I.), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D.-M.N.), Senator Kamala Harris (D.-C.A.), former mayor of Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, Senator Cory Booker (D.-N.J.), former representative Beto O’Rourke (D.-TX) and former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg.
“I think that even though Biden may not have been the strongest candidate in the Democratic pool to bring about the most change we need under our very right-wing president, I think it’s important that, even if all the Democrats do not completely agree with all of Biden’s policies, they need to at least unite to support Biden in order to remove our current president from office,” said Yejin Song (10).
Delegates will come together to formally vote for the Democratic presidential and vice presidential nominees at the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled to take place from August 17 to 20 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but may change to a virtual format.
The Republican National Convention will take place at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina from August 24 to 27. Currently, Trump remains the leading presidential candidate for the Republican party.
