![“[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)
Community vigil and town hall meeting regarding protests to take place
In response to the protests in the Bay Area, Harker’s administration and Diversity Committee are hosting a virtual community vigil and town hall meeting for students and faculty in the upcoming week.
June 3, 2020
In response to civil unrest breaking out across America and Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestors calling for reform of the police system, Harker administration and the Harker Diversity Committee is hosting a virtual community vigil and town hall meeting for students and faculty to process the current situation and to support members of the African American community.
The community vigil, set to take place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow over Zoom, will include music performances and a sharing of experiences, according to a Google form sent out by the Harker Diversity Committee via email for students to answer by today at 5 p.m.
The town hall meeting will be held during the week of June 8 and will give attendees the opportunity to understand issues behind the protests more deeply and learn ways to support one another. Its exact time and date yet to be determined.
Earlier in the week, a separate incident prompted head of school Brian Yager to send out an email to the Harker community on Sunday. The incident involved an Instagram account with “harker” in its handle that contained racist language. Yager condemned the account, saying that it was an exact of “overt racism” still present in America today.
He also emphasized the importance of “maintaining a safe environment” for the school community and for members of the community to try “to find a peaceful and hopeful attitude in light of these realities.”
Rising junior Kai Due, who is part of the African American community, is planning on going to the protests once finals are over. He encourages others who want to help to sign petitions online for the BLM cause and to confront their own racial prejudices.
“The oppression which we have experienced over the course of a very long time and the lack of change, and especially with everyone being at home and not having much better to do besides soak up the media, it’s really bottled up how we felt,” Kai said. “Now that we have no other outlet to turn to, we have something which has gained momentum. I feel like this movement’s been a long time coming.”
