![“[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)
Kamala Harris chosen as Joe Biden’s vice presidential candidate
Carter Marks/Royals Media, with the NSPA Campaign 2020 Photo Exchange project and Kathy Fang
Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate for the 2020 election. She is makes history as the first Black and South Asian-American woman on any major party ballot.
August 11, 2020
Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden named Sen. Kamala Harris (D-C.A.) as his running mate for the 2020 presidential election today, making her the first Black and South Asian-American woman to be nominated for national office by a major political party.
“Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau, [Biden’s deceased son]. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse,” Biden tweeted. “I was proud then, and I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.”
.@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he’ll build an America that lives up to our ideals.
I’m honored to join him as our party’s nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 11, 2020
Biden confirmed in March that he would appoint a woman as his vice president, commencing a months-long selection process with contenders like former ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice and Rep. Karen Bass (D-C.A.).
The announcement was met with positive reactions from other leaders in the Democratic Party. Former president Barack Obama shared his support, writing that Biden “nailed this decision” and that Harris is “more than prepared for the job.” Former Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-V.T.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-M.A.) echoed the sentiment, offering their congratulations.
Republican leaders also reacted to the decision, including President Trump who took to Twitter to share a video, calling Harris a “phony.”
“I was surprised that he picked her,” Trump said in his press briefing today. “She was extraordinarily nasty to Brett Kavanaugh — Judge Kavanaugh then, now Justice Kavanaugh. She was nasty to a level — that was just a horrible thing the way she treated now-Justice Kavanaugh, and I won’t forget that soon.”
Harris was elected as senator in 2016 and rapidly rose to national prominence for her interrogations in the hearings of former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and then-Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh. She also launched her own presidential campaign in January 2019 and notably confronted Biden about his opposition to busing in the first primary debate.
Ending her presidential campaign last December, Harris endorsed Biden in March and has since spoken out on issues of race relations following George Floyd’s killing, authoring the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which outlines steps to increase accountability for law enforcement conduct and erase discriminatory policing practices.
Harris has received criticism online for her tenure as a former chief prosecutor in San Francisco and California’s attorney general, particularly over her record on criminal justice. While Harris opposed investigations into police shootings in her office and defended the death penalty as attorney general, she also instituted unconscious bias training for law enforcement in California and created Back on Track, a program to help nonviolent drug offenders re-integrate into their communities.
Ajay Madala (12), creator of political podcast “The Nameless Show,” recognized these arguments against her but concluded that not re-electing President Trump remains the primary goal for Democrats this November.
“I think that Kamala Harris does have some blood on her hands from what she did to a lot of really innocent people, who were sent to jail for mild drug offenses. But I think it’s also important to acknowledge how severely authoritarian Trump is,” he said. “That’s what we’re fighting for here. We’re fighting to preserve democracy as it is, or to lose that right with Trump.”
Biden and Harris will make a joint appearance in Wilmington, Delaware, and partake in a virtual grassroots fundraiser tomorrow.
