![“[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)
Stem Scene: Sept. 22
September 22, 2020
Astronomy Club
The Upper School Astronomy Club held two guest speaker sessions with a Q&A with Dr. Eugene Chiang from UC Berkeley on Sept. 4th and a talk with Dr. Bruce Macintosh from the Stanford Kavli Institute on Sept. 9. Dr. Chiang spoke about his experience as an astronomer, and Dr. Macintosh talked about his research on extrasolar planets. Club members participated in the interview and Q&A led by the club’s officers.
WiSTEM
WiSTEM has partnered with WiSER, a non-profit organization with the goal to educate Kenyan girls for free, to sponsor Hilari Rodham Kaheri through high school. Through club fundraisers and earnings from the Harker Symposium, WiSTEM has donated about $300 each year to cover tuition, supplies and boarding for Hilari. Over the last four years, the WiSTEM members and Hilari have gotten closer and last May, Hilari graduated from the WiSER School.
Life on Venus?
On Sept. 14, astronomers released a paper on their detection of phosphine, a chemical released by microbes, in Venus’s atmosphere, leading scientists to believe that the planet could host life. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted, “It’s time to prioritize Venus” in response to the discovery.
Apple release event
Apple’s new Apple Watch Series 6 was unveiled at an event on Sept. 15. It has a series of new health tracking improvements, including an electrocardiogram (ECG) app, which is capable of generating an ECG similar to a single-lead electrocardiogram to record the electrical signal of the heart to check for different heart conditions. Apple also released Apple One, a subscription bundle that includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and iCloud storage.
