![“[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)
Preview of TEDx’s 2020 annual speaker event
At last year’s TEDx event, cancer immunotherapy researcher Priti Hegde talked to attendees about her work in cancer genomics.
November 2, 2020
TEDxHarkerSchool will be virtually hosting a weeklong speaker event for its 2020 TEDx event. Starting on Nov. 4 and ending on Nov. 7, each day will feature one speaker. The speaker videos will be released through the daily Activity Guides email sent by Eric Kallbrier, Director of Student Organizations and Assistant Upper School Activities Coordinator.
This year’s theme is Ikigai, a Japanese concept relating to finding the balance of one’s passions, goals, talents, and purpose. TEDx has also released a trailer for this year’s event as well as a form to purchase Ikigai-themed shirts available for curbside pick-up in December.
“The mission for TED is to act as a source of inspiration to spread ideas worth sharing, and I think in this global pandemic setting everyone can take some more inspiration to find their reason for being,” TEDx co-curator Helen Li (12) said. “I’m definitely most looking forward to seeing TEDx week 2020 play a role in inspiring more people to find their Ikigai.”
The 2020 TEDx speakers are:
Nisha Talagala, CEO and founder of Pyxeda AI, who will be speaking on “AI Literacy: What Is It and Why Do We Need It?”
Tania Safi, an Arabic-Australian video journalist and rights activist, who will be speaking on “A Reason for Being and the Judgement for Reason.”
Chinmayi Balusu, an undergraduate sophomore studying neuroscience and medical humanities at Columbia University, who will be speaking on “Pick your Brain: Neuroscience for All.”
Sophia Gottfried (12), Philosophy Club president, HELM co-editor and Writer’s Advocate Club treasurer, who will be speaking on “Vita Activa: Bringing Work to Life.”
Additional reporting by Varsha Rammohan.
