![“[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)
Kick Back with Kushal: Preaching patience
March 29, 2021
What an absolute rollercoaster of a season it has been. From Klay’s devastating torn Achilles mere days away from the start of our season, to the hype that surrounded James Wiseman, to the two blowout losses to championship contending teams that began our season, to us taking nearly half the season to reach a sense of consistency and finally string together three straight wins, it has been a season that Warriors fans haven’t experienced for the past several years.
No longer are we the apex predators atop the NBA’s elite, much less the Western Conference. In stark contrast actually, we’re just barely in the playoff picture. And usually I’m a glass half full kind of guy – but now the truth is glaringly obvious to me – though the Dubs will probably end up entering the playoffs, the way our team is playing right now and given that we don’t make any significant moves by the trade deadline, we’re looking at a first, maybe a second round exit.
Wow. That hurt. I never thought I’d say that this year. But that doesn’t change the facts. The facts, at hand, are that we will not win a championship this year. The facts are also that this year has not gone to complete waste. Not only have we encountered the emergence of Jordan Poole, but like last year, our Warriors have been able to develop the young talent on our team. It’s crucial that we remember that every championship team has to start somewhere – especially if we don’t want to trade away draft picks for star talent.
So here I am, preaching patience. And I just have to say that we are more fortunate than other teams: we certainly are not starting from scratch – we have Steph, we have Wiseman, we have Poole, and don’t forget that we also have an eager Klay (who, I might add, drained 12 threes just a few days ago and is recovering well). We have most of the pieces to a championship-contending team, it’s just a matter of when – if not this year, then next.
So don’t despair! Think of this year like the one which the 49ers had just last season, but to be honest, the Warriors are in a far better position thanks to Steph leading our young talent to enter the playoffs.
