![“[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)
San Francisco gives Harrison Ford the red carpet treatment
Devin Nguyen
January 8, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, Academy Award winning actor Harrison Ford arrived at the San Francisco red carpet premiere for his new movie Extraordinary Measures.
Olympic gold medalist figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, a guest at the event, summed up the occasion well: “Harrison Ford being here is huge for the Bay Area,” she said.
Extraordinary Measures tells the real-life story of father John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) who teams up with scientist Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford) in a battle against the odds to cure his two youngest children from a rare disease.
The premiere was held at Lucasfilm’s Letterman Digital Arts Center in tandem with a benefit for Project Homeless Connect, a program initiated by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004 to end chronic homelessness.
“I was very honored that they chose this as a benefit for the film,” Mayor Newsom said. “I’m a big fan personally of Harrison Ford, not just as an actor, but the work he’s done, particularly on the environment, for decades.”
The Mayor applauded Ford for his leadership in advocating the green movement beginning in the 70s, before it was considered “fanciful.”
Senator Dianne Feinstein, another guest at the occasion, also revealed that she was a big fan of Ford, though she had not met him until this premiere.
“One of the great pleasures for me over time has been to be able to watch film actors grow,” Senator Feinstein said. “I’ve watched Harrison Ford do [that], so it’s a great treat.”
When asked by Winged Post reporter Alisha Mayor (10) about gaining a younger audience, Ford said, “It’s an emotional film. There are few [young adults] in it, but if you want to know something about how the world works, I think this is the kind of film that will tell you. I think it’s an entertaining film as well, so I hope that young people will see it.”
Also in attendance were Mayor Newsom’s wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, former Mayor Willie Brown, CBS reporters Dr. Kim Mulvihill and Juliette Goodrich, Olympic ice hockey player Bret Hedican, and San Francisco 49ers’ Takeo Spikes, Patrick Willis, and Parys Haralson.
Extraordinary Measures opens in theaters January 22. Look for our review on the movie in the next Winged Post issue, out January 29, and online on the same date.
