![“[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)
Freshman and sophomore girls volleyball team falls to Menlo
Catherine Wong (10) tips the ball over the net. The freshman and sophomore girls volleyball team will play Mercy High School this Friday at 3:00 p.m. at home.
October 20, 2021
The freshman and sophomore girls volleyball team fell to Menlo yesterday at home 13-25, 17-25.
Menlo jumped out to an early lead with aggressive serves, and the Eagles called a timeout early in the first set to slow down their pace. After the timeout, Menlo continued their streak and won the first set by a margin of 12 points.
The teams exchanged points at the beginning of the second set, with neither side dominating until Menlo slowly began to establish a lead. Harker called two timeouts towards the end of the set but ultimately lost by an eight-point margin.
Girls volleyball assistant coach Serena Chandler commends the team for their improved communication and serving in this game.
“They adjusted pretty well to the other team and got a lot of serves over that normally wouldn’t go over, so there’s a lot of good learning there,” Chandler said. “They were very vocal and talked a lot today.”
Co-captain Yifan Li (9) agrees with Chandler and trusts in the team’s companionship and commitment to volleyball to help them push through the rest of the season.
“We’re a team, and I know that we can play well together, [as] shown in our previous games, even though we didn’t win,” Yifan said.
For Sahngwie Yim (9), the spirit of the game resonates more than the outcome. Sahngwie tries to stay optimistic during games even when the team is down a few points.
“I think a takeaway is to always keep a positive mindset and try your best even if the game isn’t looking the best because you never know what will happen until the very end,” Sahngwie said.
Proudly • Oct 22, 2021 at 9:57 am
Way to go Froshman team!!!