![“[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)
Senior signs letter of intent to play Division I beach volleyball at Stetson University
Provided by Tara Ozdemir
Four-year varsity volleyball athlete Tara Ozdemir (12) signs a letter of intent to play Division 1 beach volleyball at Stetson University. Tara is the second student in Harker history to play beach volleyball at the collegiate level.
November 19, 2021
Tara Ozdemir (12) signed a letter of intent to play Division I beach volleyball at Stetson University during the college athlete signing ceremony on Nov. 10.
Tara is the second student in Harker history to play beach volleyball at the collegiate level, according to varsity girls volleyball head coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith, who has coached Tara since freshman year when Tara transitioned from indoor volleyball to full-time beach volleyball.
“Being one of the shortest players in beach made it difficult for me since I had to work twice as hard as the other athletes in recruiting,” Tara said. “I was an underdog in the sport, [but] I did around 10 -15 hours a week with tournaments on weekends, [and] I did a lot of lifting as well.”
Tara announced her verbal commitment to Stetson before her junior year on Aug. 12, 2020, via an Instagram post, thanking her coaches, friends and family for their support.
As a four-year varsity athlete, Tara has also played on the varsity girls volleyball team throughout high school, which made it to CCS finals in 2018 and won the CCS championship in 2019. She played libero and served as the team captain this year, helping mentor new players.
“[Tara]’s quite a confident kid. She’s been playing beach [volleyball] for some time and is very successful,” Smith said. “She carries herself with a positive and confident attitude. I would love for her to be as successful at the next level.”
