![“[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)
On August 16, senior Maverick McNealy competed in the NCGA Amateur Match Play Championship, losing on the first playoff hole.
“I thought it was really good,” Maverick said about his performance. “In the last match, I played against one of the guys I actually played in the [Junior Amateur Championship] earlier this summer.”
On July 14, Maverick flew to New Hampshire to compete in the United States Golf Association (USGA) Junior Amateur Championship and placed eighth in the country.
Before reaching the quarterfinals, Maverick competed at the Sunny Side Country Club in Fresno. Then he and 155 other finalists continued to New Hampshire where Maverick advanced to the quarterfinals and lost his match on July 20 to secure an eighth place finish.
“It was the experience of a lifetime and I was very happy with how I played. To make it to the quarterfinals of a big tournament like that, you have to be playing well,” he said.
Although the championship was competitive, Maverick enjoyed his experience participating.
“It was probably the most pressure I’ve ever played under,” he said. “There were about 70 college coaches there. That’s the most people I’ve played in front of my entire life. Just the fact that it’s the national championship makes it all that much more pressure, but it was so much fun.”
Maverick felt that he was well prepared going into the competition.
“I practiced really hard in the weeks leading up to it,” he said. “I spent about eight to 10 hours on the course a day. […] My dad and I charted out the course on a notebook, which had [my] game-plan for how I was going to go about playing the course.”
In addition to a rigorous practice schedule, the support of Maverick’s friends and family instilled more confidence in him.
“My parents were awesome,” he said. “They flew down to New Hampshire with me and they followed me during every round. They didn’t allow parents to caddie, but my uncle caddied for me, which was an absolute blast. I’m very happy that people were rooting for me.”
Upper School Athletic Director Dan Molin was impressed with Maverick’s performance in the championship and commended his consistently strong work ethic.
“Maverick is by far the most talented golfer in Harker’s history,” Molin said in an email response. “He is the only Eagle to compete in the [Junior Amateur Championship]. To compete at that elite level requires a tremendous work ethic and a mental toughness that is not easy to coach. He has a natural ‘no quit’ attitude that will take him far in the game of golf.”
Maverick plans to continue playing golf after graduating high school and has verbally committed to join Stanford next fall.
