![“[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)
Future Problem Solvers hosts Parent, Pizza and Problems event
Aeliya Grover (10) and Olivia Xu (10) work with students and parents to help them understand more about Future Problem Solvers. The event’s main focus was to introduce the ideas of FPS to members of the club and their parents through an immersive experience.
February 8, 2022
The Future Problem Solvers (FPS) club hosted its annual Parent, Pizza and Problems event over Zoom on Jan. 21 for students of all grade levels, with participants ranging from first to 10th grade.
This event was held to introduce parents to Future Problem Solvers and immersed them in a mock competition. Students and parents were given information about hypothetical problems in 2060 and were instructed to identify the problems as well as find solutions for them. The FPS officers worked to expose parents to the ideas of Future Problem Solvers but to also help students understand how to be successful in a competitive environment.
Students and their respective parents were split into breakout rooms with two or three other student-parent pairs and an officer. The officers walked the participants through the FPS process and gave them tips on how to be successful in an FPS competition.
FPS President Shahzeb Lakhani (12) discusses how he wanted to help others build a better understanding of the mission of the club.
“My favorite part was definitely watching some of the parents have really inquisitive questions about what FPS is, and ultimately realizing how cool the world renowned process that we teach is,” Shahzeb said. “I think definitely seeing the parents enjoy themselves at the event was the best part for me.”
FPS is planning for a town hall event soon where students would be able to participate in a stimulated competition atmosphere, without as many formalities.
