![“[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)
A day in the life of cats
Have two minutes? Take a listen to cat stories from three journalism editors and watch clips submitted by the upper school community.
Erica: So, Taro is my almost two-year-old shorthair black cat. He is very, very curious but also very, very scared. He really likes the outdoors, so he spends I’d say 60% of his time outside and the other 40% either sleeping or harassing the nearest human being. I would say he’s a people person, but only with the people that he is familiar with.
Irene: So, Milo is my cat. He is a domestic shorthair. I think he’s very attuned to the routines of my household. Every day, I get up early to do work. So he’ll come at 5 a.m. and then nap on my bed while I’m doing homework from 5 to 6:30 a.m. and then as soon as 6:30 a.m. hits, he’s like, “Oh my parents are probably up,” so he’ll run up because he knows they’ll feed him. My favorite memories are when he was younger. That first month we got him, he would take naps under my desk like at my feet and on my lap, and I was doing a virtual summer camp so I would be on Zoom for hours and hours and I would just be zooming with him just sitting on my lap.
Lucy: I have a cat. Her name is Peaches. She’s a domestic shorthair calico cat. When we first got her, she was actually really timid and shy. She hid into my closet and wouldn’t come out, and I wouldn’t see her all day because she was in my closet. And she would peek her little head out through this crevice in my closet. And then we’d feed her and then she would take the food and then retreat back into her little hidey hole. She’s really affectionate now. From the moment I get home from school she follows me around the house and then when I go to sleep she follows me upstairs to my bedroom and then she doesn’t sleep in my room but when I wake up and my alarm clock goes off she’s instantly in my room, like she can sense when I’m awake. My mom and I, we like to take walks together around the neighborhood. And then she always waits for us to come back. She sits at the window ledge and watches outside until we come back and it’s so adorable.
Irene Yuan (12) is the co-managing editor of Harker Aquila with a focus on multimedia and social media. This is her fourth year on staff, and she hopes...
Erica Cai (12) is the co-editor-in-chief of Humans of Harker, and this is her fourth year on staff. Her goals in journalism this year are to celebrate...
Lucy Ge (12) is the co-managing editor of Harker Aquila with a focus on equity and outreach, and this is her fourth year on staff. Through journalism,...