![“[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)
Speakers share insights about essential skills in annual LIFE sessions
![Sophomore students rise in response to youth advocate Charis Denison's opening prompt, "Stand up if in the last few weeks you reacted [to a situation] and then went home and went through all of the things you wish you had said or done rather than what you actually did." In her talk, Denison taught students about how to connect their feelings, thoughts and actions.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/LIFE-900x596.jpg)
Sophomore students rise in response to youth advocate Charis Denison’s opening prompt, “Stand up if in the last few weeks you reacted [to a situation] and then went home and went through all of the things you wish you had said or done rather than what you actually did.” In her talk, Denison taught students about how to connect their feelings, thoughts and actions.
March 31, 2022
Additional reporting by Isha Moorjani and Lucy Ge
Upper school students explored various topics from course planning to safe driving in interactive sessions coordinated by the Living With Intent, Focus and Enthusiasm (LIFE) Board on March 22.
The freshman LIFE session involved a Q&A panel led by seniors Aaditya Gulati, Melody Luo, Anika Mani, Ayan Nath and Anya Warrier, giving them the opportunity to learn from the upperclassmen’s experiences gained throughout their high school years. Topics that the freshman discussed included course plans, Advanced Placement (AP) tests, management of grades and sufficient sleep.
“[The seniors] talked a lot about choosing your own path and not going off of what other people want you to do,” Stefan Maxim (9) said. “Listening to those people talk about achieving their own dreams [made me think] that maybe I should be going for what I want instead of what other people want from me.”
Meanwhile, the sophomore class heard from youth advocate Charis Denison from Prajna Consulting about developing skills for handling uncomfortable social situations. Denison, who spoke to juniors in November, explained how it can be easy for students to overlook such skills when pressured to excel at school.
“[The main lesson I hoped to impart was] sometimes, when it matters most, your GPA will fail you,” Denison said. “Students get on this track where they are convinced that if they just keep getting A’s, they’ll be happy. This just isn’t true: they need another skill set in order to thrive after they get out of high school and into college.”
In the juniors’ LIFE session, Chris Miceli, consultant at Impact Teen Drivers and Harker parent, talked to students about the dangers of driving. Through describing hypothetical situations and sharing informative videos, Miceli shared that seemingly harmless activities, such as joking with passengers of the car or playing distracting music, can lead to serious consequences.
“I find that oftentimes, [the LIFE sessions] bring up issues that I wasn’t particularly considering beforehand,” Alisa Grebin (11) said. “You often get taught about the dangers of not putting on your seatbelt or drinking and driving, but you never really get taught about how even just having your friends in the car can already cause issues and distract you from driving.”
Lastly, months away from graduating from the upper school, seniors attended a “College: Ask Me Anything” Q&A session with Academic Dean Kelly Horan and History Department Chair Mark Janda, who both shared advice and anecdotes on various topics related to college and adulthood.
“[LIFE sessions] prepare you for what’s out there in the real world,” Aditya Tagore (12) said. “It’s good to go beyond Harker and get some advice about life, especially as we go to college next year. It’s good to get some advice from people who have already gone through that experience.”
