![“[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)
Taylor Swift announces new “Midnights” album, set to release in October
An illustration of the album cover of Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” album, set to release on Oct. 21. Swift announced this new album during her acceptance speech for Video of the Year at the Video Music Awards in August.
September 18, 2022
Popular artist Taylor Swift announced her tenth studio album “Midnights,” set to release on Oct. 21, at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on Aug. 28.
Swift won the VMAs’ prestigious award, Video of the Year for her “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” self-directed music video, which she released on Nov. 12, with her re-recording of her “Red” album. In her acceptance speech, she surprised fans in the audience and at home with her new album announcement.
“I know with every second of this moment that we wouldn’t have been able to make this short film if it weren’t for you, the fans,” Swift said in her award acceptance speech. “I had sort of made up my mind that if you were going to be this generous and give us this, I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand new album comes out October 21. And I will tell you more at midnight.”
True to her claim, Swift’s album title and cover became public at midnight Eastern time, with posts on her Instagram, Twitter and YouTube accounts announcing the release of “Midnights.”
“This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams,” Swift said in an Instagram story after her initial announcement. “For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching — hoping that just maybe when the clock strikes twelve … we’ll meet ourselves.”
Fan reactions to Swift’s announcement quickly exploded all over social media. For many Swifties — the endearing name for her fans — this announcement was especially exciting because of how long-awaited it has been. Since her last two albums, “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and “Red (Taylor’s Version)” were both re-recordings of previous albums, fans were expecting her next release to be the same, making the promise of new songs all the sweeter.
Upper school computer science teacher Swati Mittal has been a fan of Swift since college, when she discovered the “Fearless” album. For her, Swift’s simple but catchy style became an accessible way for her to relate to various hardships Swift wrote about in her music.
“I grew up in India,” Mittal said. “Her language and accent are so easy to understand, and that’s how [my love for her music] started. It’s not rapping. It’s easy lyrics [that are] easy to understand, and I enjoyed it.”
Along with Mittal, Keira Chang (9) has also been a fan of Swift for many years; in fact, her love for the artist began with her parents, who were already fans before she was born. Keira heard about the upcoming “Midnights” album through Swift’s Instagram post and is eagerly anticipating its release in October.
“I feel like whatever she makes, it’s gonna be good,” Keira said. “Her lyrics [are] always really well put together.”
