![“[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)
Varsity girls water polo team concedes 8-13 match to Los Gatos
Eyes trained on the ball, Sydney Adler (12) swims towards a Wildcat. Varsity girls water polo fell to Los Gatos 8-13 at home on Sept. 22.
October 1, 2022
Varsity girls water polo fell to Los Gatos 8-13 at home on Sept. 22, initiating a second half comeback but ultimately falling short of victory to bring their league record to 5-3.
“We definitely did a lot better in the final quarter than we did in the first few, so at least we ended on a good note,” team member Mia Tang (9) said. “Overall, our defense got a lot better.”
The team started slow in the first half, scoring only three points to Los Gatos’ eight. In the second half, the Eagles increased their momentum with the offense scoring five points while the defense limited Los Gatos to five.
Team member Keren Eisenberg (10) attributed the Eagles’ second half success to goalkeepers Jasmine Hansra (9) and Abby Lim’s (10) performances.
“[In the] second half we came out really strong, and there were times we gave them a really great game defensively,” Keren said. “Our goalies were pretty good today.”
Students, parents and faculty packed the stands to spectate and cheer on the team.
“I thought the game was awesome,” Emily Mitnick (10), who came to support her friends on the team, said. “Considering I’d never seen a water polo game before, I found it exhilarating and interesting, and I think the girls played really well.”
With a stronger sense of their opponents’ playing style and strategy, the Eagles plan to use their defeat to fuel improvement moving forward.
“I think it’s only going to go up from here,” Keren said. “This gives us a good perspective of what we need to work on against probably one of the best teams of the league.”
