![“[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)
Girls tennis team triumphs over Menlo in momentous win
Charlize Wang (10) holds her racket in preparation for the ball. “I was pretty consistent with my backhands, and me and my partner Olivia kept our energy up no matter if we were down or up, and I think that really helped us win today,” Charlize said.
October 30, 2022
Harker’s girls tennis team played Menlo High School a second time on Tuesday, ending the matches 6-1 with a sweeping victory.
The girls’ team initially fell to Menlo, who are also CCS champions, during their match against them on Oct. 5, but the Eagles managed to take the win in the second round.
Players Emily Novikov (12), Rachel Hernandez (11), Audrey Feng (10) and Sara Wan (12) started off the matches playing singles. Doubles matches, held simultaneously, had three teams playing: Anika Akkiraju (9) and Pavith Khara (9); Anushka Mehrotra (12) and Medini Halepete (11); and Charlize Wang (10) and Olivia Guo (10). Despite the disappointing loss to Menlo earlier in the season, the Eagles started off strong and continued the momentum throughout their matches.
“I think the spirit was overall better than when we [first] went to Menlo and played, and that definitely helped us,” Medini said.
Charlize, a doubles player, reflected on her victorious doubles game, citing the team energy as key.
“I was pretty consistent with my backhands, and me and my partner Olivia kept our energy up no matter if we were down or up, and I think that really helped us win today,” Charlize said.
Senior night, which took place Thursday evening, followed the match against Menlo. The brief ceremony honored three senior players: Emily, Anushka Mehrotra and Sara, with the non-senior players distributing decorated posters, tiaras and flowers. The team later played against Crystal Springs, sweeping another win by ending 6-0.
“Coming up on senior night, I’m really excited because I know that our upperclassmen and us are working really hard to make it memorable for all our seniors,” Charlize said before the match.
The game against Crystal Springs is their last match before their first round in CCS on Nov. 7.
