![“[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)
Harker students host San Jose Mayoral Campaign in collaboration with Yerba Buena High School
Provided by Kris Estrada
Harker seniors Sara Bhowmick, KJ Williams and Kris Estrada pose with San Jose mayoral candidate Matt Mahan. Harker and Yerba Buena High School students hosted a youth campaign forum for the mayors on Oct. 25.
November 6, 2022
Harker and Yerba Buena High School students hosted representatives of San Jose mayoral candidates Cindy Chavez and Matt Mahan’s political team in a youth campaign forum at the Cambrian Branch Library on Oct. 25.
Sahngwie Yim (10), Valerie Li (10), KJ Williams (12), Kris Estrada (12) and Sara Bhowmick (12), who conducted the event with Yerba Buena students, worked in public relations (PR) and moderation teams to organize and prepare for the forum. Middle school history teachers Ramsay Westgate and Keith Hirota and upper school history teacher Carol Green also attended and helped plan the event.
In the days leading up to the forum, students on the PR team made flyers to post on social media to promote the event, reached out to schools in the surrounding area and contacted Bay Area news sources like the San Jose Mercury News to raise interest. Moderators prepared questions to ask the candidates during the forum, which were pre-approved by the separate parties.
Jamie Livingston represented former San Jose vice mayor and current member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Cindy Chavez, and San Jose District 10 Council Member and mayoral candidate Matt Mahan attended the event in person. Both spoke with the moderators and answered questions from students.
Sahngwie, who was on the PR team, appreciates being able to see the background of planning an event with political representatives.
“[I enjoyed] being involved in the process of organizing an event for the elections and being involved in a part of the organization from the back end, where normally we would see it from the front end… but this time, I was on the other side, helping organize it,” Sahngwie said. “I think that it was really cool to collaborate with another school and help put the event together.”
She also sees value in educating students about politics, especially local events and campaigns that affect citizens in their daily lives.
“Even though we can’t vote, it’s important to still be informed about everything that’s going on in the world, especially an election that’s more local than the national presidential elections. [These events] allow for more exposure to high school students [which] means that people can learn from not only planning the event but also attending and getting exposure to the bigger politics of the real adult world.”
San Jose citizens will elect their new mayor during midterm elections on Nov. 8. Californians can vote in person, or use a mail-in ballot and drop it off in an official ballot box by 8 p.m. on Nov. 8.
Westgate wants to encourage students to take on their responsibility as a citizen of their city and hopes to continue working on connecting them with opportunities to talk to local politicians, regardless of whether they can vote or not.
“[It’s important to] recognize the city in which we’re based in, and the notion that local government is the most easily reached,” Westgate said. “That’s a great place to cut your teeth if you’re interested in politics, but even if you’re not going to go further than that, [it’s important to recognize] the notion that you have an opportunity to be engaged and work with students that know that they have things to teach you just as much as you teach them.”
