![“[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)
Robotics kicks off build season after annual competition announcement
Harker Robotics members gather around a computer to discuss robot design plans on Monday for FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). To improve from last year, the members aim to create a design that is achievable yet challenges them.
January 10, 2023
Harker Robotics began its build season after FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) announced the 2023 game details at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Around 30 members gathered in upper school robotics advisor Dr. Eric Nelson’s room Saturday morning to watch FRC livestream the instructions for the 2023 game. This year’s FRC mission requires the robots to stack cones on a pole and place inflatable cubes on a shelf before completing the end game, balancing on a seesaw. Design Director Sania Gupta (11) finds this year’s mission easier than the 2022 game in which teams created robots to shoot balls into two “hubs” of different heights and to complete a climb.
The team will remain in build season until the two regional FRC competitions on March 9 to March 12 and March 23 to March 26. If they qualify through these two regional contests, Harker’s team will advance to the championship event in April. In hopes of improving from last year and attending the championship, the members aim to achieve better organization.
“One of the main issues we had last year was overreaching a lot and thinking we’d be able to machine, assemble and code everything once the design is done no matter how complicated it was,” Sania said. “We’re definitely trying to limit ourselves this year and make sure that we have enough time for everything by making a detailed schedule and sticking to it.”
Additionally, the team will begin meeting after school until 6 p.m. on all weekdays except Fridays and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. As she starts on this year’s design, Sania looks forward to seeing the complete robot and hopes her transition from a design lead last year to design director this year will allow her to work with the team more in-depth.
“This year, I’m more excited to be more involved in the creation of the robot,” Sania said. “Like last year, seeing how it goes from a design to a real, machined and assembled robot that can actually drive and complete different tasks is really cool.”
