![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
![“[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)
Kahramanmaras earthquake strikes Turkey, Syria
![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-600x397.jpg)
Provided by USAID.gov
Civilians stand in the wreckage of crumpled buildings in the village of Besnia near the town of Harim, in Syria’s rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on the border with Türkiye. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit areas of southern Turkey and northern Syria on Feb. 6, resulting in at least 50,000 deaths and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit areas of southern Turkey and northern Syria on Feb. 6, resulting in at least 50,000 deaths and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.
According to the March 2 U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) fact sheet, there have been 51,089 reported deaths from the earthquake and the dozens of aftershocks. The first quake struck southern Turkey, near the Bab al-Salama crossing and the Syrian border, with a magnitude of 7.8 and a depth of 11.1 miles in the early morning, followed by a second quake of 7.5 magnitude further north.
USAID has projected nearly 175,000 damaged buildings due to the earthquake, leading to the displacement of millions. The disaster has also caused rising food costs in Syria, exacerbating the effects of war and conflict in the rebel-held regions already.
“It was really sad to hear because I already knew that Syria and Turkey have really high poverty rates, and a lot of the damage that was caused by the earthquake was because of the weak infrastructure,” Sonya Apsey (11), co-founder of the upper school’s Middle Eastern Student Association, said. “As we find more and more people, more and more survivors and those who passed away in the earthquake, it’s really heartbreaking to see families and their reactions.”
On Feb. 6, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team to support the Government of Türkiye through humanitarian efforts. They have responded by providing equipment for search and rescue missions, delivering emergency food resources and supporting other organizations to provide medical services to affected regions in Syria.
“I am devastated by the news of the earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria this morning … My thoughts are with the victims and their families, many of whom were already grappling with brutal losses from the war in Syria, including refugees and their host communities,” USAID Administrator Samantha Power said in a statement on Feb. 6. “The United States is committed to providing immediate, life-saving humanitarian assistance on both sides of the border to help communities recover from this disaster.”
These efforts are part of the U.S.’s pledged contribution of $85 million in aid on Feb. 9, followed by an announcement of another $100 million of aid on Feb. 19.
For those interested in donating, the Center for International Disaster Information has published a list of reliable organizations responding to the earthquake that receive donations.
Sally Zhu (12) is the co-editor-in-chief of Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Sally wishes to interview more people around...