![“[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)
Model UN tackles National High School Model UN Conference in New York
Model UN Director General Sasha Masson (11) presents the details of the NHSMUN Conference in New York during a club meeting on March 3. Delegates left for the conference on March 8 and competed on March 10.
March 14, 2023
The Harker Model United Nations (UN) team attended the National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) Conference hosted in New York from March 10 to 12 for the first time since the COVID-19 shutdown.
Thousands of students from countries across the world gathered together to discuss global dilemmas and brainstorm how to solve them. Harker’s attendees left for New York on March 8 and had the opportunity to sightsee around New York and spend time together as a team before the three-day conference. As the second to last competition of the school year, this conference served as an essential connection between the members of the team.
On Friday, students met with the official delegation from Albania and then proceeded with conference assemblies and committee sessions through Saturday and Sunday.
In preparation for the competition, delegates drafted ten-page position papers, where they each conducted research on the committee and country they were assigned for the NHSMUN conference. Sasha Masson (11), Director General of the Harker Model UN club, embraced the opportunity to try out a new committee as a judge, which involved reading many court cases and approaching the conference from a new perspective.
“I’m very nervous because I’m in a committee that I’ve never been in before,” Sasha said. “As a judge, everything is different than what I do in a usual Model UN committee, so this will be an exciting experience for me.”
The Model UN club also hosted a preparation session on March 3 during long lunch. The session was mandatory for delegates attending the New York conference, but underclassmen and anyone interested in exploring Model UN were encouraged to stop by. The leadership team planned fun activities and games for those who attended the meeting and assisted beginners in building their basic skills.
“We’ve been hosting a bunch of introductory events this year, and we’re hoping on growing our club,” Sasha said. “Especially this year, there are a lot more freshmen we are encouraging to come and try out Model UN.”
