![“[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)
WiSTEM brings educational activities to lower school for STEM Buddies event
WiSTEM Co-President Eileen Ma (12) and STEM Buddies Directors Michelle Wei (11) and Margaret Cartee (11) prepare an oobleck demonstration to teach lower school students about non-Newtonian fluids. The recent STEM Buddies event featured five stations where participants could learn new concepts through hands-on activities and discussions.
March 16, 2023
Members of Women in STEM (WiSTEM) hosted STEM Buddies, an event involving hands-on activities and discussions, at the lower school on Feb. 24.
WiSTEM founded the STEM Buddies program in 2014 to spark early interest in STEM fields through engaging activities led by WiSTEM members. Organized by STEM Buddies Directors Margaret Cartee (11) and Michelle Wei (11), the most recent event featured five stations ranging from “Float Your Boat,” where participants designed aluminum foil boats to learn about buoyancy, to “Disappearing Beaker,” where they observed the effects of light refraction. The visit also marked WiSTEM’s first on-campus event after organizing virtual sessions due to COVID-19 concerns over the last three years.
“We returned to all of the same locations, the same classrooms, the same teachers that I had when I was in lower school,” WiSTEM member Jacqueline Huang (10) said. “I still remember the science projects I did there, so seeing the lower schoolers so passionate about science in those same classrooms was a very rewarding experience.”
Upon arriving at the lower school, WiSTEM first visited lower school science department chair Enni Chen’s second grade students before moving to lower school science teacher Cassidy Caldwell’s first grade students. In both classes, WiSTEM members provided a short introduction to STEM fields before inviting the lower school students to spend five to six minutes at each station.
“All of the students just seemed really excited and happy to do all the STEM activities,” WiSTEM member Sophia Zhu (10) said. “I was actually super glad that at the beginning, when we asked them if anyone knew what STEM stood for, a lot of the kids raised their hands.”
WiSTEM members who previously attended Harker’s lower school reconnected with familiar faces while leading the event. Lower school primary division head Sarah Leonard visited Chen and Caldwell’s classrooms to observe the activities.
“I’m sure the kids enjoyed the activities, and it was great seeing the grown up versions of all of you,” Leonard said to WiSTEM members after the event.
WiSTEM will host their next STEM Buddies event at the Harker Research Symposium on April 15.
