![“[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)
![The U.S. Women’s National Team’s (USWNT) fame brings benefits to female sports. “It is really inspiring to see that increase in popularity, attention [and] brand deals with female players,” varsity girls soccer player Sara Glusman (11) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Football-Illustration-3-1-1-1200x900.jpg)
Your alarm clock blares to life. Its neon digits read “3 a.m.,” the sun has yet to rise and summer vacation is in full swing, but no matter. You rub away the tiredness from your eyes and drag yourself out of bed. After all, the United States’ Women’s National Team (USWNT) is playing.
Millions of viewers tuned in to watch the lauded team’s performance in the recent Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Women’s World Cup 2023, with a reported 1.35 million viewers streaming its match against Portugal despite it airing at 3 a.m. EST on Aug. 1. Throughout the team’s highly-anticipated run, the women repeatedly garnered several million views, a historic increase from past viewership.
“The group stages and how it was set up, particularly for the United States, intrigued me,” varsity girls soccer player Cynthia Wang (12) said. “There was a lot of news about how the USWNT was going to perform, for example, the one commercial where the U.S. team was portrayed as confident. I wanted to see whether they could back up their confidence with actual results.”
Despite the unexpected show of mainstream support for the USWNT, the U.S. women’s performance fell short of expectations. The USWNT cleared the group stage of the tournament in second place with five points, the lowest group stage total in their World Cup history, after narrowly securing a win over Portugal in their final game of the round. In the USWNT’s next game, the first round of elimination, a strong Swedish team knocked the USWNT out of contention. Sweden’s victory marked the first time ever that the USWNT was eliminated before the semifinals.
Although the U.S. women did not take home the top prize, many still consider their performance a success for its impact on female sports’ visibility. The team’s viral accomplishments have shone a new spotlight on its star players, with headliners like Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and teenage sensation Alyssa Thompson gaining notable recognition. Varsity girls soccer player Sara Glusman (11) spoke to the rising popularity of the USWNT and its impact on female-identifying athletes.
“The popularity of women’s sports has been increasing recently, and I do think it’s going to continue following that trend,” Sara said. “It is really inspiring to see that increase in popularity, attention [and] brand deals with female players.”
The U.S. is not the only national team that inspires women worldwide. Even as they bow out, the buzz surrounding the tournament continues, with such popularity showing girls and women around the world how despite the traditional narrative, they, too, can achieve their athletic dreams.
“A lot of the time, when you’re growing up playing sports, even just when you go out at recess there would be so many boys playing — it would be intimidating,” varsity girls soccer player Natalie Barth (10) said. “Being able to see that there [are women] at a really high level that are playing and doing well is really powerful. It makes you say ‘Wow, I can do this.’ They’re doing it, and they’re setting the way for us.”
