![“[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)
Seniors and sophomores met with their Eagle Buddies for the first time this school year on Sept. 22, with sophomores visiting the Bucknall campus and seniors meeting their buddies at the upper school.
The seniors gathered with their fifth grade Eagle Buddies at around 11 a.m. in the Zhang Gymnasium before heading off to Davis Field to eat lunch, choosing from pizza, chicken tenders, watermelon slices and an assortment of brownies and blondies. After groups caught up with one another, they participated in activities around campus like slime-making, face painting, board games, friendship bracelet-making and field games.
Jack Yang (12), who played in a soccer game of lower schoolers versus high schoolers during the Eagle Buddies event, shared his enthusiasm for the program.
“Two weeks ago I thought that Friday was Eagle Buddies, so I was really excited, but when I found out it was two weeks later, I was disappointed, so I was really looking forward to this Friday,” Jack said. “Something I like about the program is that you just get to be a kid again.”
After taking buses to the lower school campus at around 11:10 a.m., sophomores met their third grade buddies for the first time on the Bucknall blacktop. Each of the 55 Eagle Buddy groups consists of three or four sophomores and two third graders. Students chatted to get to know one another before heading to the field for lunch, where they ate pizza, salad and popsicles.
Following lunch, the students engaged in a variety of recess activities, such as playing tag, making friendship bracelets, coloring in coloring books and playing board games. Tanvi Sivakumar (10) noted that the event taught her how to bond with younger children.
“I thought [meeting with Eagle Buddies] was really fun,” Tanvi said. “I found out that I actually love to be around kids, and I learned how to be more outgoing and talkative with little kids [so that I can] take care of them better.”
Pavith Khara (10) reflected on her experience and her excitement for future Eagle Buddy events.
“I’m looking forward to watching my Eagle Buddies get older and talking to them about their elementary school experiences because it brings back good memories,” Pavith said. “It was really fun to just get to know them and learn about what their lives are like.”
After the recess period, groups went to the auditorium for an announcement about upcoming Eagle Buddy events before saying goodbye to their buddies. The sophomores departed from the Bucknall Campus at 1 p.m. before heading off to sixth period.
The Eagle Buddy program reinforces Harker’s sense of community and mentorship among high school and lower school students.
“Eagle Buddies is really fun because I get to interact with people I don’t usually interact with,” Jack said. “[The Eagle Buddies] are interesting because their perspective is very different from ours.”
