![“[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 cross-country team participated in the Ram Invitational race at Westmoor High School on Sept. 30. Team captain Laurel Davies (12) organized for racers to don paper hearts with get-well wishes for Zaeem Johnson (9) while running.
The course spanned 2.6 miles, featuring four hilly slopes spaced throughout. Starting on Westmoor’s racetrack below, runners circled around twice before advancing up a steep climb, eventually returning to the track for the finish line.
32 total Harker runners competed in the varsity and junior varsity (JV) races. Team captain Veyd Patil (12) and Ava Alvarez (9) finished the fastest out of the boys and girls varsity teams with times of 14:20 and 19:09, respectively. The boys team placed 6th, while the girls team placed 10th overall. Sophia Ou (10) led the girls JV race with a time of 23:10, and, boasting a time of 17:12, Jonathan Li (9) was fastest in the boys JV course, both of which were personal bests for 2.6 miles.
Ava beat her personal record and expressed optimism for future races, also commenting on her improvement since her previous run at the De La Salle Invitational.
“I definitely ran harder than last race, which I’m really proud of,” Ava said. “Overall, I’m really proud of how I did this race, and I can’t wait to see what I do [in the] next race.”
The boys varsity race took place at 2:30 p.m., when the weather was starting to rise, an added factor of difficulty on top of the lack of flat ground. Harriss Miller (11) described his experience of running the Westmoor course and felt hopeful for the team’s upcoming meet on Wednesday. He hopes to improve his run time at his next race.
“It was really weird because a lot of races don’t have this long downhill section, but I started pushing … really early on compared to normal, and then that really made me go faster than normal,” Harris said. “[For] my overall goals, I think sub-18 (below 18 minutes) for Crystal.”
After finishing with a time of 22:53, Hannah Levanon (11) shared her struggle with the course’s numerous hills, explaining how she kept herself motivated throughout the race.
“The hills were tough,” Hannah said. “One thing is to remind myself there’s not that much left [and that] all of this is gonna be over. [The race is] what, half an hour tops? It’s a half hour out of my life, it’s not that bad … the hills aren’t easy, but I’ve trained for this.”
On Nov. 3, runners will compete at the Crystal Springs course in Belmont for the WBAL Finals.
