![“[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)
Photo Slideshow Oct. 15
October 15, 2023
Categories:
More to Discover
About the Contributors
Aishani Singh, Aquila Managing Editor
Aishani Singh (12) is a Managing editor for Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to interacting more with the school community and covering more school spirit events. In her free time, she enjoys listening to any genre of music she can get her hands on and watching 2000’s TV shows.
Alvira Agarwal, TALON Managing Editor
Alvira Agarwal (12) is a Managing editor for the TALON Yearbook, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to creating engaging works, both in articles and yearbook spreads. In her free time, she enjoys art and listening to pop music. This year, Alvira hopes to keep everyone on staff engaged and on top of their deadlines, as well as design creative spreads. In her free time, she loves to draw and hang out with her friends.
Anika Maji, Reporter
Anika Maji (12) is a reporter for Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Anika hopes to write a more diverse array of pieces and improve her photography skills. In her free time, Anika enjoys playing the piano, reading, and writing.
Ariana Goetting, Winged Post Co-Editor-in-Chief
Ariana Goetting (12) is the co-editor-in-chief of the Winged Post, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Ariana looks forward to designing creative page layouts for the Winged Post, getting to know everyone on staff better and taking more photos. Outside of the journalism room, she enjoys drinking overpriced iced coffees, oil painting and watching movies with her family.
Audrey Cheng, Reporter
Audrey Cheng (11) is a reporter for Harker Aquila, and this is their second year on staff. This year, they hope to improve their interview and conversational skills and to be more efficient with writing. In their free time, they enjoy listening to music by K-Pop group Billlie, learning languages, and staring at their code editor.
Chayce Milheim, TALON Editor-in-Chief
Chayce Milheim (12) is an Editor-in-Chief of the TALON Yearbook, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to creating a book unlike any other book made before. In her free time, she enjoys playing lacrosse and riding her horse, Tommy.
Claire Yu, Multimedia Editor
Claire Yu (11) is a Multimedia editor for Harker Aquila, and this is her third year on staff. This year, she hopes to improve her writing, videography and photography. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, reading and playing basketball.
Edward Huang, Winged Post Co-Managing Editor
Edward Huang (12) is a co-managing editor for the Winged Post, and this is his fourth year on staff. This year, Edward wants to continue creating unique designs for Winged Post while covering community events. In his free time, he likes to listen to music and go on runs.
Ella Guo, Humans of Harker Editor-in-Chief
Ella Guo (12) is an Editor-in-chief of Humans of Harker, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to sharing the stories of the Class of 2026 and working with new journalism staff. In her free time, she enjoys playing chess and reading books.
Ella Yee, Aquila Co-Editor-in-Chief
Ella Yee (12) is the co-editor-in-chief of Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Ella hopes to continue bonding with the journalism staff and highlighting diverse perspectives within the local community. In her free time, she loves to dance, drink matcha lattes and watch Kdramas.
Grant Yang, TALON Co-Academics Editor
Grant Yang (11) is the co-academics editor for the TALON Yearbook, and this is his third year on staff. Grant is looking forward to designing his pages and taking photos at more events this year. By night, he partakes in recreational Wolfram Mathematica and insists that torque is a bivector.
Hannah Jeon, TALON Editor-in-Chief
Hannah Jeon (12) is an Editor-in-chief of the TALON Yearbook, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Hannah hopes to get closer with all the TALON staff members and work with everyone to create a unique yearbook. In her free time, she loves to play video games and hang out with her friends.
Isabella Lo, Aquila Managing Editor
Isabella Lo (12) is a Managing editor for Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to learning more about multimedia and helping other reporters develop their writing. Outside of journalism, she loves to play basketball and read fantasy books.
Jonathan Xue, Humans of Harker Editor-in-Chief
Jonathan Xue (12) is an Editor-in-Chief of Humans of Harker, and this is his third year on staff. This year, he looks forward to telling the stories of the Class of 2025 and designing the publication’s in-print magazine. In his free time, he enjoys running, playing poker and chasing the eccentricities of life.
Katelyn Zhao, Humans of Harker Co-Editor-in-Chief
Katelyn Zhao (12) is the co-editor-in-chief of Humans of Harker, and this is her fourth year on staff. Katelyn aims to honor each of the stories within the Harker community this year, especially those of the graduating Class of 2024. Outside of the newsroom, she enjoys biking, drinking coffee or matcha and reading recommended books from her friends.
Kevin Zhang, Aquila Co-Managing Editor
Kevin Zhang (12) is a co-managing editor for Harker Aquila, and this is his third year on staff. This year, Kevin hopes to expand the scope of sports content and collaborate with more staff members in journalism. In his free time, Kevin enjoys playing basketball, pursuing photography and drawing in pencil (he finds shading particularly satisfying).
Kinnera Mulam, Winged Post Co-Editor-in-Chief
Kinnera Mulam (12) is the co-editor-in-chief of the Winged Post, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Kinnera hopes to get to know all the new reporters and create fresh designs for the Winged Post. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, trying new snacks and bothering other staff members.
Mirabelle Feng, TALON Student Life Editor
Mirabelle Feng (12) is a Student Life editor for the TALON Yearbook, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to creating unique designs for the yearbook and making more illustrations for Journalism as a whole. In her free time, she likes doing art and birdwatching and she may or may not have an OMORI addiction.
Olivia Xu, Humans of Harker Co-Editor-in-Chief
Olivia Xu (12) is the co-editor-in-chief of Humans of Harker, and this is her fourth year on staff. She is excited to celebrate the Class of 2024 and collaborate with everyone on staff, and she hopes to build a community excited about storytelling. In her free time, Olivia enjoys crocheting gifts for her friends, taking walks, solving fun puzzles and binge-reading Humans of New York.
Ram Batchu, TALON Senior Photo Editor
Ram Batchu (12) is a Senior Photo editor for the TALON Yearbook, and this is his fourth year on staff. This year, Ram hopes to improve his own photography skills as well as the skills of everyone else on staff by encouraging them to cover more events. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows and hanging out with friends.
Selina Xu, Aquila Co-Managing Editor
Selina Xu (12) is a co-managing editor for Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Selina hopes to hold engaging conversations and capture heartwarming moments on campus. In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to music, and ingesting boba at an alarming rate.
Shareen Chahal, Winged Post Co-Managing Editor
Shareen Chahal (12) is a co-managing editor for the Winged Post, and this is her third year on staff. This year, Shareen hopes to extend her coverage to more underrepresented groups on campus and to make more friends within this year’s journalism staff. In her free time, she likes to sing, paint and bake for her friends and family.
Vivian Chen, TALON Co-Student Life Editor
Vivian Chen (12) is the co-student life editor for the TALON Yearbook, and this is her third year on staff. This year, Vivian hopes to meet new people and connect with others through interviews about mutual topics of interest. When she has free time, some go-to activities include spending time with friends, listening to music, creating art and baking.