![“[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)
Eight upper school students attended Constellation’s Connected Enterprise conference at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay on Oct. 24 on a CareerConnect field trip.
Six tenth graders, Victoria Ma, Claire Yu, Mikhil Kiran, Brandon Tully, Aanya Shah and Lily Shi, and two ninth graders, Abby Rose Sachse and Michael Feliv, left the upper school campus at 9 a.m. and took a bus to the Ritz-Carlton, arriving at 9:45 a.m., where they immediately joined the ongoing conference. Throughout the day, they participated in keynote speaker sessions, panelist discussions and workshops focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. They also had numerous opportunities to speak with the business executives that attended the conference.
Constellation’s Connected Enterprise is an annual three-day innovation summit and executive retreat that took place this year from Oct. 23 to Oct. 25. Constellation Research, a Silicon Valley-based technological research and business advising firm, manages the conference every year and hosts numerous business executives from various industries and organizations. The company offers Harker several tickets each year for one of the three conference days.
“My role is to bring really smart people together in a community, and the idea here is to share ideas, share best practices and really talk about where technology is headed,” Founder and CEO of Constellation Research Ray Wang said. “The idea is not to attend a normal conference. We want people to ask questions; we want people to share their points of view; we want people to engage. And if that’s what’s happened, then we’ll be successful.”
During the day, students engaged in three panelist discussions focusing on the opportunities and risks of AI. They also listened to one-on-one interviews of Global Head of Market Development at Wipro Limited Ashiq Hassanali; CEO of Boomi Steve Lucas; and Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow Brian Solis about facilitating innovation and incorporating AI into technology companies. Students also heard from technology entrepreneur and author Byron Reese in a keynote presentation about the role of AI and technology in the future of humanity.
“Attending the Constellation Connected Enterprise conference is a great opportunity for me as a high school student,” attendee Victoria Ma (10) said. “I can meet CEOs, learn about the latest business trends and find inspiration for my future career. It’s a valuable educational experience that broadens my horizons.”
In between the sessions, students networked with other attendees and speakers. One of the primary functions of the conference is to allow business executives and entrepreneurs to build their networks and form connections with the attendees.
“It was really interesting to talk to a lot of the people at the conference and hear about their ideas and experiences working in so many different places,” CareerConnect officer and attendee Aanya Shah (10) said. “The whole experience was really eye-opening and educational.”
Students ate lunch at the Ocean Terrace in Ritz-Carlton, where they had more opportunities to introduce themselves to executives and entrepreneurs. They left the conference at 2:45 p.m. and returned to the upper school campus at 3:30 p.m.
“I think [the conference was] a great way for the students to explore in-depth, complicated topics in an environment where they can network with professionals in potential fields that they might want to be in,” upper school Business and Entrepreneurship teacher and chaperone Juston Glass said. “They get an opportunity to be part of a professional environment, which is difficult to come by at this age.”
