![“[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)
Our immigrant stories
December 14, 2023
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About the Contributors
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.
Sally Zhu, Aquila Co-Editor-in-Chief
Sally Zhu (12) is the co-editor-in-chief of Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Sally wishes to interview more people around campus and interact with all members of the journalism team. In her free time, she likes to solve fun puzzles, listen to music and collect all types of stationery.
Ananya Sriram, Winged Post Co-Managing Editor
Ananya Sriram (12) is a co-managing editor for the Winged Post, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Ananya hopes to bond more with members of journalism staff and explore creative page designs to modernize Winged Post and help the paper find its essence. In her free time, she enjoys eating spicy food, curating a new monthly Spotify playlist or taking sunset photos.
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.
Medha Yarlagadda, Aquila Co-Managing Editor
Medha Yarlagadda (12) is a co-managing editor for Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she hopes to work more closely with the staff while capturing stories of the school community. In her free time, she can be found cooking or baking, reading or trying new cafes.
Felix Chen, Co-News Editor
Felix Chen (11) is the co-news editor for Harker Aquila and the Winged Post, and this is his third year on staff. Felix hopes to diversify this year's news coverage and work with members of the staff from all grades, contributing to the creation of a tight-knit community with a joy for journalism. He enjoys writing and reading of all sorts in his free time.
Vika Gautham, Co-Features Editor
Vika Gautham (11) is the co-features editor for Harker Aquila and the Winged Post, and this is her third year on staff. This year, Vika wishes to provide unique perspectives throughout her articles while engaging and informing readers. In her free time, she likes painting and hanging out with friends.
Anwen Hao, Columnist
Anwen Hao (12) is a columnist for Harker Aquila and the Winged Post, and this is his fourth year on staff. This year, he looks forward to continuing to reach outside of his comfort zone and incorporating more diverse voices into his writing. Outside of journalism, he enjoys training for ballet and fencing, and he also has two cats.
Katerina Matta, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief
Katerina Matta (12) is an Editor-in-Chief of the Winged Post, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to experimenting with design and getting to know the staff. In her free time, she enjoys playing beach volleyball and doing crosswords.
Gabe Sachse, Aquila Managing Editor
Gabe Sachse (12) is a Managing editor for Harker Aquila, and this is his fourth year on staff. This year, Gabe is looking forward to writing his friends' Humans of Harker profiles and capturing the memories of student events in photographs. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, watching movies and listening to music.
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.
Hima Thota, Aquila Managing Editor
Hima Thota (12) is a Managing editor for the Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. Hima looks forward to capturing student and campus life and exploring multimedia. In her free time, she enjoys reading and going on walks.
Jessica Wang, Winged Post Managing Editor
Jessica Wang (12) is a Managing editor for the Winged Post, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she wishes to cover a greater breadth of content in the articles she writes and publishes, as well as improve on her illustration and photography skills. In her free time, she enjoys making up new instant ramen recipes (influenced by her YouTube Shorts content) and playing with her cat (of which she is unfortunately allergic to but loves all the same).
Claire Zhao, Winged Post Managing Editor
Claire Zhao (12) is a Managing editor for the Winged Post, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to meeting new staff and experimenting with page design. In her free time, she enjoys wildlife photography, collecting cute stationery and ranting about her favorite media.