![“[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)
Upper school seniors and faculty took part in a blood drive organized by junior Sahngwie Yim in partnership with Medical Club and the Stanford Blood Center on Jan. 29.
Staff from Stanford Blood Center conducted the drive, which took place throughout the school day in Nichols Atrium. Seniors over the age of 17 as well as all faculty and staff were eligible to donate blood. Sahngwie, who coordinated the event as part of her Civics project, said her volunteering experiences and interest in the medical field led her to the idea of organizing a blood drive.
“Blood drives are a really significant way that we as high schoolers and adults and everyday people can help out and make a really significant difference,” Sahngwie said. “I think it was really important to bring that back to the Harker community, especially because there’s a big emphasis on helping others and helping out our community.”
Student donors could register to participate through a link which upper school biology teacher Matthew Harley posted on Schoology. Harker’s 45 donors, including 31 first-time donors, donated a total of 35 units, or pints, of blood, surpassing the drive’s goal of 30 units. According to the Stanford Blood Center, one unit of blood has the potential to save three patients, meaning that the upper school’s total of 35 units of donated blood may help save the lives of over 100 patients.
Mina Okamoto (12) donated blood for the first time and expressed her willingness to help the community.
“I feel very lucky to be a person who is healthy and able to donate blood, and I think there are really no negative effects that I’m incurring, so I might as well do it since I can,” Mina said.
Blood donations help give blood transfusions to patients with a variety of illnesses and conditions. Patients with blood disorders like sickle cell disease, cancer patients, patients undergoing surgery and trauma patients all may receive blood transfusions. About 6.8 million people donate blood each year in the United States.
“I’m excited to help bring this to the Harker community,” Upper School Division Head Paul Barsky said. “I think it’s wonderful to have real impact and to be good citizens to our community, so I am a big supporter of schools supporting blood drives.”
With plans to hold another blood drive next year underway, Sahngwie hopes that the next drive will draw more participants and broaden its donor base to include 16-year-olds, who must receive parental consent to donate, as per Stanford Blood Center guidelines.
“I was really touched and grateful for everyone that signed up and donated,” Sahngwie said in an email to Harker Aquila. “I was originally a little worried that we wouldn’t be able to get enough signups, but we kept getting more and more, and I was honestly kind of shocked at how many people signed up. Also, seeing so many people, students, teachers and staff donating blood really showed how many people were willing to show up and contribute to the community.”
