![“[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)
Best four-person co-ed dance to Rihanna. Best and largest gossip session. Best rap song. Best exit for a ballet dance. Best original song and best person on the piano. The “I love Barbie award.” Where can you find all these awards? At the 12th annual Hoscars.
40 students performed during Hoscars, Harker’s annual talent show, on Feb. 8 in the Patil Theater. Associated Student Body officers and senior student council members emceed the event, introducing each act while lamenting their last Hoscars as seniors.
To perform in Hoscars, students submitted videos of their acts to the ASB Students Event Committee for approval. Committee member Amishi Gupta (10) enjoyed seeing the students’ progress through the rehearsal and all the way to the fully produced performances.
“My favorite part was seeing everyone really excited about doing Hoscars,” Amishi said. “The best thing about preparing it is seeing new people come on stage and do something amazing.”
Frosh Andrew Shin and Pascal Qin opened the show with their rap of “Careful.” Sophomore Linda Zeng followed with a contemporary dance to “Talk to Me.” Senior Miki Mitarai sang her rendition of Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You” next, prompting audience members to wave their phone flashlights in line with the slow-tempo tune.
Taking the stage in tap shoes, frosh Evan Yuan showcased a routine to “Not Over You.” After Evan, juniors Naiya Daswani and Hasini Namala performed a classical Indian interpretation of “Love Me Like You Do.” Both wore kurtas and played traditional Indian instruments, with Naiya on the tabla and Hasini on the veena.
Sophomores Aditya Ramanathan, Charlotte Ludlow, Sophia Bagley, Henry Fradin, Holly Templeton and Simon Kirjner then sang an acapella cover of “Attention.” The group started preparing their performance in late November, rehearsing at least twice weekly.
Aditya, who directed the group’s singing, appreciates the student-driven efforts behind Hoscars.
“It’s fun for whoever performs there to just perform,” Aditya said. “It was just a very good collaborative experience to produce music and to perform for other people’s enjoyment. I enjoyed listening and watching everyone else as well.”
Senior Ritu Belani then poked fun at Harker parents with her comedy act titled “Kindness, Respect, Integrity and Personal Accountability.” She told a story from a Harker alumnus about parents dumpster-diving for old tests.
“I was conscious that the audience was going to be diverse,” Ritu said. “I wanted to write something that had a message our community needs to hear. It’s important for us to highlight some of the aspects of our academic culture that we don’t talk about as much. With comedy, I hope that everyone can relate with others and make people feel happier.”
Junior Sonia Yu danced to “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” in a ruby red outfit while silhouetted with dark, dramatic lighting. Shayla He (12), Mariana Ryder (12), Mina Okamoto (12), Shruti Srinivasan (11), Albert Yao (10) and Ishan Mysore (10) debuted their original song “Carry the Load” next. While Ishan accompanied on the keyboard, each singer sang a solo in a different language before coming back in unison to English at the end.
Senior Selina Chen then danced solo to a medley of K-pop songs. Sophomore MacEnzie Blue covered “Drops of Jupiter” while playing the electric guitar.
Junior Anwen Hao performed a ballet variation to “Flames of Paris.” Stellan Lindh (9), Jennifer Liu (9), Hannah Jiang (9) and Nikhil Sharma (10) marked the last of the dance acts, with their self-choreography to a Rihanna mash-up. A cappella club Signature, dressed in pink, closed the show with “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie movie.
First-time Hoscar attendee Kayla Chen (9) enjoyed how the show showcased different students’ talents in an open and engaging format. She appreciates Harker’s own twist on the Oscars that encourages different mediums beyond those found in the classroom.
“Learning how talented everyone is outside of classes is really fun,” Kayla said. “The students choose their acts, so it feels less strict, and there’s more cool vibes.”
