![“[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 students contributed to a school-wide collaborative art piece outside of the Rothschild Performing Arts Center during lunch on Friday, marking the end of Culture Week’s activities.
Student Diversity Coalition collaborated with Art Club for the open chalk mural activity. SDC asked participants to consider any of their hopes and views of the future and depict their ideas in the mural.
“In a lot of talk about change these days, it could be focused a lot on the negative, which is fair,” SDC leader and Art Club member Iris Fu (12) said. “But especially as youth it’s really important for us to try to try to focus on something that’s a little bit more hopeful. I think this is a great activity for everyone who wants to just draw something to let out stress, but also to contemplate on what they want to see and contribute to the world.”
Participants worked under the RPAC overhang to avoid the rainy weather and keep the mural dry. They used colorful chalk and brushes to write messages such as “hope” and “peace” and illustrate their visions and desires for the future.
Christy Ma (10) depicted a rural landscape in the mural and noted her personal desire for tranquility and a future reconnection between society and nature.
“It’s definitely a nice way to get to know other people’s thoughts on the matter and to look deeper into your own ideas,” Christy said. “Even if you don’t typically do art, you can still be introspective about the problems and what you think the future will look like, what hope is to you.”
Students also marked their countries of origin on a world map inside Main Hall for Thursday’s Culture Week activity. SDC displayed the map on their bulletin board and put out some markers for students to use to mark where their families are from.
Brooke Kubose (10), who circled her country of origin, Vietnam, highlighted her thoughts on being able to observe where other students are from on the map.
“I have a lot of classes that are near that particular spot in Main,” Brooke said. “I saw it, and I thought it was cool that people could show where they are from.”
Iris notes the success of Culture Week in encouraging self-expression in students and facilitating a supportive community.
“I hope people feel more safe to express their cultural identity,” Iris said. “I hope people become a little bit more aware of what they’re saying, when they’re talking about different cultures, that some of their classmates come from that background, and it’s important for them to recognize that so that they can really approach these conversations with an open mind.”
