![“[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)
Research Club held a mock science fair on March 7 in upper school physics and science research teacher Chris Spenner’s room in preparation for the Synopsys Science and Technology Championship. Around eight students attended, including the presidents of the club.
Research Club held the event to allow students to practice presenting their science projects to club officers and help them build confidence before the competition. Synopsys is the Santa Clara County regional research championship, from which participants can qualify to the statewide and then international fairs.
“We’ve been doing it for quite a while,” Spenner said. “The original inspiration was just that we thought that students might want to have one chance, at least before Synopsys happens, to just practice through their stuff. A lot of them are already practicing with other people they know. But this gives them access to some science teachers and some research club officers who have been to Synopsys before.”
Spenner also noted the various types of projects that students would present at the fair, like a large language model developed with artificial intelligence that would help to distinguish between accurate and inaccurate book reviews.
“I am looking forward to hearing from the students when they come back about what kinds of good interactions they’ve had with the judges,” Spenner said. “Students are often very excited to see what other students have done on their posters because they will have some time to walk around this giant conference hall and just see what other students have done. The mingling and the social connections were all part of the experience.”
Research Club co-president Fiona Yan (12) emphasized that the goal of the event was to help students prepare for Synopsys. She believes the event will help participants feel more ready for the real event and help them to perform better.
“I think for a lot of people, just going there presenting [means a lot],” Fiona said. “You’re sharing your work with the judges. [There are] so many things that you’ve worked so hard for; seeing it pay off and communicating it to others [means a lot].”
Meeting attendee Juliana Li (11) looked forward to the Synopsys fair because of the learning opportunities the fair provides.
“Other people’s research helps me, but not just about what they’re presenting about,” Juliana said. “So, how they’re going about doing their project and their methods and more about what could be improved [helps my own interests].”
![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
