![“[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)
Over 150 students attended BEcon, Harker’s annual business and entrepreneurship conference themed “New Heights” this year, in Nichols Hall on March 15.
BEcon officers invited students who founded companies in upper school’s Entrepreneurship Incubator Startup class and industry professionals from corporations like Apple and Microsoft to present at booths from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Attendees flocked to interactive stations where they could try new tech products like the Apple Vision Pro, explore the inside of a Tesla Cybertruck or film a spinning video with friends.
Software engineer Chengling Qiu, who showcased some of Xbox’s demo games, enjoyed interacting with and teaching Harker community members about Xbox.
“The most magical thing about Xbox as an ecosystem is that it’s welcoming to all the new players and new developers,” Qiu said. “I tried to make [attendees] feel interested in playing Xbox games and working in the gaming industry. I definitely got a chance to inspire others who might have similar interests in AI and technology today.”
Students from three Incubator startups, WrapIt, TEJA and Curlosophy, also displayed and endorsed their products to attendees. Co-founder of Curlosophy Shaila Tandon (11) shared her curly hair product kits.
“Our goal is really to have people with curly hair to embrace their waves and be confident,” Shaila said. “We had a girl come in, and she was like, ‘All of these products are amazing.’ That was the best interaction I had.”
Keynote speaker Ya Xu, Head of Data and AI at LinkedIn, gave an address in the Nichols Auditorium at 4 p.m. She spoke about her background, the path she took to her current job, the presence of AI in her industry and her stance on ChatGPT.
Co-executive director of BEcon Sanaa Bhorkar (11) interviewed Xu and later opened the discussion to live audience questions. As Xu closed her address, she offered advice to the students.
“When I think about my career, I didn’t plan ahead,” Xu said, “Sometimes, when you plan too much, you almost constrain yourself and lose sight of what other possibilities there may be. My advice is that after finishing school, it’s okay to just keep your options open and learn your interests and your passions as you go.”
Following the keynote speaker, attendees took part in various workshops located in different classrooms in Nichols. Seniors Ansh Sheth, Andrew Smith and Cynthia Wang and junior Sriteja Kataru hosted student-led workshops about their experiences in economics and business, while musician and entrepreneur Mike Wallz, NVIDIA Head of Supply Operations Saurav Paul, cofounder of Spyra Beauty Anni Ankola, CEO of Real Identities Susan Dworak and venture capitalist Amit Mukherjee spoke in other workshops.
Cynthia and Ansh shared the research they conducted as part of Harker’s Economics Research Scholar Program. Over the past year, they used statistical analysis to quantitatively assess an economics issue of interest. Cynthia reflected on her experience presenting the final product during the workshop.
“Presenting here was really nice, especially because my research was inspired by current events in the Bay Area,” Cynthia said. “I’m glad a lot of people came out and heard us talk. As some people were coming in, they were talking about how excited they were to hear me speak, so I felt really supported by everyone here.”
To cap off the event, BEcon hosted a sHarker Tank pitch competition after dinner, where Incubator students could pitch their businesses to venture capitalist judges in order to receive an investment. Juniors Sam Parupudi, Daniel Dorfman and Vedant Balachandran, who founded a tea company called Roobi, won a $1,000 check to support their future entrepreneurship endeavors.
Attendee Cyrus Ghane (10) visited and learned from the diverse, interactive sessions at BEcon.
“I really enjoyed the booths and the workshop since they were all different and interesting,” Cyrus said. “I came to explore career paths for the future and was definitely able to. Everyone who presented was really inspiring, and I especially liked the student presenters and getting to know their businesses.”
