![“[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)
The Living with Intent, Focus and Enthusiasm (LIFE) Board held a speaker event on March 11 and two snack bars, one on March 14 and the other on March 27, as part of their Nutrition Month initiative.
Dietitian Sara Leung hosted a discussion with students about making wise food choices during the “Lunch ‘n’ Learn: Nuanced Nutrition” speaker event in LIFE Board adviser and mathematics teacher Bradley Stoll’s room during lunch. Leung answered questions about authentic eating, preconceptions about nutrition and unhealthy relationships with food and also encouraged students to understand their personal values and choose foods based on those beliefs.
Members of the LIFE Board also held a snack bar after school from 3 p.m. on March 14 in front of Manzanita Hall. Students who scanned a QR code to follow the LIFE Board’s Instagram account could choose from multiple food options, such as orange juice, bagels with cream cheese, croissants and vegan muffins provided by Stoll, all of which the board chose as healthy snacks. LIFE Board adviser and assistant upper school division head Kelly Horan expressed satisfaction with the number of students who followed the account and had the chance to eat more nutritious snacks.
“I was happy with the turnout,” Horan said. “We got a lot more people signed up for our @lifeatharker Instagram account, since the number of people following went up by 50. So I thought it went well, especially because it was a beautiful sunny day and people came out and enjoyed some healthy food.”
The snack bar ran out of food and orange juice by 3:45 p.m. LIFE Board member Sriteja Kataru (11) highlighted the benefits of the alternative snacks offered to students in the event, many of whom usually walk off-campus to purchase less healthy options.
“I’m glad to see that all the Harker community is interested in having healthier choices for snack options,” Sriteja said. “It’s a great way to say that we have better options instead of going across the street, going to Starbucks and getting unhealthy drinks or unhealthy food choices, and you can just come here and get more nutritious snacks.”
Caden Ruan (10), who chose a muffin and a cup of orange juice, was thankful for the opportunity to receive a snack on campus.
“I don’t usually go anywhere for food after school, but sometimes I do get hungry,” Caden said. “The food choices they had today were pretty good and healthy, so I definitely am looking forward to coming back a second time.”
Horan emphasized the importance for students to eat healthy, the main message of the LIFE Board’s initiative during March.
“The snack bar’s a reminder that we don’t always have to go off campus to find good foods,” Horan said. “We had some orange juice here, some vegan apple cinnamon muffins — we don’t always have to rely on sweet drinks and caffeine.”
