![“[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)
Each year new students join the community and perpetuate the diversity of passions, experiences, and aspirations flourishing on campus. Reflecting on their first month of attending the Upper School, sophomores and juniors share their backgrounds and their stories of adjusting to a new environment.
On August 27, most juniors were reuniting with friends and looking forward to starting another year of high school this time as upperclassmen. On the other hand, Zoë Papakipos was beginning her first day at a new school.
Before she came to the Upper School, Zoë attended Palo Alto High School, with her older brother, who graduated last year.
“Harker’s definitely more academic. Everyone’s […] very well-rounded,” she said.
Within walking distance from her house, Zoë described Palo Alto High as a “smart” school that was more involved in sports. This is her first year at a private school; however, her sister has attended Girl’s Middle School.
Zoë felt that applying to colleges from the Upper School would be a smoother process.
“My brother just finished at Paly […] and my parents were disappointed with […] the college application process,” she said.
She feels that the environment is a “good place to be” in junior and senior year because of the academic environment and aid with the transition to college.
Integrating into the community, finding her way around, and memorizing her schedule have been challenges for Zoë. She also struggled with some academic concepts, which she had not previously learned. So far, her favorite class is physics.
Even though Zoë misses her friends and her chemistry teacher from Palo Alto, she feels that the Upper School “is very welcoming and everyone’s really, really friendly.” Furthermore, she prefers the open campus policy at her old school, although she likes the aesthetics of this campus.
During the summer before her junior year, Zoë attended a French camp on a private island, which she had previously attended as well. She also went to Hawaii with her family and took a class in product design, in which she hopes to major, at Brown University.
When she has free time, Zoë enjoys cooking and baking. She also enjoys studying art history, chemistry, and math and has been playing the piano since the age of seven. She takes music theory classes and is involved in debate, linguistics, and robotics.
