![“[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)
Threads of voices weave together, uniting into a rich, almost instrumental sound. Unique stories, expressed through singing, intertwine and transcend barriers to create a sanctuary for the audience. Yale acapella group The Spizzwinks performed at the Quad as part of their “Hometown Tour” series during lunch on March 14.
Per the Spizzwinks’ promise, the group guarantees that every member will visit their hometown and all six inhabited continents within their three years in the program. Daniel Wu (‘22), a former Downbeat member and current bass in the Spizzwinks, invited the group to Harker during his hometown tour.
“I really wanted to come back here and sing because I wanted to work with Downbeat and work with the performing arts students,” Daniel said. “The performing arts program at Harker was a big reason why I wanted to do acapella in college and a big reason that I got to sing with these guys and do what I’m doing today.”
Tenor I Elijah Lee commenced the performance with “Spaceman” by Sam Ryder and Bass Jiayang Jin followed with “Chicken Fried” by Zac Brown Band. To finish the first half, Daniel sang “If Ever I Would Leave You” by Robert Goulet.
“I really enjoyed it,” upper school math teacher Bradley Stoll said. “We used to have acapella groups that came quite often, and would sing at school meetings, so I’ve missed them. This is a great performance, and if I was in San Francisco, I would go see them.”
Starting the second half, tenor II Gbemiga Salu sang “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae and tenor II Tabatha Stewart performed “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye. Baritone Charlie Stephenson continued with his rendition of “Grace Kelly” by MIKA, and baritone Eduardo Pagliaro-Haque and tenor I Clark Wu concluded the concert with the Plain White T’s “Rhythm of Love.”
Mariana Ryder (12) collaborated with Daniel in Downbeat two years ago.
“It was really inspiring, having worked with Danny in the Conservatory before and also seeing him go from a senior [at Harker] to a sophomore in college,” Mariana said. “It was also really nice because a lot of my friends actually do listen to the Spizzwinks unironically on Spotify, so they got to see a concert that they were hoping to see for a long time.”
