![“[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)
Allison Yang (11): I started playing golf when I was in third grade, so that’s like I don’t know, seven years ago, eight years ago. I first got into golf because a couple of my friends were taking golf classes, and they asked me to join. I really started getting into these tournaments, these really small tournaments that the little group lesson organization would make.
I started playing Harker when I first tried out in sixth grade. I really liked spending time with the team because we’re really close-knit. And we just have really fun times just on the golf course and off the golf course.
This year, I don’t know, I’m still in shock about how we got this far. It’s really crazy. It still hasn’t completely settled in yet. At first we were like, ‘Oh my god,’ if we make it to Nor Cals that’s gonna be an amazing thing. And we did make it to Nor Cals. And no one was expecting us to go anywhere, or make it into States. We weren’t even expecting to be in the top five. But somehow it just played out that way and we made it into States.
An hour before the final results were out, our team was I think like, like seventh or like just not even the top half. And then we just kept watching our name keep climbing up the leaderboard. And it was just crazy. I think we were able to play smart, and then final couple holes really tricked a lot of other teams, because they weren’t as experienced, and they didn’t look through the courses and prepare as much beforehand. We had our prior experiences.
Ashley Mo (10): She carried our team a lot. We really depended on her as our star player I guess, but ultimately it was a team effort. But we knew that she would always be able to clutch up for us.
Allison: I had no expectations going in whatsoever. I was just going to do my best and it turned out to be a really good score. I think the biggest challenge is probably like staying positive, because a round of golf does last around five or six hours. And so to keep fighting at it, to keep grinding at it, one of the biggest challenges for us.
Ashley: She’s really determined. I feel like even if she has a bad shot, she never lets that get to her. And she’s always the type of person to end a round better than she starts it.
Allison: I think it’s just really nice because golf is an individual sport, and there’s not too much interaction. But with a team, you can really get the team play experience, and I think that’s pretty invaluable.
Anika Pallapothu (11): She’s always had a type of leadership figure because you always feel comfortable in telling anything with her, getting tips from her, especially because of her maturity and professionalism within golf itself.
Allison: Stay in the present and stop worrying about what your result will be. What you did in the last hole after a bad shot. You just gotta keep grinding through it.
![Sophomore Jessie Cao strikes a pose. “That feeling when you get a new skill, when you feel yourself improving on something you struggle with or when you overcome a mental block [is] really rewarding,” Jessie said. “As long as you push yourself and think you're trying your hardest, that's what matters the most.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/250918_jessiecaoapex_AshleyM_1-2-727x1200.jpg)
![Sai Kaneshiro (10) warms up her swinging technique during a practice. “I try to not think about [the pressure] too much and just take it one day at a time, one tournament at a time,” Sai said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/sai-kaneshiro-10-ashley-mo-min-2-e1756584218934-981x1200.jpg)
