![“[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)
On Thursday, many students from each grade wore red to support the LGBT community for National Coming Out Day.
National Coming Out Day, founded in 1988, is observed annually on October 11 to celebrate LGBT individuals coming out to their communities.
During this Monday’s school meeting, senior Eric Swenson spoke about his difficulties being gay while trying to fit in with his peers in both sports and school. He raised awareness about the LGBT community while addressing the closeted gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered. At the end of his speech, he urged students to wear red to show their acceptance and support.
“A label is just a label. Don’t get caught up in things like that. Just be yourself,” Eric said at the school meeting. “Your identity, and therefore your life, will be much more meaningful that way. All of you have people you can talk to. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone about how you feel. A close friend, a trusted teacher, or you can even talk to me if you so desire.”
His speech earned him a standing ovation from the student body.
“I’m wearing red because Eric Swenson’s speech really moved me and opened me up to things about the gay community that people usually wouldn’t know about,” Andy Wang (11) said. “I wore it out of respect; I wore it for him and his cause, and the cause of LGBT in general. It’s important [to support these people] because they deserve an equal part in this society.”
Spanish teacher and GSA club advisor Abel Olivas also thought that Eric’s speech touched and motivated many students.
“I found [Thursday] to be a very uplifting collective demonstration of support, the largest Upper School effort on National Coming Out Day so far, I’d say,” he said. “[Eric] gave the Harker community such a clear window into the struggles of LGBT teens and made that experience so achingly real, that it naturally sensitized us a bit more. […] I hope it provided some reassurance to those kids who are in the closet as they struggle to accept this aspect of their identity and wrestle with whether to tell anyone.”
Many of those who wore red yesterday similarly felt that it was important to show that the LGBT have a community that supports and respects them for who they are.
“I was driving into school [yesterday], and I was really impacted that there’s so many people who took maybe 10 seconds to pick out a red shirt, but it was still that time they thought, ‘Oh, I should wear red so I can show my support to these people,’” Namrata Vakkalagadda (11) said .
Eric said he was “truly really impressed” by how many people wore red. He wishes that an upperclassman could have reassured him like he wishes he has done for others back when he was a freshman and “hopelessly lost.”
Many students wearing red yesterday hoped to reciprocate Eric’s sentiment of acceptance of their LGBT peers throughout the school.
