![“[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)
Varsity girls golf celebrated seniors Emi Fujimura, Katelyn Hsu and Metrica Shi at Los Lagos golf course on May 11.
Per the team’s tradition, the girls commemorated senior night with a lighthearted nine-hole round, where they played against each other in separate groups. The team gathered to watch the seniors complete their final hole, cheering them on with handmade posters and flowers.
“Preparing for senior night was really fun because we made posters for each senior with small notes that every golfer wrote,” varsity girls golf player Anika Pallapothu (11) said. “We had a great time preparing everything, from the gifts to the food.”
After the game, head golf coach Ie-Chen Cheng delivered a speech for each senior, addressing friends and family who came to support them. The team members took turns sharing their favorite memories with the seniors throughout the season, starting off with the juniors, followed by the sophomores and then the freshmen. The seniors then expressed their gratitude and thanked everyone for attending the event.
“The best part of senior night is to express our experience [with] each of the senior golfers,” Cheng said. “We express our gratefulness to our seniors for leading the path in our journey the past four years or longer.”
Following the speeches, the team gifted the seniors personalized scrapbooks with pictures, along with bags containing snacks, accessories and other college necessities. As the sun set at Los Lagos, the girls ate dinner together at the golf course, concluding the evening with final hugs and goodbyes.
“I really enjoyed playing with the girls one last time and just hanging out,” Katelyn said. “I’m really grateful for all the opportunities and guidance that the coaches provided us these past seasons, and I’m really glad that I chose to play golf in high school. Senior night reminded me of all the fun times we had in the fall, and I’ll definitely continue playing golf in the future because of the wonderful team experience.”
The girls ended their fall season with a clean league record of 16-0 last year and advanced to States for the first time in Harker history.
