![“[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)
Club Fair attendees explored and interacted with a variety of student-led organizations at Nichols on Sept. 10. The new venue hosted 92 organizations this year, with many new clubs, including HopeAI, 3D Print and Design Club and Origami Club, introducing their initiatives.
“All the clubs brought together a great mix of info,” frosh Lucas Huang said. “From all the clubs that I saw, their presentations were on point. I really liked the Neuroscience club demonstration where they had a contraption that captured a person’s brain waves.”
Director of Student Organizations Eric Kallbrier launched a new feature allowing clubs to hold scheduled demonstrations in the Rotunda and formally announced each activity before their designated slot.
Many clubs took advantage of this feature to show off activities members could expect during the year: Origami Club taught students how to fold a paper crane; Tri-M, an honors society that strives to bring musicians together, featured performances showing off the musical talent of its members, and Quiz Bowl hosted a trivia competition for candy prizes.
“Once people started coming in, I got more confident,” Origami Club president Shimeka Sahu (11) said. “More and more people were coming over and they were ‘wow, this is so cool,’ so then I felt more excited overall.”
Other clubs attracted students by holding interactive activities at their booths outside of demonstrations. Physical Sciences Club showcased a spinning wheel to illustrate conservation of angular momentum, and Astronomy Club used a solar telescope to show passersby sun spots. Oeconomia organized economics games including “Split or Steal.”
“Manning a booth this year was definitely eye-opening because I got to meet a lot of underclassmen that are just starting out their high school career,” Oeconomia president Andy Chung (12) said. “The intellectual exploration especially present at Club Fair was particularly interesting because I got to see it from the other side of the table — I remember being a 9th grader myself and exploring the clubs I wanted to do.”
