![“[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)
Frosh class council contenders delivered their speeches in the RPAC on Wednesday.
Twelve students running for Student Council gave their speeches first, touching on their motivations for running and notable issues within the upper school community, from bullying to long lunch lines. They proposed calendars for event organizations and promised to be the voice for underrepresented students.
Candidate Dyuthi Vallamsetty (9), who is new to Harker this year, hopes to bring her past leadership experience to the Student Council.
“I haven’t been here for a long time so I don’t know everything about Harker, but bringing in someone new has an impact,” Dyuthi said. “Even though the majority of the freshman class isn’t new people, a large amount are new to Harker, so it’s important to represent that group.”
Five Student Activities Board candidates then addressed the class. With references to shared classes and common struggles, the candidates cracked jokes that sparked laughter from the audience.
Frosh Elaine Huang noted that the high number of candidates made it important to stand out from the others.
“If I have to vote, I need to remember who they are and what they said, not just that it was similar to the other speeches,” Elaine said. “The perfect student council candidate doesn’t exist, but I would look for someone who’s adaptable and who’s really passionate.”
Class of 2028 dean Jeanette Fernandez directed students to read the candidates’ detailed written responses to questions before voting to gain further insight into their character.
“The candidates can only speak for a certain amount of time, and they put a lot of thought into those responses,” Fernandez announced to the frosh class. “As somebody who is going to elect a person to represent your class for a year, I suggest that you go and read those responses before you make your vote.”
Frosh voted for the candidates after the speeches. Frosh Aydin Mesic, Dyuthi Vallamsetty, Amber Wang and Avi Gupta won Student Council elections while Christian Mehta, Hongkang Zhao and Jillian Chen won SAB elections.
![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
