![“[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)
Four students from Green Team called environmentalists in Colorado as part of the weekly Environmental Voter Project (EVP) to encourage them to update their voter registration on Sept. 16. EVP identifies specific citizens through extensive research and offers opportunities for volunteers to increase civic engagement among these climate activists.
Participants engaged in environmental phone banking with a group of volunteers by collectively calling voters to convince them to advocate for climate-friendly policies. Along with 26 others on Zoom, students followed the instructions of EVP representatives in introducing themselves and their organization and then engaging in a scripted but adaptable conversation.
“It was nerve wracking at first because I wasn’t really sure how the callers would respond,” attendee Stella Yang (11) said. “But as I kept making calls, it was a lot more smooth and got the hang of it. It was rewarding, because some of them did end up following along and going through with the voting registration.”
The overall 31 contributors on Zoom made a total of 22,617 calls and 269 complete conversations during this Monday session. Green Team adviser Diana Moss, who also participated in the phone banking, experienced issues with disinterested people.
“It feels frustrating because you do get a lot of people who hang up on you,” Moss said. “If you are careful to stay nonpartisan and upbeat, people are more apt to respond. I feel sad that we have to do this in this country; everybody should recognize it’s such a privilege to be able to vote, so it’s important to do so.”
Founded in 2015, EVP aims to turn the millions of non-voting conservation advocates into earnest voters. They identify states with lower voter turnout to recruit more citizens to their movement. Through EVP’s heightened presence, politicians must finally address ecological issues.
Green Team public relations officer Kristiyan Kurtev (10), who successfully persuaded five people to vote in the upcoming election, emphasized the importance of the younger generation using their voices to enact changes in public policy despite their inability to vote.
“Climate change is real and it’s happening,” Kristiyan said. “It’s important that all of us take steps to deal with the global conflict that is happening with the climate. The only way to do this on a large scale is to vote for the people who are going to be the change, because the government has the resources available to help combat the climate crisis on a national level.”
