![“[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)
Eight students learned about the world of sports business at Oracle Park, the home stadium of the San Francisco Giants, on Oct. 7.
Bill Schlough, the Chief Information Officer of the Giants and former Harker parent, gave a special presentation to the students, detailing all his previous jobs and giving students a glimpse into the management and organization of the San Francisco Giants.
He encouraged students unsure about their future to go into consulting, highlighting how consulting exposed him to many different industries and introduced him to juggling multiple jobs at once.
Students periodically asked Schlough questions about the sports business industry and how he manages work load. Throughout his presentation, Schlough emphasized the importance of “side hustles” and trying many different paths in life.
“The game of life is not about accumulating the most money, it’s about doing something that you are passionate about,” Schlough said. “Every one of my side hustles were things I was passionate about. For example, when I go to another country for the Olympics, it’s like a sabbatical for me. I love being dropped into a place where I don’t know anybody and I gotta figure it out and that’s what helps me continue to grow. That’s why I do it.”
During the field trip, students took a tour of the ballpark. They visited the home players’ dugout and the private suites. Students also learned the history behind important landmarks, like the display of the three enlarged World Series rings that the Giants won in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
“We get visited by baseball fans, Giants fans, people who know nothing about baseball, but they just want to come here because they’ve heard about the ballpark,” Joan Shin, the tour guide, said. “It’s a beautiful place. There’s something about it that brings people together.”
Senior Sara Glusman attended the trip to take promotional pictures for her startup WrapIt Recovery. Schlough’s advice to experiment with different paths in life resonated with her deeply.
“When I think about what I want to do in the future, I want to do something that will allow me to do many different things because I feel like I’ll get bored with just one job,” Sara said. “It was really impactful to see how, even at such a prestigious company, Schlough was able to move around so much and pursue his own interests.”
![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)
