![“[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)
Boys varsity water polo celebrated senior night with an 18-4 victory over Mountain View High School on Oct. 22. As the last home league game of their high school careers, seniors Rajes Apte, Oskar Baumgarte, Caio Cammer, Andre Lu, Adam Pawliger, Vyom Vidyarthi, Aiden Wang and Alex Zhong reflected on their time on the varsity team, noting their growth, achievements and future plans.
Alex: Hi, my name is Alex Zhong and I play right wing.
Adam: Hi, I’m Adam Pawliger and I play hole guard.
Aiden: I’m Aiden Wang. I am a senior. I am a goalie.
Andre: Hi, I’m Andre Lu and I play 2-spot.
Rajas: I’m Rajas Apte. I’m a senior, and I play center.
Oscar: Oscar Baumgarte, grade 12, position two, driver.
Vyom: Hi, I’m Vyom Vidyarthi. I’m a senior, I play the 4 and 5 side. I’m a leftie.
Caio: I’m Caio Cammer. I play goalie and center.
Oskar: I mean, it’s amazing. After these four years, I couldn’t ask for more lovely players, amazing parents, and the best coach ever.
Caio: It’s a bit, bittersweet because I’ve been waiting for this day since my freshman year. Well, now, this year, I’m kind of sad that it is because this was our last home league game ever.
Rajas: It was a fun one for sure. We got to play; we have some friends on the team. We’ve played these guys for the last four years. It’s always a great time. Today, we showed up. We practiced the stuff we do best and it paid off.
Vyom: For me, the biggest highlight of the game, I’d say it wasn’t one highlight, but it was the first quarter for us. I think we had five or six of our seniors, almost everyone, get a goal there in the very beginning of the game. That’s exactly what we wanted – get everyone to touch the ball, everyone to get a goal. I loved the night because everyone was able to score, everyone was able to contribute. We really got to honor our seniors – every single one of them. It was great.
Oskar: I think I’ve learned a lot of discipline, staying calm during aggressive games and also being a teammate, caring for everyone. We’re kind of like a family, so I think that’s important too.
Caio: The underclassmen that I’m with, they looked up to me, and that’s a feeling I’ll never forget. It’s having someone who actually looks up to you, listens to you and trusts your word. And then, as well as being team captain, it’s just a whole different feeling than playing normally. It’s a great honor.
Rajas: Coming in as a freshman in the summer right before high school, we had a lot of a lot of seniors that we’d never met before, a lot of juniors that we’d never played before. Our age groups never overlapped. So, learning from those guys, learning the ropes of high school polo and just higher level of water polo from watching them, playing with them, learning from them – honestly, that has to be one of the best parts of high school.
Oskar: I feel happy. I’m sure I’ll see everyone at some point. I probably won’t be continuing water polo, but these are forever friends.
