![“[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)
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director Patricia Burrows hosted a “Real Talk with Students and for Students” discussion, inviting students to contemplate various challenges currently facing local communities on and off campus in the Nichols Auditorium on Tuesday.
Attendees discussed personal values from morality and responsibility to controversial political affiliations. The event allowed each participant to provide sincere opinions and perspectives on those topics.
“I want to create a climate and culture for students to talk about things that is planned and structured,” Burrows said. “We don’t allow adequate time to just process life.
To help prepare our students for experiences beyond high school, we need to model and create those opportunities for students to create connections.”
The discussion began with each student spending two minutes sharing about any topic that they felt strongly about, like academic stressors or varying political beliefs. If extra time remained after the speaker finished, students stayed silent to acknowledge boundaries.
“We had the opportunity to be reflective and to discuss how we have discussions at Harker and how, to different degrees, are we deliberate or thoughtful about what we say,” senior Cindy Yu said. “I saw that it was a no judgment zone, and there was a very high standard of respect.”
Burrows later allowed the students to have a less structured casual conversation about any topic that interested them. Students delved into their own relationships with students, teachers and family.
“It’s easier to have more in-depth conversations when there’s a facilitator and when it’s an event where I can talk about what I was scared to bring up,” senior Claire Perng said. “It allows me to be more open in sharing my thoughts when I know we all have to share our thoughts. I’m taking the risk to open up.”
The next “Real Talk” discussion is scheduled for Jan. 19.
