![“[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)
Women in Sports Club hosted former Division I athlete, youth advocate and life coach Christa Gannon for a speaker event on Nov. 20.
Gannon shared her experiences as a student athlete throughout high school and college, offering advice on managing their schedules and avoiding burnout.
“It’s not about balance, it’s about Jenga,” Gannon said. “When you play Jenga, you pull something out, the whole thing can fall down, and you have to rebuild it again. It’s never going to feel easy. It’s never going to be perfect. It’s just about ‘Am I taking steps closer to where I want to be?’”
While playing basketball at UC Santa Barbara, Gannon won two Academic All-American Basketball Player awards and was a finalist for the 1994 NCAA Woman of the Year. After winning back-to-back conference championships with her college team, Gannon studied law at Stanford University.
Motivated by her volunteer work with incarcerated children, Gannon founded her own non-profit organization Fresh Lifelines for Youth dedicated to educating young people about the law and their rights.
Club member Brooke Kubose (11) appreciated Gannon’s insights on relying on a dependable support network.
“She talked about having support and being willing to ask people for help, and that was really insightful,” Brooke said. “At one point, piling up everything and doing things solely by yourself can become too much.”
While students often view sports as added time commitments that limit their academic achievement, Gannon highlighted how skills developed through athletics can benefit all career paths in the future.
“Whenever I see on somebody’s resume that they’ve done sports, they go to the top of the list for me instantaneously,” Gannon said. “I know they understand time management, selflessness, work ethic and pressure.”
Women in Sports Club adviser Meredith Cranston emphasized the club’s mission of supporting female athletes and creating an uplifting community through educational events like this one.
“Being a part of a sports team is so powerful for anyone, regardless of gender,” Cranston said. “I love that these members have a place to talk about the unique challenges and opportunities of being a woman in sports. Some of the strongest connections I made in my life were through my sports team, and I just love to support students doing the same thing.”
