![“[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)
Investment Club hosted financial wellness program manager Danial Khan of Stanford University’s Mind Over Money program to discuss financial literacy topics and money management strategies on Monday.
As a certified financial social worker, Khan helps others become more financially stable by gaining credit and minimizing debt. He discussed managing fixed costs like housing and groceries while also effectively budgeting the remainder for savings or personal use.
“People should learn financial literacy because everyone has an interest in personal finance,” Khan said. “Sharing different perspectives on personal finance, focusing more on the financial literacy aspect makes us comfortable having a healthy conversation about what we want in our life and how money influences that.”
Khan asked about the audience’s general financial goals and investment ideas, and some shared their experiences with employment, allowances and trading on the stock market. When making important decisions like choosing interest plans or purchasing shares, Khan emphasized learning from successful investors but also urged the audience to conduct their own research to avoid costly mistakes.
Khan urged students to reflect on which items are indispensable to them like school supplies, and which items are ultimately regretful purchases, like unused subscriptions. To avoid such financial mistakes, Danial recommended creating a conscious spending plan for saving, investing or personal spending.
“Personal financial literacy is important for people, especially students in general, because we are the younger generation,” Investment Club co-president Ruhan Arora (11) said. “We will be leading and paving the path for what’s gonna come in the future, so promoting the financial preparedness that will entitle kids to be more financially stable when they’re out in the real world is important.”
Khan concluded his talk by asking students about their life aspirations and how spending or saving money factoring into achieving them.
“I learned that I should open a savings account early to accumulate interest for the future, and I should get a credit card to start accumulating credit,” frosh Brendan Kong said. “Later, I will have to deal with money, and I will need a good credit score, so I can get better deals on important things like insurance and other necessities.”
