![“[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)
Voice actor Stephanie Kerbis led a workshop in theater teacher Brandi Griffth’s room on Monday after school.
Kerbis guided the students through the auditions for various cartoon characters like Mabel Pines from “Gravity Falls” and Miss Skullnick from “Star vs. the Forces of Evil.” She also offered advice on starting a voice acting career, covering everything from recording a demo reel to finding an agent and sharing her own experience in the film and voice acting industry.
“I started acting in professional theater when I was 14, and then I moved into acting for film and television from the end of high school to college,” Kerbis said. “I liked it, but screen acting didn’t give me as much joy as voice acting. I’m wild about voice acting, and it is my fuel and my light source. There’s an eight year old girl that gets to come out and play when I do this work.”
Kerbis is known for voicing characters in video games like “Fortnite” and “Helldivers 2,” commercials for Mazda and Speedy Edie in the animated show “The Loud House.” Using her expertise, she provided personalized voice feedback to each student and recommended improvements by encouraging students to add their personal interpretation to the lines and incorporating physical movement to elevate their acting.
Senior Shiv Deokar participated in the line reading, where he attempted several lines in the voice of a troll. He acknowledged the unique challenge of voice acting and appreciated that he could apply what he learned about expressing emotion through voice to acting onstage.
“I’m used to acting in theater, so voice acting was a very different experience,” Shiv said. “You have to dive deep, because all you really have is your voice. The workshop helped me learn to put energy and effort into that first try. From there I can always build something new.”
Junior Ollie Masoni, who normally only acts onstage, found the voice-only experience liberating.
“The workshop was a very non-judgmental environment, and I got to be strange and odd in my own way,” Ollie said. “It didn’t matter what my face looked like as long as my voice was compelling and had emotion. I could be looser and wilder — there was lots of room to make my own choices.”
