![“[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)
Cooking Club taught students how to make brownies in the Auxiliary Gym kitchen after school on Thursday.
Club presidents Ian Gerstner (12) and Victor Gong (12) passed out recipes to attendees and guided them through each step, describing how each ingredient contributed to the final flavor and texture of the brownie. They baked three batches of brownies, flavoring two with raspberry and cinnamon.
Ian explained the logistics behind the meeting and acknowledged the kitchen staff, who allowed them to book the space two to three weeks in advance.
“We would not be able to do any of this meeting without our lovely kitchen staff,” Ian said. “We first arrange to have all the materials, then we have to get the ingredients and then get a poll of how many people are going to come.”
Attendees lined pans with parchment paper and measured dry ingredients like flour and sugar and prepared wet ingredients like ganache, a mixture of melted butter and chocolate. After mixing, they baked the brownie sheets in the kitchen oven for 45 minutes.
Frosh Amy Li highlighted the special opportunity of cooking in a school kitchen.
“I signed up because I thought it’d be nice to make some brownies, since I have not made a large batch of brownies before,” Amy said. “The most challenging part of the recipe was making the ganache, but I like cooking and I want to learn more about it.”
Junior Celina Xu participated in Cooking Club’s activity for the first time to take a break from academics.
“There was no pressure, so you just bake,” Celina said. “I enjoy cooking because you get to see something from start to finish, and it’s a very calming process—the act of chopping or mixing things. It made me forget about school momentarily. It’s a moment to step away from the computer screen and do something physical.”
Attendees brought the finished brownies into Manzanita Hall after school for all students to taste on Friday.
“Food brings people together no matter what country you’re from or how old you are,” Ian said. “You can always share food without words, and indulge in the same sweet or savory treat. I want to create that here at Harker.”
