![“[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)
AP Art students exhibited their portfolios in Nichols Atrium from Mar. 4 through 6. Each artist’s work told an unique and personal story through a variety of different mediums, following central themes from cultural identity to social media.
As part of the AP Art curriculum, students conduct a Sustained Investigation, which involves an in-depth exploration of a single idea.
Sophomore Sophie Yeh based her investigation, titled “Urban Impressions,” on city architecture, drawing inspiration from buildings in Rome and Chicago. She used complex drawing techniques including three-point perspective to convey dimensionality in her work.
“I want to be an architect, so I think that’s clear from a lot of my pieces,” Sophie said. “I like drawing buildings and looking at the views of cities and such. When I designed my sustained investigation, I wanted to create it around the idea of how people perceive cities and urban areas in life.”
Students displayed parts of the 15 piece collection of art that they began working on at the beginning of the year. While they have not yet completed their portfolios, the exhibition allowed students to display their artwork in a gallery and share their progress with others while describing the process and ideas behind their art to students, faculty and parents.
Attendee Eric Dong (11) visited the exhibit to view his peers’ projects and left with a more in-depth idea of the process behind their work.
“I don’t really have that much experience with art, and it’s not something that I spend much of my time looking at, so it was nice to see these exhibits in a new space,” Eric said. “A lot of the things were kind of unorthodox, but not in a bad way. It was interesting to see some of the things people were doing with their art.”
Mudita Singhal, mother of junior Aanya Shah, came to the presentation to celebrate her daughter’s work. At home, she watched Aanya’s painting process and noted the dedication each piece took.
“When I see her working with a brush, it’s such little strokes and each painting takes 60 hours or 80 hours,” Singhal said. “We’ve been very encouraging about it because not everybody can do it, and given she has the patience and interest in it, it is a skill she should keep doing and building in life.”
![Vinay Reddy advises former President Biden on a speech. “It doesn't matter who you're writing for,” Reddy said. “The real, most important thing is [that] you understand that person."](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vinay-Reddy-e1741423129934-1200x904.jpeg)
