![“[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)
The speech and debate team celebrated senior Melody Yin, juniors Joy Hu, Luke Wu, Albert Yao and Ariel Zhang and sophomore Sophia Zhu during the annual Speech Showcase in the Nichols Auditorium on Wednesday.
All six speakers qualified for the JW Patterson Tournament of Champions, an annual speech and debate competition held at the University of Kentucky with competitors invited from across the United States. Joy, Luke and Albert gave prepared versions of extemporaneous speeches, which competitors typically deliver at competitions on the spot, about U.S. government policy. Melody employed posters and props in an informative speech about the influence of first and last names on gender roles and society.
“Everyone here has made an incredible impact on our team culture,” speech team member Robert Fields (12) said. “At every tournament, they’ve pushed themselves, their teammates and their competitors. They will all leave a great legacy to make sure this team thrives in the future.”
Ariel and Sophia, who compete in the Original Oratory category, delivered persuasive speeches on a topic of their choice. Ariel discussed female beauty, while Sophia explored the influence of human emotions compared to logic in decision-making.
“Events like this are valuable to the community,” Ariel said. “It’s so important to have this platform where people can speak constructively about something that they’re passionate about. Everyone has something really important to say.’”
Members of the speech team introduced each speaker with personal stories and tributes. At the conclusion of the showcase, speech team coach David Kilpatrick gave thanks to the team both as speakers and mentors to other students.
“It’s really important that [members of the speech team] have an opportunity to show off their hard work,” Kilpatrick said. “We have so much talent here, and maybe not everyone knows. I’m so proud of all of them, and I hope they’re proud of themselves.”
