![“[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 LatinX affinity club and the office of DEI hosted a Cinco de Mayo Celebration during lunch on Monday in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center.
Students and faculty watched two traditional Mexican performances by the Downtown College Prep (DCP) Folklórico dance group, who danced to the songs El Tilingo Lingo, La Iguana, La Bamba, Las Abajenas, La Mariquita, La Negra and El Jarabe Tapatio.
Sophomore Brianna Madrigal sang a piece by Mexican artist Juan Gabriel. She recalls vibrant Cinco de Mayo celebrations from when she lived in Mexico and hopes to honor her family and Latinx culture with the song.
“This song specifically is really important to me because it’s important to my family, especially my mom’s side of the family, because of my great grandpa,” Brianna said. “He passed away before I was born, so I never got to meet him, but my parents say that I resemble him a lot. But emotionally speaking, the song has these little moments talking about [the singer’s] loved ones and how much she misses them after they have passed away, so that’s really important to me too.”
Monday’s performance was also DCP Folklórico’s final public appearance, as DCP will close at the end of the academic year. DCP performer Camila Reyes (11) notes the most memorable moments from the performance.
“My favorite part of the performance was probably being able to do it with all these amazing girls next to me and being able to have fun for our last performance,” Camila said. “It was amazing performing here. The students [at Harker] are amazing as well. They were so supportive.”
DCP Folklórico director Brian Preciado reflects on the dedication the dancers brought to the performance.
“[I enjoyed] seeing the students’ energy come together,” Preciado said. “It took a lot of sweat and tears to get to this point. For me as director, it’s just so beautiful to see my students perform their culture for the audience.”
![Humans of Harker Editor-in-Chief Disha Gupta presents the “Humans of [Your School] workshop. Presenters highlighted HoH project’s mission and went over the process of building a senior’s profile.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC_0802-1200x799.jpg)
