![“[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)
Varsity boys tennis destroyed Burlingame High School 7-0 in the second round of the Central Coast Section playoffs at Del Mar High School on May 9.
The Eagles got off to a strong start with the first and second singles players Paras Painuly (11) and Eddie Zhang (11) winning their first sets 6-3 and 6-4 respectively. Paras converted his advantage into a match victory with a 6-1 win, while Eddie dropped his second set 3-6 before bouncing back 10-5 in tiebreaks in the third.
“The team was vibing with a lot of positive energy,” second doubles team member Yinan Zhou (12) said. “We were all in the spirit of playing well and playing a nice competitive match. It really comes down to having a good amount of pressure but also having this feeling that you’re playing against opponents that respect you.”
Senior Vyom Vidyarthi and frosh Yicheng Feng quickly won their doubles match in a 6-1, 6-3 two-set victory, as did Yinan and senior Jeffrey Zhang, who won both sets 6-1. Junior Yash Sachdeva and frosh Ameya Choudhary also won convincingly 6-0, 6-3.
“The games were pretty close to start, but we managed to pull through on most of them,” team member Evan Zhang (11) said. “Our supreme coaching and our coaches’ experience pulled us through for most of the matches. Yicheng was really dedicated, so he came today even though he’s injured. He played with only underhand serves, but he and Vyom still managed to win, which is really great.”
In the third singles slot, frosh Arjun Khara took down his opponent with a strong performance, winning 6-4 in both sets. Sophomore Ryan Miao similarly pulled through with a 7-6(3), 6-1 two-set victory.
“We struggled a little bit on the singles, but overall the team has stepped up,” Vyom’s father Arvind Vidyarthi said. “The boys get along very well, they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses very well, and they know the common goal is to win, so they step up to whatever position they’re asked to play.”
After defeating Saratoga High School in the semifinal round on Wednesday, the team lost to Menlo 6-1 in the CCS final yesterday. They concluded their season with an overall record of 14-4.
