![“[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)
This year, each class chose a Homecoming theme related to Disney movies. The seniors, who had first choice, picked High School Musical, juniors Lion King, sophomores Toy Story, and freshmen Pirates of the Caribbean.
Many students reflected positive sentiments towards their respective themes, although some complained that the themes were challenging to work with on the float and eagle.
“[Our theme] reminds me of junior high when this was all the rage, but it’s the worst theme for our eagle. It’s great for everything else though,” said senior Michelle Zhang, reflecting upon her class’s theme, High School Musical.
Another senior, Rebecca Liu agreed with Michelle.
“I was really excited about all the possibilities that our theme would provide for our eagle and our float,” Rebecca said. “And dress up day [too,] I suppose.”
Similarly, sophomore class treasurer David Lin was pleased with his class’s choice of Toy Story.
“It was a really good idea because just beyond the spirit aspect of it, we also got to donate a lot of charity, so that’s one thing that makes the float a lot more meaningful,” he said, relating that the sophomore’s float doubled as a toy collection drive to donate to kids.
Many freshmen also rejoiced upon embodying their first ever Homecoming theme.
“It’s an easy and fun theme,” Kevin Kim (9) said. “I think it makes everyone feel like being a child again. We are all familiar with Disney movies and characters, so it’s interesting seeing other people dress up as them.”
Some students also felt that their class themes helped to promote unity since everyone dressed up in the same colors, helped work on the Homecoming preparation, or competed in spirit competitions together.
“I feel our Homecoming theme is great because it’s able to unite the class through a different medium, like animals in this case,” Rohith Bhethanabotla (11) said. “We have Lion King, we’re just trying to be king, we “Just Can’t Wait To Be King.” We’re trying to be kings like the seniors.”
More events to look forward to this week include the Homecoming game tonight, as well as the Homecoming dance on Saturday.
![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)
