![“[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)
Women in Sports (WiSports) Club hosted a game of Duck, Duck, Goose during lunch to welcome new members on Sept. 22.
Sitting in a circle outside the Athletic Center, participants each took turns being the “goose.” The goose in turn selected a successor, who had to run away to avoid gaining the role.
Frosh Angelina Qiu, who attended her first WiSports event, thought the casual yet physical nature of the game interrupted the monotony of the academic day.
“I had a lot of fun chasing down my friends,” she said. “It was a break for my brain. And if you have a test, events like these can really help with the anxiety.”
WiSports Director of External Affairs Lily Ahluwalia (10) echoed Angelina’s sentiment.
“I love Duck, Duck, Goose because it’s a childhood game,” Lily said. “It’s good to take breaks and take time to have fun, instead of just going to lunch and studying. It’s important to get physical activity in the middle of the day because a lot of our lives are sitting down, looking at a screen.”
WiSports co-presidents Eva Cheng (12) and S Wang (12) wanted to emulate that sense of childhood fun with the game.
“It brings people together to see two people running in laps around you,” S said. “And it’s ridiculous, but I think it’s also perfectly light-hearted enough to break the ice and create bonding memories. I’m glad that it wasn’t a cliché introduction meeting where we would all stand around in a classroom. We were able to break those barriers from the onset.”
Several frosh attended the event as an introduction to the club. Lily believed that the game allowed her to get to know new club members.
“I didn’t know a lot of the new club members, and I enjoyed getting to know them and introducing them to the officers,” Lily said. “Many of them played water polo, so it was also fun to get to know people who played different sports than me — my friends only play volleyball.”
S believed the inclusive nature of the game, which forces participants to interact despite not knowing each other, reflected WiSports’ founding values.
“Throughout the year, WiSports is trying to create a culture of empowerment and upliftment, of compassion,” S said. “In Duck, Duck, Goose, when you’re the goose, you have a choice: You can tap someone that you already know as a friend, or someone you don’t know, including them in the game. I saw a lot of the latter, and I was surprised by how well everyone meshed together.”
Future WiSports meetings will include guest speakers, conversations about balancing school and sports as well as the annual Wii Sports video game event in December.
