![“[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)
Harker UNICEF hosted its first club meeting of the year, where students used colorful, patterned envelopes, cards and stickers to design cards for hospitalized children on Tuesday.
The cards will be delivered to families around the world through the organization Cardz for Kidz, whom UNICEF officers coordinated with beforehand. Co-president Omar Khan (11) felt the thoughtful act of writing letters could leave a lasting impression.
“We want to send these cards to children’s hospitals, because actually going in person and having an event is time-consuming,” Omar said. “We want to make something accessible for everybody so that they can still make an impact on children’s lives. We thought card making is the perfect way to do that because it’s very simple, it’s fun, and when a child opens up a card, you never know what they’re going through. So if they just have that little ray of sunshine within their day of gloom, that could be really, really helpful.”
Card making has been a tradition at Harker UNICEF for several years, both to aid those in need and to build a tight-knit community within the club itself. The club kicked off the event with a brief slideshow introducing their officers and UNICEF’s mission statement of supporting children’s rights and basic needs.
“I really hope that even small words and little cards can have a big impact on someone’s day,” attendee Alexis Santosa (10) said. “I’ve taught a few kids before in computer science classes, so I definitely know what it’s like for a small gesture to make a child really happy. It’s so sweet to see their smiles whenever they really are.”
Officers started preparing materials and logistics for the event in August, first communicating with Cardz for Kidz and then reaching out to Community Service Director and Activities Coordinator Kerry Enzensperger to ensure the event counted toward community service hours requirements. Director of Operations Phoebe Lee (11) explained changes the club made in this year’s preparations.
“We usually send cards to foster children, but the organization that we partner with doesn’t offer that anymore, so we had to find another one which suggested making cards for hospitalized children,” Phoebe said. “Then we had to buy the supplies, the cards, stickers and the snacks for everyone. It’s really fun to see everyone get excited over making cards and using stickers, because I think nowadays everyone thinks, ‘Oh, using stickers is kind of cringey,’ and you see a break from that.”
Omar reflected on his hopes for the effect of the cards and what the initiative meant to him.
“A lot of children, they’re going through very difficult situations,” Omar said. “Some of them might even be terminally ill patients, and you want to make sure that everything you do for them is making their lives on this earth a little bit easier, even if it’s just by a little bit. As long as we keep adding up those little amounts, you eventually get such a big effect on these children that is honestly remarkable, and I want to be part of making that remarkable effect on these children.”
