![“[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 joyful cheers of “Go Obama!” contrasted with the few dissenting cries that rang through the hallways Wednesday morning as students discussed Obama winning the election.
The results from the JSA election poll announced on Monday revealed that 68 percent of students would vote for Obama. Reflecting those statistics, many students such as Divya Periyakoil (9) were enthusiastic about Obama’s victory.
“I’m so happy that Obama won because I really agree with his views on social issues like gay rights and contraception,” Divya said. “I feel like Mitt Romney brings his religious views into his politics too much, and the people should have the right to decide about these things.”
However, some students such as Darius Yohannan (9) believe that Obama is not the right choice for the country.
“I was surprised. I am very worried about the current state of the country because Obama hasn’t fixed the economy after the four years he’s already had,” he said.
Several students, including Taylor Mahal (11), tuned in to the election on Tuesday night, hoping for Obama to get re-elected to a second term.
“I wasn’t necessarily surprised [by Obama winning]. I was just really hoping for him to win,” Taylor said.
With election night during the school week, some students found it hard to find time to watch as each state’s votes were counted.
Senior Adrienne Mendel was one of many students who could not watch the election due to other school-related commitments on Tuesday evening, but she noted how this election would influence her more than any past ones.
“I watched snippets of it, but I didn’t really watch the whole thing. I think because I’m not allowed to vote, it wasn’t that big of a deal, but I feel like this is the first year that’s actually going to matter to me because next time, I’ll be voting,” Adrienne said.
The JSA-created event “Pizza and Politics” also gave students an opportunity to watch and engage in live discussions about the results at school with their friends.
Freshman Alyssa Crawford found the event to be both educational and fun.
“It was a fun experience to be able to talk about the election with friends when the results were being announced live,’ Alyssa said.
However, some students expressed indifference towards the candidates running, as they won’t be able to vote for a while.
“I mean I wouldn’t really know what would happen because I’m only 14 and don’t personally have to pay taxes or anything yet,” Lev Sepetov (9) said.
For many students, the next election will be the first one they will be able to vote in.
