![“[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)
Playing Call of Duty, watching videos on YouTube, checking your fantasy sports team’s status, and stalking people you don’t know on Facebook. While most high school students spend their free time engaging in more archetypal afterschool activities, Adrienne Wong (12) spends several hours a week preparing handmade presents for students’ birthdays.
Adrienne got her inspiration from a program that passed out Hershey’s Kisses on Valentine’s Day. Rather than duplicating a service from the past, Adrienne evaluated what may be missing in students’ lives and decided that birthdays were the best time to recognize students and their birthdays by giving them Starburst and a birthday card.
“Birthdays are more personal because everyone has one, but some people’s birthdays just kind of pass by. So I thought it would be nice if everyone could be acknowledged on their birthday,” Adrienne said.
Her work pays off, as many students recognize and appreciate her efforts.
“I thought it was really nice of her. It made me feel like she cared that it was my birthday,” Rishi Ravuri (11) said.
As for her choice of gift, Starburst is well accepted by the school community.
“I really like candy. It’s a nice little gift,” Jacob Chappell (11) said.
Adrienne chose her senior year to begin distributing tokens of her thoughtfulness, but she soon realized that she would need the support of the people around her to complete her project.
“I had a lot of help from my friends, from my parents, and from my sister. [My parents] thought it was weird at first, but they definitely did help me,” she said.
Because these gifts are anonymous, Adrienne focuses on simply making the person feel “acknowledged.” However, she is unsure who is going to carry on her project so people can keep receiving gifts on their birthdays.
“I’ve had some people come up to me and say thank you. I am not expecting people to come up to me and thank me for it,” she said. “That’s why it was supposed to be anonymous, but it’s still nice to know that people appreciate it.”
