![“[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)
Due to their accomplishments during their school water polo seasons, seniors Keri Clifford and Karan Das-Grande earned first and second team awards in the Central Coast Section, respectively, last Monday.
At the end of the season, coaches involved in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League voted for players who they thought were worthy recipients of the award. Each team consists of 11 members, meaning Keri and Karan are among the top 22 players in Division 2.
While some of their teammates only began playing water polo in high school, both athletes discovered their passion for the sport in eighth grade and feel like they have benefited greatly from it.
“I learned time management and how to balance my school work and [sports],” Keri said. “The days I don’t have practice, I’m usually less efficient.”
Although she has not yet decided how much she wants to commit herself to the sport, Keri is positive that she will pursue water polo in college. Her top choices include Pomona and UC San Diego.
“Pomona is Division 3 so they don’t have the National Letter of Intent, but I’ve been talking to the coach,” she said. “UC San Diego does have the National Letter of Intent, but I’m still not sure what college I like the best.”
While Keri is looking at universities in California, Karan has his sights set on Connecticut College and will receive admission results on December 10. He is already thinking about his water polo career after college.
“I’m most likely going to be playing in college, and after that I would like to continue playing in what they call semi-pro,” he said. “Either [I’ll go] somewhere in Europe for a couple years or do Masters Water Polo in the U.S.”
Keri and Karan’s passion for the sport has led them both to prized positions at the top of the league, and they hope to improve upon their skills in college.
