![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
![Divya Venkat (11) explains the goals of Make Our Schools Safe, a nonprofit organization devoted to combating gun violence. “The personalities of the people running the stands [were what drew me in],” Ryder Hewitt (9) said. “I got the vibe of the whole club. When I saw very invested, excited people, it made me more invested in their clubs.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ClubFair1_EllaYee-900x499.jpg)
![Varsity girls tennis team looks to repeat historic wins
Following their success last year, where they won not only California Central Coast Section league but also the Northern California Section I championships, the upper school Girls Varsity Tennis team faces lofty expectations to defend their titles this season.
“Last year was a historic year, and we do have a bullseye on our backs as defending champions,” head coach JP Fruttero said. “This year the idea is if we can build from our upperclassmen; they have a good idea of what it’s going to take.”
With a strong roster of 16 players total, eight of whom are freshmen, team captain Anushka Mehrotra (12) embraces the challenge of guiding a team of mostly “new blood,” as well as fulfilling her team captain role. Amid numerous roster changes, Anushka often finds herself helping out the underclassmen and keeping up positivity and discipline during practices and games.
“[With] the freshmen, a lot of them come to me for advice or text me about their classes, which is nice because you usually only see them at tennis,” Anushka said. “[The coaches and I] talk to the [team] a lot about taking every practice 100%, since it’s easy to slack off when it gets too hot or [there’s] too much work.”
Full article: https://harkeraquila.com/68593/sports/varsity-girls-tennis-team-looks-to-repeat-historic-wins/#
Reporters: Katerina Matta, Gemma Chan
Photographer: Gemma Chan, Katerina Matta](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
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Breaking News
- September 22Varsity girls tennis team looks to repeat historic wins
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