![“[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)
- November 20Strength beyond stereotypes
- November 20Varsity boys water polo falters against Saint Francis 11-13 in historic CCS semifinal match
- November 19Harker Physics Invitational draws international participation
- November 18Beat the Autumn Blues with the Beatles and Aquila
- November 18Tyler, Created
- November 18Shakespeare monologue contest spotlights students' acting skills
- November 17Junior Keira Chang shares her book in local library event
- November 17College application workshop opens new mindset for prospective students
- November 17School Meeting 11/12: Honor Council, Bookopoly and Capriccio
- November 16STEM Spotlight: HOSA
![“I don't know exactly what it was. Maybe it was the view, maybe it was the feeling, maybe it was the whole fascination of, ‘We're now 20,000 feet above the earth flying in a tin can, [and] we're not dead yet.’ Maybe that's it," Connor Wilcox (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ConnorWilcoxHoH_CarterChadwick-900x600.jpeg)
![“If I was growing [on my channel] from the start, I never would have changed. The kick of the fact that I wasn’t improving and I felt like I was staggering was what set [the change] off. I have definitely become more proud of what I make. I want to see the channel grow, but I also want to put effort into it and be proud of that," Zevan Drozda (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ZevanDrozdaHoH_CarterChadwick-900x600.jpg)
![“[Uplifting others] is hard for me sometimes because I struggle with bringing myself up sometimes, but when I do help them succeed it makes me feel better. And in the end, it helps me succeed as well," Kai Burich (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/KaiBurichHoH_EshaGohil-600x900.jpeg)
!["You bond as a group, you stay up really late working on the robot, fixing anything that breaks. Seeing your robot in action is [also] very rewarding. After eight intense weeks of building, you finally see it pay off and see the robot function, which is really nice," Anish Pai (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/AnishPaiHoH_CarterChadwick-601x900.jpeg)
![“[It’s true that] the worst thing that someone can say is no, but you're going to get a ‘no’ by default if you never go out and try to make a change or try and do something. The worst possible outcome is already going to happen if you don't try, so you might as well try," Allen Boyce (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/AllenBoyceHoH_CarterChadwick-600x900.jpeg)
!["[My passion for music] was playing with others and being a part of a group, simply making music together. Those things are the main reasons why I enjoy playing in orchestra, mainly because I really like playing the music I listen to and then trying to recreate it,” Austin Wang (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/AustinWangHoH_Carterchadwick-596x900.jpeg)
![“Even if I’m not really good at [playing a song], I don’t just quit on it. There's this song called ‘Tom Sawyer’ by Rush, and for about nine or ten years I was trying to play that ... I remember the day I got that song down perfectly, and I was so happy. It just reinforced the idea in my brain that I can do things with hard work,” Nick Bereznak (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NickBereznak_SydneyTakemoto_HoHPhoto-612x900.jpeg)
![“What makes [doing cross-country] worthwhile is when everyone is fresh across the finish line, and we’re all the pure essence of a team; we're giving each other high fives and supporting each other even though we’re all about to collapse. Finishing a race ... and being able to get over that finish line [feels great], but the rewarding experience is community and team that you get there with,” Grant Miner (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/GrantMiner_CarterChadwick_HoHPhoto-e1586921323556-676x900.jpg)
