![“[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)
- December 17Festive cheer and family traditions
- December 17Predictions for the 67th Grammys
- December 17Embrace winter magic with Aquila
- December 16Tiny love stories: End of year nostalgia
- December 14Junior varsity boys basketball trails behind Mountain View 36-43
- December 14Downbeat dazzles crowds at annual holiday tour
- December 13Annual Winterfest celebrates community and holidays
- December 12Destress Week helps students unwind before finals
- December 11Gingerbread house building inspires class spirit
- December 10Ease into finals prep with Aquila
![“It’s the mind bending things that I’m really passionate about, the things where you're like, ‘I have no idea why this happens, but I want to figure that out.’ It’s a genuine, ‘I don’t get it, but I want to.’ Or perhaps it’s [that] I don’t want to never understand it. I don’t want to have a topic that I don't understand and never understand it," Spencer Cha ('22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/spencerchahoh_ireneyuan-900x600.jpg)
![“Playing football, being a DECA mentor and leading spirit rallies ... I always had a lot of fun doing it, but it was only around the second half of junior year to now where I’ve witnessed the impact that I’ve made not only to my friends but to the underclassmen I've worked with,” Rohan said. “[It's] something that I never expected but it makes it worth it," Rohan Varma (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/rohanvarma_sabrinazhu_hoh-900x600.jpeg)
![“There's a lot of poverty in Mexico, especially the part where we went, and it really made me see that there is so much handed to me. I felt bad about having this much when [other people] couldn't, and I felt a really strong moral conflict within me when I was comprehending all this. I was still trying to figure out who I was, and … that experience really shaped my perspective on the world in a lot of ways,” Chance Hewitt (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ChanceHewitt_SydneyTakemoto_HoHPhoto-601x900.jpg)
![“I’m really proud to be a part of a generation that cares and that wants to fight for a better future for all of us. Whenever you’re feeling down, you just be part of that community, you just listen, and you’re re-motivated and reinspired to continue the work of activism. There’s going to be resistance, there's going to be a fight, but it's a fight that we need to fight and [something] that I want to be a part of,” Natasha Yen (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/NatashaYen_EricaCai_HoHPhoto-e1613456378196-600x900.jpg)
![“We all have feelings and we all think what we think and have the perspectives that we have because of where we came from, because of our upbringing, our experiences. If we live more in the gray of the world, people would realize that there's more to a person than just what [people] disagree on,” Aditi Bharti (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AditiBharti_EricaCai_HoHPhoto-900x600.jpg)
!["The biggest underlying message [of my filmmaking is] the message of unity. The films might not be Oscar worthy or cinematic masterpieces, but since it's documented, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun looking back on it and seeing us together and making the film together," Ethan Choi (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EthanChoi_EricaCai_HoHPhoto-900x809.jpg)
![“I’ve played many things, from an old lady to a little boy, [and] oftentimes, I [play] characters that are humorous or a little bit strange. You have to really be able to convey this emotion that's very personal a lot of the time ... It was a really interesting experience, just to be able to explore those emotions in a way that I hadn't really been able to before,” Maya Franz (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/MayaFranz_EricaCai_HoHPhoto-600x900.jpg)
![“A lot of people know me as the doughnut guy, but my main thing [is] kindness. The doughnuts were just a part of that. Sometimes people don’t have other people to reach out to or to get the assistance they need or the distraction they need. I want to be able to off-set the negative people in the world. It's easier to complain and be negative than be happy all the time, so I’d rather be the happy person that people can go to," Griffin Crook (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GriffinCrook_NinaGee_HoHPhoto-e1590769810742-601x900.jpg)
![“It's impossible to solve one problem with one dart on a target. [A problem is] so multifaceted that if you don't see the humans behind it first, then it’s impossible to solve. Whenever I see a problem that I want to fix, I want to ask myself, ‘Who are the real people behind this, and what do they need.' I think we all get this internal reward from helping somebody else, and when you connect your desire to do good with somebody that is actually affected, you can create a solution that benefits all,” Mahika Halepete (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/MahikaHalepete_AnoushakBuch-528x900.jpg)
![“Realistically, [I just want] people to remember that I helped them and made them feel happier and just better in their everyday lives,” Jack Hansen (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/JackHansen_EricaCai_HoHPhoto-e1586966160783-900x542.jpg)
![“[Archery and trumpet] have made me more open because I used to be pretty shy, and I’m still kind of shy, but it’s encouraged me to express myself in different ways and start opening up. I’ve met a lot more people than I would have, especially through the friends I have made through archery; a lot of them I wouldn’t really have known if I didn’t do the sport [since] we don’t have that much in common otherwise,” Lila Gorman (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/lilagorman_hoh_ec_9829-596x900.jpg)
![“[Playing the organ] is sort of my creative outlet. I don’t do any visual art or stuff like that, so it allows me to experiment with different types of registrations. You can arrange entire orchestral works with the organ and still capture the entire character of the piece. That’s what is most compelling about the organ,” Jeffrey Fung (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/jeffreyfunghoh_ecai_4941-900x596.jpg)
