![“[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 21Winter walkways: Students decorate campus buildings in holiday style
- December 19Annual holiday Big Assembly Day showcases performing arts student talent
- December 19Varsity boys soccer suffers defeat to Monta Vista 2-5
- December 18Winter Instrumental Concert highlights talent and collaboration within student music ensembles
- 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
![“I want to be remembered as a person with varying interests that might not always align but I hope that [people] can see that this is what is important to me. When people look at me I hope they know the things that I value,” Aria Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/AriaJainHOH_LS-599x900.jpg)
![“My favorite part [about table tennis] is that it's not just about your technique and your strategy; it’s very much a mental game. Even though you have your club mates and your coaches there, they can't come play for you, so you can't have an off day, because there's no one to pick up the slack for you. It's helped me a lot with being more confident in myself and being able to withstand pressure from [my] academic life as well," Ritika Rajamani (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/RitikaRajamaniHoH_LavanyaSubramanian-900x600.jpg)
![“I remember being interested and attracted to the idea that I could create something that I didn't see anywhere else. I didn't see anything [that] made adoption easier for the people who are trying to adopt, so that was the idea I was going forward [with] and that I wanted to develop [with Lucky Paw]," Ysabel Chen (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ysabelchenhoh_lavanyasubramanian-595x900.png)
![“One of the best things about senior year is that you can take much more niche classes, and I would tell [people] to take great advantage of that, because Harker has classes that no other schools offer. It's benefited me [and] I'm really glad, retrospectively, that I tried a bunch of classes I had no idea about instead of trying to only take things I was familiar with,” Avery Young (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/AveryYoung_RitikaRajamani_HoHPhoto-900x601.jpg)
![“You can learn everything you want in the world, but if you’re not going to use it to do anything for anyone, I find [that] disappointing. What we can do is make little steps to take what we do in the classroom and really help other people with it. In general, trying to think about the impact that your actions can make … is really important, and it’s really empowering,” Meha Goyal (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MehaGoyal_LavanyaSubramanian_HoHPhoto-900x600.jpg)
![“Even though I've been doing [programming] for so long, there's still so much more for me to learn. And it's such a fascinating field, because there are 1,000 different ways to accomplish something. And as you get more experienced, you tend to figure out which of those ways would be better,” Ally Tiritoglu (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/AllyTiritoglu_LavanyaSubramanian_HoHPhoto-e1616175192780-600x900.jpeg)
![“If I have a brightening effect on someone’s day, that's good enough for me … [The] little things add up. I don't think life [should be about the] big events, I think it's the [smaller experiences] that add up over time. So it's the same thing that applies when I want to help someone out. It's piece by piece,” Shaunak Narain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ShaunakNarain_SmrithiSambamurthy_HoHPhoto-e1613456752239-600x900.jpg)
![“It's really helpful to understand that the people around you aren't your competition; you are your own competition. [That’s] the only way you're ever going to truly progress in life and become a better version of yourself,” Sarina Sharma (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/SarinaSharma_EshaGohil_HoHPhoto-596x900.jpg)
![“My mom always says, ‘don’t shortchange yourself’, [since] I feel like within Harker, there’s always the idea of not being good enough ... I think my mom does a really good job of encouraging me, because ... sometimes I get swamped in with the Harker culture. She tells me to focus and do what I can do, and that it’s going to be okay,” Amanda Cheung (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/AmandaCheung_AlysaSuleiman_HoHPhoto-601x900.jpg)
![“Over the years, I’ve learned how to manage my time more … and take advantage of teachers’ help, which has actually been really useful. But [I] learn[ed] that it's okay to not be great at everything and it's okay to ask for help when you need [it],” Sofie Kassaras (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SofieKassaras_LavanyaSubramanian_RcahelNing_HoHPhoto-900x600.jpeg)