![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates," Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[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)
![“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 wasn't 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 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)
![“[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)
![“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)
![“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)
- October 30Junior varsity girls volleyball conquers Kings Academy in two sets
- October 30Varsity girls tennis dominates Sacred Heart Preparatory 6-1 on senior night
- October 29Varsity boys water polo crushes Mountain View 18-4 on senior night
- October 28Aquila Weekly Wrap-Up: Oct. 19-25
- October 26School Meeting 10/24: HELM, Afghan Refugee Fundraiser and lockdown protocol
- October 26Gearing up for competition season with Robotics
- October 26Varsity girls water polo triumphs over Mountain View 12-5 on senior night
- October 25Perspectives: Movies at home vs. in theaters
- October 25Biology students test enzyme reactions with catalase and yeast
- October 25Town hall tackles reproductive rights and encourages community action
![“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)
![“It's important to keep sight during that period of learning [of] why you decided to pick up the instrument in the first place ... If you're able to recognize that 'Hey, I'm doing this to build my technique, to play pieces that I want to play, to express myself emotionally however I want to,' you'll find that after a while, your instrument will stop fighting you," Wilson Zhang ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/wilsonzhang_michaeleng_hoh-675x900.jpeg)
![“One of the biggest things you can take away from Quiz Bowl is learning to [make stuff up]. You have to build a rational answer upon not necessarily rational reason. It involves you trying to make a lot of connections between things that seemingly don’t line up. I think that has changed the way I see things and that really nothing is standalone; pretty much everything correlates with everything else,” Arun Sundaresan (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ArunSundaresan_MichaelEng_HoHPhoto-786x900.jpg)
![“I was kind of obsessed with [iPods]," Kunal Bhandarkar (12) said. "I also kept destroying the ones I had because I always left them in my pocket when they got washed. Eventually, I got interested in the code aspect and started taking classes outside of school. It’s pretty interesting how you can blend hardware and software with robotics and see it come to life just right there in front of you. The feeling you get when it works is the best feeling in the world.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/KunalBhandarkar-MK-1-900x601.jpg)
