![“[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)
- June 24Humans of Harker: Multi-disciplined, multi-dimensional
- June 24Humans of Harker: Continuous and differentiable
- June 24Humans of Harker: Power in profiles
- June 24Humans of Harker: Widening the aperture
- June 24Humans of Harker: Sharing stories, striking serves
- June 24Humans of Harker: Uncovering life’s languages
- June 24Humans of Harker: Journeying past perfection
- June 13Three years of laughter and excellence
- June 13Humans of Harker: Building the script for community
- June 13Humans of Harker: Crafting with care
![“What is more important [to me] now is enjoying yourself and doing the technical stuff if you have the patience for it but not forgetting what music actually is. I accepted music as a hobby and not something you have to compete with other people for," April Zhang (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/AprilZhangHoH_RachelNing-900x600.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)
![“[Volleyball has] been a huge part of my high school experience … I [now] view myself as a stronger person, as opposed to going into high school, [when] I was shy and timid and not really sure of my place. But after playing especially school volleyball, my views on how I interact with people and on myself have changed for the better,” Michelle Ning (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MichelleNing_RachelNing_HoHPhoto-900x600.jpg)
![“I'm most proud of being able to help young girls find their voice in STEM and [computer science] and helping them grow as not only coders but also as people. I got started because not many girls have the opportunity to grow up in STEM, so it's more giving other girls a chance to learn,” Hilari Fan (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/HilariFan_RachelNing_HoHPhoto-900x600.jpg)
![“When I chose to go back to cello and made that decision myself, it was because I actually valued it. [When I’m] practicing by myself, I feel as if I can actually get into the music; it's different because there are no people, [it’s] just me and my cello,” Jackie Yang (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/JackieYang_RachelNing_HoHPhoto-900x650.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)