![“[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)
- April 24Humans of Harker: Going the extra mile
- April 23Humans of Harker: Player to playtester
- April 23Humans of Harker: Charging through challenges
- April 23Humans of Harker: One word at a time
- April 23Humans of Harker: Playing with pluck
- April 23Humans of Harker: Directing with positivity
- April 23Humans of Harker: Commitment to creation
- April 23Humans of Harker: Sailing with spirit
- April 22Humans of Harker: Steering with smiles
- April 22Speech and debate team hosts annual speech showcase
![Harker alum Rishab Parthasarathy (‘22), along with seven other students, represented the United States at the 19th annual International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) from July 25 to 29, 2022, on the Isle of Man. “Every day is a new experience: meeting new people and being exposed to a really new culture,” Parthasarathy said. “I never knew that the Isle of Man had such a specific and vibrant culture, including multiple dialects of the same language within 20 miles of each other. It was really cool to be exposed to a culture that I hadn’t learned about before [and] see people who think about language.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/RishabHoHPhoto-900x598.jpeg)
![“Throughout my entire life, I've tried to intentionally grow myself into a person who is very selfless. I want to make sure that everything I have can actually be used to give back to the community that has helped me become the person I am. I want to be sure that, if someone is facing a challenge or [is] stuck on an obstacle, I will be with them right there to help them through it," Riyaa Randhawa (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/riyaarandhawahoh_sabrinazhu-900x600.jpeg)
