In late November, CareerConnect was excited to have Kai Huang, the co-founder of Guitar Hero, speak about starting a company, succeeding in it and becoming an angel investor.
Huang began by discussing his experience in college, and how he changed his major to something he never expected he would enjoy, which later helped his future companies succeed.
He talked about starting RedOctane, the company that founded Guitar Hero, with his brother, and discussed the origin of the idea for the company. He also talked about expanding the company to include other services, such as dance pads, and eventually the Guitar Hero program.
Huang also shared the various challenges of beginning a startup, such as figuring out how to maintain and expand revenue, and financial troubles startups may encounter. He mentioned that while creating the game, the company struggled to keep from going bankrupt a few times. Once the game was released, it became an instant hit with sales going up every year; in the fourth year after the game was released, it made over $1 billion in sales.
It was inspiring to hear Huang discuss his hardships honestly, as well as share how his hard work paid off. He also discussed his current career pursuits as an angel investor and gave students a brief insight into some of the companies in which he has invested, such as Manticore Games, an electric bike company. He ended the talk with a Q&A session about Guitar Hero and his experience in the gaming industry, as well as what aspects of his investment portfolio he finds compelling.
Sasvath Ramachandran, grade 9, commented that, “The talk was very informative and [I learned] that all entrepreneurship is connected in some way, no matter the industry. … You don’t know what’s going to happen but have to adapt based on the situations.”
Freshman Sujith Pakala said of the event, “The talk was really interesting, and knowing I might want to start a business in the future, this talk helped me learn that no business plan is set and things can change.”
Overall, the talk was a great success. Students were able to learn some valuable lessons about how to start a company, and also were exposed to potential struggles that they may have to deal with as future entrepreneurs while starting a company.
More than a dozen Harker students attended the QuickBooks Connect Conference at the San Jose Convention Center last week as part of Harker’s CareerConnect program.
This year’s topic was “Anything is Possible.” Attendees listened to a welcome speech from Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit, who explained the power of connections and the importance of hard work to achieve goals.
Next, Intuit’s executive VP Sasan Goodarzi (who takes over as Intuit CEO in January) spoke about Intuit’s innovative technologies that can help small and large businesses grow. Afterward, attendees got to hear journalist Lisa Ling interview a panel of three entrepreneurs about their experiences starting their companies.
Dylan Lauren, founder of Dylan’s Candy Bar, spoke about how she combined art, fashion and pop culture to create the world’s largest candy store. Jamie Siminoff, founder of Ring, a company aimed at reducing crime in neighborhoods using a Wi-Fi video doorbell, spoke about how his company grew from a Shark Tank reject to a billion-dollar company. The third speaker was Simon Enever, founder of Quip, a company dedicated to making brushing teeth simple and better. Each speaker gave meaningful insights on the process of starting a business and shared interesting experiences from his or her own journey as an entrepreneur.
“It was super duper interesting and just a great experience. I learned a lot about managing your business and just how to make your business thrive and grow as a whole,” said Laszlo Bollyky, grade 9.
For the rest of the day, attendees explored company booths and attended breakout sessions. This year, there were 90-plus companies with booths, including Chase, Aero, PayPie and Gusto.
“We learned a lot about how to network with people and how to interact with people to make connections,” said Michelle Liu, grade 9. “Most of the companies we talked to were the payroll companies. The people would talk about the company, and ask if we had questions. It was a very good learning experience.”
The yearly grade 8 trip to the Washington, D.C., area took place last week, as students traveled across the country to learn more about the history of the area and its role in the formation of the United States. After arriving in Williamsburg, Va., the students visited Jamestown, North America’s first permanent English settlement. Guides showed the students various facets of everyday life, including food preparation, living arrangements and the making of clothes. Afterward, the students visited Colonial Williamsburg, a living recreation of a colonial city, visiting its capitol, court and governor’s palace, in addition to a wig maker, apothecary and other shops. While visiting the College of William & Mary, the students toured the campus and saw several of its landmarks, and visited an interactive African-American music exhibition.
The next day, in Washington, D.C., the students visited Pamplin Park, and learned much about the Civil War, including the daily lives of soldiers. They toured the Tudor Hall Plantation, home to the Boisseau family and a confederate general’s headquarters during the war. A highlight of the first day was a visit to the Capitol Hill Club to see Maheen Kaleem ’03, now working in Washington as a program officer for NoVo Foundation’s initiative to end violence against girls and women. Kaleem introduced the students to her work and informed them that they could make a difference by “standing up for others, asking questions and in general trying to advocate for what is right,” reported assistant head of school Jennifer Gargano. Following Kaleem’s presentation, the students visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial.
Day two in Washington began with visits to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) and Arlington National Cemetery, where they witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The students later enjoyed lunch at Old Town Alexandria, home to many shops and restaurants, before visiting Mount Vernon, the storied home of George and Martha Washington. Students explored the Washingtons’ mansion and visited the tomb of the first U.S. president, while also speaking to guides on the property who were in-character as people who lived during Washington’s presidency.
On Wednesday, Oct. 24, the students headed to the Newseum to view its amazing series of exhibits on the importance and influence of journalism on American society. Students marveled at the Pulitzer Prize photograph gallery and the front page gallery. Later, at FBI headquarters, the students were treated to a tour that featured various interactive exhibits, as well as a scavenger hunt that had them searching for information at the exhibits. Their final stop for the day was the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where they delved into the history of one of the greatest tragedies of modern times. “They took a lot of time reading the displays and watching the various available videos to more deeply understand this atrocity,” Gargano said.
Day six of the trip was very packed, as students started with a tour of the Capitol Building, where they viewed the floor of the House of Representatives and the Senate. “The students were excited to see where the State of the Union address takes place, among many other important affairs,” said Gargano. They also had the opportunity to meet with three members of Sen. Diane Feinstein’s staff and ask them questions about the work of a U.S. senator. Other stops included the Library of Congress, the National Archives and the Supreme Court.
This article written by Neha Tallapragada, grade 12
Career Connect took seven students to the Constellation Connected Enterprise Conference at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay this week. The conference focused in on the ways that our new world of technology impacts several sectors, from health care to business to sports management.
Harker students were able to hear from panels focusing on the prospect of digital transformation in the business sphere, what to expect from digital privacy laws in the future, how analytics are helping a newer generation of athletes and more. They got the opportunity to hear perspectives from several top professionals in the Bay Area, including Mitra Azizirad, corporate vice president of cloud computing for Microsoft, and David West, a former Golden State Warrior and minority owner of Zoetic Global.
“My favorite part was connecting with all the people and learning about how I can be mindful about my future … and getting an internship offer!” said Julia Yusupov, grade 10.
“At Harker it’s difficult to find people who are interested in blockchain,” said Sayon Biswas, grade 12. “I think that has to do with our age; we’re not 100 percent sure about what we’re interested in. So events like these are really crucial for learning more about your interests and meeting new people who can connect you to potential opportunities.”
Upon conversing with Harker students, one professional remarked, “I like to ask Harker students at least one tough question, because I know they’ll have a good answer.” It’s exciting to know that our reputation as bright and intelligent students has made its way across the Bay!
Overall, the topics of the conference were incredibly topical and eye-opening for our students, and definitely sparked new interests regarding the ways we are starting to use technology and the strategic and moral questions that follow.
Ashley Gauba, grade 10, contributed to this report
The first business & entrepreneurship Crash Course event was held this week to tell incoming high school students how to get involved in the B.E. program. The officer team explained the purpose of each facet of the program, including TedX, BeCon, Podcast, Oeconomia, DECA and CareerConnect.
Speakers outlined the focus of each program, how to get involved and how to become an officer. The Crash Course also highlighted the benefit of involvement in each of these areas, and how they offer students endless opportunities and more exposure to different industries and fields.
At the end of the event, the officers held a Q&A session to allow students to talk more in-depth about programs they were interested in and ask questions about how they could become more involved.
“I really liked how they explained the different opportunities for each event and that really interested me and got me wondering how I could contribute to each separate program,” said William Chen, grade 9. Fellow freshmen Tina Zhong noted, “Everyone explained the events and the program really well.
Overall, the event was a success in introducing underclassmen to the myriad B.E. programs Harker offers, and gave students insights to the industries and opportunities the B.E. department has to offer.
In late May, CareerConnect hosted an Excel workshop led by Juston Glass, business and entrepreneurship teacher. He spoke to about 15 students on how to properly use Excel for organizational purposes, finding the averages of data with specific conditions and formulating equations for financial-based projects. At the workshop, students also were given a list of 20 easy tips and tricks to help them maneuver around the spreadsheet software.
Students learned about the importance of Excel in the business field and received tips on how to use the software. Glass noted he uses Excel nearly daily, and gave multiple scenarios in which the program is necessary, such as in real-estate or in owning any type of business. Elaine Zhai, grade 9, who had never used Excel, noted “we learned about sorting data and a lot of tricks that would make using Excel easier in the future” Overall, the event was a big success and many students enjoyed the opportunity to learn how to use Excel.
Freshman Luisa Pan’s college account got a big boost from a $20,000 scholarship from H&R Block for winning the H&R Block Budget Challenge! Two other Harker students have won this award: Roma Gandhi, grade 10, in 2017 and Rithvik Panchapakesan, grade 11, in 2016. Each semester, five awards are given out nationwide. H&R Block sent a representative to Harker today to award the check to Pan.
The most challenging aspect of the contest was recovering from unexpected events, said Pan. “I had to use overdraft protection in order to avoid a nonsufficient funds fee and risk losing even more.”
She did have to make special time to manage the challenge. “I managed to reserve a short period of time every day before going to sleep to check that all my checks had gone through, and I was following my budget plan,” she said. “Over the weekends, I had more time to properly plan my budget for the following week.
“I still have more to learn in terms of financial literacy and budgeting. I would most likely want to continue expanding my budgeting and decision-making skills.
“The challenge was a fun experience in all, and I don’t regret playing it. I think it’s a great way to teach students about finance and saving for the future before college. For me, I expect the challenge will help me to properly manage my money in college and beyond.”
In its congratulatory letter, H&R Block noted Pan “scored above thousands of students who participated in the online simulation.”
Freshman Luisa Pan’s college account got a big boost from a $20,000 scholarship from H&R Block for winning the H&R Block Budget Challenge! Two other Harker students have won this award: Roma Gandhi, grade 10, in 2017 and Rithvik Panchapakesan, grade 11, in 2016. Each semester, five awards are given out nationwide. H&R Block sent a representative to Harker today to award the check to Pan.
The most challenging aspect of the contest was recovering from unexpected events, said Pan. “I had to use overdraft protection in order to avoid a nonsufficient funds fee and risk losing even more.”
She did have to make special time to manage the challenge. “I managed to reserve a short period of time every day before going to sleep to check that all my checks had gone through, and I was following my budget plan,” she said. “Over the weekends, I had more time to properly plan my budget for the following week.
“I still have more to learn in terms of financial literacy and budgeting. I would most likely want to continue expanding my budgeting and decision-making skills.
“The challenge was a fun experience in all, and I don’t regret playing it. I think it’s a great way to teach students about finance and saving for the future before college. For me, I expect the challenge will help me to properly manage my money in college and beyond.”
In its congratulatory letter, H&R Block noted Pan “scored above thousands of students who participated in the online simulation.”
Freshman Luisa Pan’s college account got a big boost from a $20,000 scholarship from H&R Block for winning the H&R Block Budget Challenge! Two other Harker students have won this award: Roma Gandhi, grade 10, in 2017 and Rithvik Panchapakesan, grade 11, in 2016. Each semester, five awards are given out nationwide. H&R Block sent a representative to Harker today to award the check to Pan.
The most challenging aspect of the contest was recovering from unexpected events, said Pan. “I had to use overdraft protection in order to avoid a nonsufficient funds fee and risk losing even more.”
She did have to make special time to manage the challenge. “I managed to reserve a short period of time every day before going to sleep to check that all my checks had gone through, and I was following my budget plan,” she said. “Over the weekends, I had more time to properly plan my budget for the following week.
“I still have more to learn in terms of financial literacy and budgeting. I would most likely want to continue expanding my budgeting and decision-making skills.
“The challenge was a fun experience in all, and I don’t regret playing it. I think it’s a great way to teach students about finance and saving for the future before college. For me, I expect the challenge will help me to properly manage my money in college and beyond.”
In its congratulatory letter, H&R Block noted Pan “scored above thousands of students who participated in the online simulation.”
Harker DECA students traveled to Atlanta for the 2018 International Career Development Conference (ICDC), where they competed, presented, heard speakers and earned some great accolades. A dozen teams from Harker DECA ended up staging in the preliminary finalist round. Nine out of those 12 teams competed in the finalist round, with one team placing in the top 10, one team taking third place, two teams taking second place and one team taking first.
“In an event as big as ICDC, your love for your school and your state really comes through,” said Michelle Si, grade 9. “In every conference – first at Silicon Valley, then states, then at ICDC – your perspective changes as the picture grows. At first, it is about yourself and your friends. Then it is about your school. And then it is about your state.”
On Saturday morning, the day after arriving, Harker DECA participated in the DECA 5K, a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Later, students participated in the California competitive session, in which participants socialized with and picked the brains of previous ICDC winners. The group got a VIP tour of the Coca-Cola factory, then attended the grand opening session at 8:30 p.m., featuring keynote speaker menswear designer Joseph Abboud.
On Sunday, students attended a quick event briefing before taking their written examinations, which spanned the rest of the day. Students also were given an opportunity to visit career exhibits in between examinations, and they were exposed to a variety of different career paths, followed by a relaxing evening.
On Monday, students continued to visit career exhibits and began the preliminary round of role-plays and written presentations. That evening, the group attended the DECA concert featuring Andy Grammer, a country-pop artist.
“The experience was amazing,” said Aditi Ghalsasi, grade 10, “and being with the whole chapter at an event like that made the conference feel like more than a competition. I got to meet Andy Grammer myself, and my friends and I all enjoyed the night after a long day.”
On Tuesday, the Harker DECA chapter attended the achievement awards session, where the participants advancing to the final round of competitions were announced. In each event, the top 20 teams advance to finals. Top participants for presentations, career cluster exams and overall performers were acknowledged as well. Twelve of Harker’s teams were recognized for their achievements, and nine qualified to compete in the final round of competitions.
“Going into finals,” said Nishka Ayyar, grade 11, “I was surprisingly calm, because I was really proud that we had gotten this far, and I was just excited to have another chance to compete in the event I love.”
As finalists showed their mettle, the rest of the chapter was given time to relax and catch up on school assignments after a busy few days. The group came back together for the grand awards session, where a number of Harker DECA students were recognized (see awards below). Each award was greeted with enthusiastic applause.
“I was really surprised were even called on stage in the first place,” said Alyssa Huang, grade 10, “and then when they said our names for second place, I screamed for about five minutes straight. It was crazy, but really cool!”
As the event wound down, participants reflected on what they had learned. “Networking with competitors from across the globe, learning applicable skills in a collaborative environment and exploring the city of Atlanta made ICDC 2018 an event that I will remember for the rest of my life,” said Naveen Mirapuri, grade 10.
DECA advisor Juston Glass agreed it was a great trip. “We had our most successful ICDC ever!” he noted. “For the competitors who were recognized on stage and those that will try again next year, it was really nice for the students’ hard work throughout the year come to fruition. I’m so proud of every single one of them and of the Harker DECA chapter for all that we accomplished this year.”
“As a chapter, this year’s competitive performance at ICDC was the best that we’ve ever seen,” said Shania Wang, grade 11, Harker DECA CEO, “and I’m really excited to bring that energy and momentum into next year. I’m really hoping to build upon our successes over the past few years while bringing in new ideas and perspectives that can really make the DECA experience better for everyone. Overall, I’m very hopeful for an amazing next year.”
Finalists are as follows:
First Place
Devanshi Mehta, grade 11, and Sharon Yan, grade 12, Herff Jones National Marketing Challenge
Second Place
Enya Lu, grade 11, and Alyssa Huang, grade 10, Financial Services Team Decision Making
Erin Liu, grade 11, Business Growth Plan Third Place
Neelesh Ramachandran, grade 12, Virtual Business Challenge, Accounting
Top 10 Finalists
Rishi Dange, grade 10, Accounting Applications Series
Top 20 Finalists
Nishka Ayyar, and Riya Gupta, both grade 11, Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making
Emma Andrews, grade 9, Principles of Business Management and Administration
Aditya Singhvi, grade 9, Principles of Finance
Andrew Sun, grade 9, Principles of Finance
Testing Finalists
Evan Cheng, grade 10, Business Services Marketing Series
Role-Play Finalists
Navel Mirapuri, grade 10, Food Marketing Series
David Feng, grade 10, Marketing Communications Series
Harker DECA is an International Competitive Business Organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Our DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.