![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.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)
![“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)
States of Mind: The Politics of Certainty and How to Proceed After the Election
The shock of having one’s worldview pulled from one’s feet.
We were so sure. For weeks, articles and polls predicted Hillary Clinton’s inevitable ascendancy to the presidency, reassured anxious citizens that, yes, Clinton would indeed win and reminded us she was the favorite of the presidential race.
Whether through digital or print media, the notion that Clinton had secured the election seemed to take root in our collective psyche, on a party, a state and perhaps even a school wide level.
Democrats across the nation looked forward to retiring early and stress-free on election night. But, as the hours slipped away, Clinton’s path to the White House only grew longer and steeper.
The night culminated in Donald Trump becoming America’s President-elect.
In the hours after the results were announced, citizens across the country rejoiced and mourned, rallied together for celebration or protest. But, the election victory was overshadowed by a general sense of uncertainty from both sides on how our new President-elect would proceed.
The fear Trump incited during the campaign is real, and his racist and sexist comments cannot be ignored. But, we are still here, and America will not crumble this easily.
If we look to our history classes, we should truly try to envision the events related to us across the stretch of time and often only through textbooks. America, the ongoing experiment in democracy, has survived growing pains, a whole slew of sectional crises, a civil war and an assorted collection of economic troubles, to name a few.
Regardless of who our president is, we live in America, and it is up to us to change what we don’t like.
If we don’t reflect, if we aren’t spurred to action, if we don’t hope, what can we do? In a time when our longtime head of school Mr. Christopher Nikoloff is also leaving, it may feel like there is no one we can turn to with our feelings of shock, disappointment and grief.
But, now, especially, is the time to start effecting our own change on a local level. We should reach out to those around us and listen. We must keep our heads up and keep on hoping.
Kaitlin Hsu (11) is the Editor-in-Chief of Wingspan Magazine. In her freshmen year, she was a reporter, and in her sophomore year, she was the Features...