![“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)
Six performing arts students are starring in Family Party, a full-length feature film produced by writer and director Pari Mathur.
Mathur, who at 28 years old owns his own production company and creative agency, describes the film as a “coming of age romantic comedy [about] a group of high school seniors […] who want to go to this big concert with their friends but they’re actually stuck at this family party.”
The cast includes sophomores Vishal Vaidya and Jai Ahuja, as well as seniors Apurva Tandon, Rahul Nalamasu, Cecilia Lang-Ree, and Alice Tsui.
Mathur attended the Upper School fall play Hamlet and was impressed with the students’ performance.
“The [performances] and the conservatory program are so strong at Harker; I’d like to use that talent,” he said.
Vishal, playing the role of a senior named Nick, accredits his place in the film to his participation in Hamlet.
“The director, Pari, especially asked me to come audition because he saw me in Hamlet and really liked me,” he said.
Confident with her acting given her previous experience with school auditions and performances, Apurva, playing the role of Arti, explains that the audition process was rewarding and largely beneficial to her as an actress.
“I went in thinking, ‘Hey, this is just going to be a new experience to teach me how to audition for films,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting anything; I just wanted to see what it would be like, and it was really a lot of fun.”
Like Apurva, Cecilia was very comfortable with the audition process, which she claims was “different because [she] wasn’t familiar with the director.”
Excited to play her role as Tanya in the movie, Cecilia expresses her opinion on performing as a form of art.
“Every interpretation of the character, every interpretation of the text is different. You’re not just doing someone else’s work; you definitely have your own spin on it,” she said.
Vishal, however, believes that the directors are the true artists, as each production they direct is “new and hasn’t really been explored yet,” though he thinks that actors are responsible for executing the director’s vision.
Filming for Family Party begins during the coming spring break.
