![“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)
The crowd cheered and whistled as the Varsity boys basketball team took to the stage with a small introductory skit, only to erupt into roars as the first beats of “Single Ladies” filled the gym.
Sporting jerseys tucked into shorts, the boys strutted their way across the stage in a display of their teamwork. On March 28, the Varsity basketball team and 13 other acts ranging from vocal to dance performances showed off their talents in the third annual HOSCARS assembly hosted by seniors Nikhil Panu and Bobby Kahlon.
The first 11 HOSCARS performances took place before the combined lunch period, while the remaining three acts occurred later in the day after seventh period. Several students agreed that the splitting of the assembly was a good idea as the number of acts had increased compared to last year.
“I think people can be more attentive, and by having the split, people would anticipate the rest,” Samali Sahoo (9) said.
Furthermore, many believed that the performances this year channeled a balance of emotion and entertainment that allowed the audience to connect with fellow members of the community onstage.
“It was nice how they switched between comedic acts and emotional ones, so that it wasn’t too much at once,” Jasmine Liu (9) said.
Among the emotional vocal acts that students acknowledged were freshman Gwen Howard’s rendition of Jessie J “Who You Are” and junior Kimberly Ma’s song, which she dedicated to a close friend who had passed away 10 years ago.
“I am very grateful the school has [the Hoscars],” Kimberly said. “I saw some people crying, and it gave me this very complicated feeling, but I’m happy that they felt what I was feeling.”
The HOSCARS also consisted of more light hearted acts including a series of K-pop dances by the Asian Pop Dance Crew.
“I thought it was entertaining and a great break from everyday school life,” Alex Tuharsky (10) said.
The HOSCARS ended with MC’s Nikhil and Bobby handing out awards to performers selected by a panel of student and teacher judges. The boys basketball team received a trophy for Best Overall Act; juniors Preethi Periyakoil, Claudia Tischler, and Christine Lee for Best Instrumental Act; Kimberly and Christine for Best Multicultural Act; Gwen for Best Vocal Act; Erik Andersen (12) for Most Creative Act; and the Asian Pop Dance Crew for Best Dance Act.
