![“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)
During yesterday’s school meeting, Assistant Head of School Jennifer Gargano explained the changes to the end-of-year recognition system, which has become more inclusive and flexible.
Now, every teacher has the opportunity to nominate up to five students for the Love of Learning award as well as the Mission of the School award.
The former recognizes those who have been actively engaged in the classroom and the latter distinguishes those who “foster kindness, respect and integrity and are intellectually curious,” according to Gargano’s presentation. “They also contribute to building a strong community and are role models for their peers.”
In addition, each faculty member can nominate up to two students for the Leadership award.
To Gargano, the sheer number of academically talented students was a factor in precipitating the change in the system. In her presentation, she noted that picking just one student per grade out of a whole department was “out of line with our philosophy of not ranking.”
“I believe [the new awards] will send a clearer message to students about what the school values and thinks is important,” Gargano said in an email interview.
Many students welcomed the new, more inclusive system.
“It allows a lot more students to be recognized without undermining the value of the award,” Glenn Reddy (10) said.
Junior Nicky Semenza agreed, adding that the new recognition process is more streamlined than before.
“I think it’s good that they got rid of the academic awards for top subject because the people who were perhaps number three on the list might feel left out, even though their performance was higher than most,” he said. “And as for the extracurriculars like sports and performing arts, they generally have their own awards assemblies, so it was kind of redundant to have those.”
In addition to the increased number of awards, the administration will be mailing the accolades to the recognized students’ homes instead of presenting them the awards at a mandatory school-wide assembly. Sophomore Caroline Howells appreciated the new delivery system.
“I think one of the best parts is that the awards are being mailed, honestly,” she said. “I don’t think many people really liked sitting through the assembly.”
To Spanish teacher Daniela Rozanes, the best part about the new awards is the ability to select students from non-honors classes as well.
“I think the new awards are good for the community, because now the student is not a number or a letter,” she said. “It’s our opportunity that we can give awards to the kids in the regular classes, so it’s a chance for the whole community to get something.”
However, she found the maximum number of students to be a limitation.
“It took a long time for me to pick just five students,” Rozanes said. “I had to close my eyes and really think about who inspired me.”
The recipients of the awards have already been selected by the teachers. Those who receive more than one award per field will be invited to attend a special dinner.
