![“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)
First Friday kicks off the new year’s spirit activities
A student pushes her friend in a hamster ball as they roll through the sprinklers on the field during the First Friday back to school social event. First Friday took the place of the back-to-school social this year.
Students and faculty celebrated their first week back at school at First Friday, which was held by the Spirit Club on August 30.
Approximately 140 people attended the occasion, which replaced the annual back to school mixer. First Friday featured a series of activities at the Singh Aquatic Center and Davis Field for students to enjoy during the three hour time period from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“Today was really fun and a good way to start the year,” Nicholas Nguyen (11) said. “It gave people a chance to talk to other people as well as have some much needed fun at the beginning of the year.”
Laser tag, played in a paintball fashion on the field, was one of the game options at the event. Other activities included racing in hamster balls and swimming in the pool while listening to music provided by Spirit Club.
“I thought it was cool how they made the extra effort by bringing in the hamster balls and laser tag in order to make sure that everyone had fun,” Namitha Vellian (10) said.
While some students chose to participate in the activities, others simply chose to lay on the field or near the pool with their friends. As an extra treat, food, drinks, and snacks such cotton candy were also provided as a part of the event.
Because First Friday was a new idea to the Upper School, students had various suggestions to bettering the event for coming years.
“I thought the hamster balls were a great idea and it was fun hanging out in the pool,” said John Hughes (12). “It wasn’t really dark enough for laser tag though, and the event should have lasted longer.”
First Friday helped bring classmates together to kick off spirit for the upcoming school year.The next school-wide social event for students will be at the Homecoming dance on September 28.
Mariam Sulakian is the Features Editor of Harker Aquila. She has been a member of the journalism program for four years and appreciates the opportunities...