![“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)
Students and faculty crowded into the quad to officially welcome the Class of 2017 at the annual Matriculation Ceremony on Wednesday morning.
In order to honor the passing of former English teacher and coach, Jason Berry, the ceremony was postponed from the first day of school to Wednesday.
“I thought postponing matriculation was a great idea because it respected Mr. Berry, and Mr. Berry was a big part of the community,” Gabriela Gupta (11) said.
The assembly began with opening remarks from the Head of School, Christopher Nikoloff. In his speech, Nikoloff emphasized appreciating what we have, as he referenced his experiences during a school trip to Tanzania this past summer.
Following Nikoloff was the formal welcome to the freshman of the Upper School campus by ASB president, Arjun Goyal (12). Arjun highlighted how students can make the most out of their high school careers, despite the inevitable challenges they will face in the upcoming years.
Matriculation also entailed musical acts by Cantilena and Orchestra, followed by “Freshman 101,” a humorous skit, put on by the 2013-2014 student council representatives. The skit, centered around the theme, “Pixar Movies,” was intended to present key visions and regulations of the school to the class of 2017, as they begin a new chapter in their lives. Covered topics included obeying dress code rules, following your passion, stepping out of your comfort zone, and abiding to the honor code.
Senior class Vice President Dora Tzeng (12) liked being involved in the skit and relaying lifelong messages to the freshmen.
“It was my first time, so i thought it was really fun,” she said. “It was kind of stressful because we had so many practices, but it turned out pretty well.”
Throughout the assembly, freshmen also lined up to sign the honor code as a way of vowing to remain honest and virtuous throughout their high school endeavors. The freshman, who the matriculation ceremony was for, enjoyed in the festivities.
“Considering that I’m not new to harker, I already knew all the rules but I thought the skit was really funny and I liked it alot,” Isabel Lai (9) said.
Although upperclassmen have experienced matriculation a number of times, many of them still found the ceremony to be engaging and entertaining.
“I think today’s matriculation was great because it welcomed the freshmen to the Upper School, and the skits were a fun way of telling the freshmen about what’s expected of them without being formal and strict,” Sachin Pedadda (11) said.
Students were encouraged to stretch their limits and open up new doors, as the matriculation festivities officially set the tone to the beginning of the new school year.
