![“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)
Alumnus plays in Rose Bowl with Stanford
Provided by Gautam Krishnamurthi
Gautam Krishnamurthi (’11) is part of the Stanford University football team that recently played in the 100th Rose Bowl. The team lost to Michigan State.
Among the Stanford players at the 100th Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 was alumnus Gautam Krishnamurthi (‘11), who although he did not get the opportunity to play, appreciated the bonding experience he had with the team. Stanford University played Michigan State but lost 24-20.
“It was a great feeling when we won the PAC-12 championship and had the opportunity to play in the game,” Krishnamurthi said. “We were all excited to play in the Rose Bowl but knew that we had to focus in the weeks ahead for the upcoming game.”
Krishnamurthi said that although they had a few days off before the big game, the team practiced the same ways as they had all season in preparation for the game on New Year’s Day.
Although the two teams were tied towards the beginning of the third quarter, Michigan State eventually took the lead and won the game 24-20.
“I think the team was disappointed with the loss because we felt very prepared for the game, but obviously we think that we could have played better in the game, even though they were a very good team,” Krishnamurthi said. “I think the loss really made the team think about next year, and we are ready to prepare for another run.”
Stanford earned the opportunity to play by placing first in the PAC-12. They also played in the 2013 Rose Bowl, winning the game 20-14 against the University of Wisconsin.
Not only was this the 100th Rose Bowl, but it was the last Rose Bowl where the winner of the PAC-12 played the winner of the Big 10. The new system, called the College Football Playoff features two semifinal bowl games a year, but will rotate through six bowl games, according to the official website of the College Football Playoff. On Jan. 1, 2015 the top four teams will play in either the Rose Bowl or the Sugar Bowl to determine who will proceed to the national championship.
“I think it’s a very interesting change, but I am totally in favor of the college football playoff,” Krishnamurthi said. “I think it makes the playing field a little more fair and will create more competition for the championship game, as well as putting more pressure on teams in the major four conferences to win their championship.”
Among the Stanford players at the 100th Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 was alumnus Gautam Krishnamurthi (‘11), who although he did not get the opportunity to play, appreciated the bonding experience he had with the team. Stanford University played Michigan State but lost 24-20.
“It was a great feeling when we won the PAC-12 championship and had the opportunity to play in the game,” Krishnamurthi said. “We were all excited to play in the Rose Bowl but knew that we had to focus in the weeks ahead for the upcoming game.”
Krishnamurthi said that although they had a few days off before the big game, the team practiced the same ways as they had all season in preparation for the game on New Year’s Day.
Although the two teams were tied towards the beginning of the third quarter, Michigan State eventually took the lead and won the game 24-20.
“I think the team was disappointed with the loss because we felt very prepared for the game, but obviously we think that we could have played better in the game, even though they were a very good team,” Krishnamurthi said. “I think the loss really made the team think about next year, and we are ready to prepare for another run.”
Stanford earned the opportunity to play by placing first in the PAC-12. They also played in the 2013 Rose Bowl, winning the game 20-14 against the University of Wisconsin.
Not only was this the 100th Rose Bowl, but it was the last Rose Bowl where the winner of the PAC-12 played the winner of the Big 10. The new system, called the College Football Playoff features two semifinal bowl games a year, but will rotate through six bowl games, according to the official website of the College Football Playoff. On Jan. 1, 2015 the top four teams will play in either the Rose Bowl or the Sugar Bowl to determine who will proceed to the national championship.
“I think it’s a very interesting change, but I am totally in favor of the college football playoff,” Krishnamurthi said. “I think it makes the playing field a little more fair and will create more competition for the championship game, as well as putting more pressure on teams in the major four conferences to win their championship.”
Krishnamurthi played wide receiver on offense and safety on defense while at the Upper School and was also a captain his senior year. He believes that his experiences in high school helped him get where he is today.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on Jan. 27, 2014.
Alyssa Amick (12) is the Co- Editor in Chief of Harker Aquila. She has been part of the journalism program since her freshman year. Her favorite part of...