![“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)
Varsity girls’ soccer team makes school history as league champions
Lyndsey Mitchell (9) dribbles the ball down the field during the January 13 game against Castilleja. The girls are now league champions for the first time in school history.
Following last night’s 4-0 victory against Summit Prep, the Varsity girls’ soccer team clinched the league championship for the first time in school history.
Kailee Gifford (9) scored twice, while Joelle Anderson (9) and Gabriela Gupta (11) each scored once, helping the team to improve its record to 8-1-1 in league and 12-2-1 overall.
“They played strongly. Summit [Prep] came out the first fifteen minutes really gunning. It was a very different team at their place than it was when we played at our place,” head coach John Docherty said. “The girls did a great job. They kept to the game plan and produced the goods.”
The girls’ soccer program has improved drastically throughout the last four years. During the 2010-2011 season, the current senior’s freshman year, the team won zero games. This year, the players are league champs.
“I’m really proud of where we’ve come,” co-captain Apurva Gorti (12) said. “It was a really rewarding victory.”
The team has a single playoff game tomorrow at 3:30 at King’s Academy. A victory will secure the final West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) CCS berth for the team, continuing their history-making streak.
“[To prepare] we’ve just been doing the usual, honestly,” Nikita Parulkar (11) said. “I think our team this year is just very talented”
Despite tomorrow’s results, this season will be one to remember.
“The season’s already been a success. The girls have developed, they’ve had a good time, they’ve enjoyed it,” Docherty said. “Anything beyond winning the championship is gravy.”
Sheridan Tobin is the co-Editor in Chief of The Winged Post. She is a senior and this is her fourth year on staff. She was the Global Editor and Opinion...
Riya Chandra is a reporter of Harker Aquila. She is a freshmen and has a passion for photography, as well as writing. She is also part of the DECA Club...