![“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)
Juniors have last Eagle Buddies event of the year
Fourth grade and eleventh grade Eagle Buddies met during lunch at the Bucknall campus at the last school-planned bonding event of the year. During the period of unstructured time, many students opted to play sports such as soccer or football.
The juniors met their Eagle Buddies at the Bucknall campus today for their fourth and final session of the 2013-14 school year.
While previous Eagle Buddies sessions revolved around themes, today’s meeting featured unstructured play. Following a lunch with burgers and cookies, buddies could do arts and crafts, or play sports.
“I think free play provides a better experience,” said Austin Lai (11), who participated today in the Eagle Buddies segment of the Office of Communication’s Annual Giving video. “You get to know your buddy better when you’re doing what they want to do.”
With four sessions a year, some students felt a time crunch to bond with their buddies. Others, like Sahana Rangarajan (11), thought the pacing of the events effectively balanced community and the classroom.
“I definitely think it’s fun,” Sahana said. “But having Eagle Buddies much more often would mean disrupting our schedule more often.”
Students will meet their buddies again in September, when they are seniors and their buddies fifth graders. The first Eagle Buddies event for seniors and fifth graders is traditionally held at the Upper School.
“We won’t be able to see them for half a year,” Sahiti Avula (11) said. “But next year, when we’re both the oldest people on our campus, it’ll be cool to look back.”
For many, separation was much harder to stomach than the chocolate-chip cookies.
“I wish the [Eagle Buddies] didn’t go to college,” said Arianna Weaver (4). “That way we could be with them during middle school.”
At the end of the event, Lower School teachers reminded students that they are free to meet each other independently of school-sponsored Eagle Buddies events. Many pairs shared email addresses at the end of the event.
Apoorva Rangan (12) is the Editor-in-Chief of The Winged Post and a fourth-year staff member. She has previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor...
Juhi Gupta is the Multimedia Editor for Harker Aquila. She is a junior and has been part of the journalism program since her freshman year. Her position...