![“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)
Second annual Tanzania trip preview
Thirteen students to travel and help tribes this summer
Namrata Vakkaladadda (12) takes part in last summer’s glasses initiative for the Tanzanian community. She was one of the 11 students who went on the inaugural Tanzania trip.
Thirteen students along with Upper School Science Department Chair Anita Chetty and Upper School biology teacher Mike Pistacchi will journey on their second annual trip to Tanzania on June 5.
This trip will last 13 days and the group will visit five different tribes, one of which being the Maasai tribe.
Last year, the 11 students who were on the first Tanzania trip organized several fundraisers to provide the Maasai community with resources, including prescription glasses, stationery, and Swahili textbooks. Proceeds from a snack sale at the Research Symposium were used to buy the textbooks for the children, and a prescription glasses and stationery drive were hosted at the Upper School.
Students continued the eyeglass drive this year, with all collected glasses being shipped to Lions Club, a non- profit service organization headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. Lions Club sent back a box of 250 packaged reading glasses with diopter readings for the students to distribute in Tanzania.
In the summer, students will use eye charts to determine the reading levels of the Maasai people and prescribing them the glasses to help their vision. According to Chetty, the intricate beadwork of the Maasai often strains the eyes.
“We have the opportunity to impact directly the lives of these people who right now can’t read close-up, can’t see close-up, so they can’t do their beadwork which they actually sell to get money and send their children to school,” Chetty said.
Members of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (WiSTEM) also contributed to the cause by raising money through STEM Week and receiving a grant from a parent. Proceeds were used to purchase uniforms for children at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Tanzania, which specializes in the care of HIV positive children.
Like last year, students held a snack sale at the Symposium, raising a total of $400, and each dollar was matched by their travel company. Supplies including 75 chemistry textbooks, 64 math textbooks, and 15 goats were purchased with the donations. In addition to school supplies, Harker students have also been collecting medical supplies such as sutures and bandages for a clinic in Tanzania, which was started by a Californian doctor and his wife.
Students attending the trip include Noel Banerjee (11), Jeremy Binkley (11), Grace Cao (11), Katie Chung (10), Alyssa Crawford (10), Shreya Mathur (10), Ayush Midha (11), Madhavan Nair (11), Erika Olsen (11), Nikita Parulkar (11), Chandini Thakur (10), and Jessica Yang (11).
The philanthropic efforts of the students will continue on until their departure.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on May 16, 2014.
Tara Parimi (12) is co-Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. She has been involved with the upper school's journalism...
A member of the journalism program since freshman year, senior Allison Sun is the Features Editor and Webmaster of Harker Aquila. She was also TalonWP...