![“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)
Cheerleading kicks off season with the largest squad yet
Harker’s cheer team performed at Friday’s Homecoming rally.
In its seventh season, the Harker cheerleading squad started with a record twelve members, two more than last year.
“It was really exciting because we had a bunch of new girls who joined and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year,” Alisa Wakita (11) said.
Three freshmen, three juniors, and one senior joined the team this year. They find cheer to be a challenge, but the veteran members helped them adjust.
“It’s been really difficult because all the other girls are so used to it,” freshman Miranda Larsen said. “But the older girls have been really accepting and supportive so I feel it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.”
Another newcomer, Raveena Panja (9) joined cheer because of family experience.
“My sister did cheerleading for four years, and I wanted to try it out also,” she said. “It is a very difficult transition because we have to do stunts and tumbling and dance routines, and they’re really fast.”
According to captain Daniela Lee (12), larger teams can perform more stunts, more easily captivate the audience, and utilize different talents of individuals. However, they have their disadvantages. With this squad, scheduling and practice space limitations are difficult to work around.
To prepare for the school year, most of the cheerleaders attended a three day summer camp run by the Universal Cheerleaders Association at UC Davis. During the school year, they practice for two hours every Wednesday and Thursday. They cheer at football games in the fall and basketball games in the winter.
Jill Bettencourt, now in her four and a halfth year of coaching, loves how cheer can bring the Harker community together.
“I believe that the cheerleading team helps bring together students from different groups and sports to promote the common cause of school spirit and unity,” Bettencourt said. “In addition, it helps promote and bring awareness to our growing athletics program.”
After spending hours together, the cheerleaders have bonded and developed their identity within the Harker community.
“It’s been great getting so many new people,” Elizabeth Edwards (11) said. “One of the great changes is that we have so many new juniors and freshmen. As the team grows, we’re just trying to keep the dynamic that we had last year. We’re all best friends.”
On Friday, the cheerleaders performed in front of the school at the homecoming rally.
“It was totally scary at first, but really fun,” freshman Jessica Wang said. “I was relieved at the end-not because I just wanted to get over with it, but because I made it through and didn’t mess up my stunt like I did at yesterday’s practice. Overall, it was tons of fun.”
On Saturday, the team performed the same cheer routine when the football team defeated Ribet Academy in the annual homecoming game.
Melissa Kwan is a junior and the Seniors Editor for TALON Yearbook. This is Melissa's third year on staff. In her free time, Melissa plays volleyball for...
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...