![“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)
Girls varsity soccer loses to Fremont High School
Nikita Parulkar (12) dribbles the ball away from her opponent. The girls’ varsity soccer team loses against Fremont High School 3-4.
The girls’ varsity soccer team lost to Fremont High School 3-4 today at their second home game of the season.
Before starting the game today, Aishlinn Coveney (9), one of the team’s goalies, talked about her expectations for the game and upcoming season.
“I expect a really hard game today, but I hope we can do well, and play better than we performed on Tuesday,” she said. “I also think we will do well this season, but we will have some hard times playing against teams that have been in the top league for a while.”
Center midfielder Kailee Gifford (10) and forward Joelle Anderson (10) scored one goal each in the first half of the game today. Joelle also scored an additional goal on a penalty kick in the second half.
Following their game, right wing striker Anuja Shah (9), commented on their opponents and their performance.
“Since we’re in a higher division, it was a lot more competitive,” Anuja said. “Everyone played their heart out and we fought till the last second; it was a really close game.”
After shaking hands with the opposing team, the girls gathered around coaches Iman Siadat and Andrew Ransome to discuss their mistakes and how to improve their play and strategies for upcoming games.
Coach Ransome also gave feedback on the team’s performance.
“It’s another one of those performances where we’re just evaluating the players,” Ransome said. “They’re still finding their feet and learning how to play together as a team. I felt that we were a bit more cohesive in the second half than the first half, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
Coach Ransome also talked about how the team was made up of players with differing skill levels, the experienced girls playing at a higher level than those who are just picking up the game. He said that the players are still trying to play as a team, but they are improving their teamwork and starting to work together well now.
The girls will play their next game against Redwood Christian Jr Sr High School at home on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
Gloria Guo is a junior and Academics Editor for TALON Yearbook. This is Gloria's third year on staff. In her free time, Gloria enjoys running and listening...