![“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)
Returns and departures
Science teachers to return from maternity leave, kitchen staff member departs
Provided by Lisa Radice
Physics teacher Lisa Radice gave birth to twins Aaron (left) and Theo (right) on April 26, 2014. She resumed classes at the beginning of semester two.
Several faculty and staff changes happened during the start of second semester at the Upper School campus, including the return of computer science teacher Marina Peregrino and physics teacher Lisa Radice and the departure of Samantha Brailey, manager of the hot kitchen.
According to Assistant Head of Academic Affairs Jennifer Gargano, the main effect of faculty entering and exiting will be reassigning classes. “[Despite the changes], no faculty member is really leaving, though, because we are redispersing classes,” she said.
Brailey left her position at the Upper School to pursue work as a sous chef at a care home in Los Angeles.“[While at Harker], her duties were to oversee the hot kitchen and chowder house and just make sure her part of the kitchen was running smoothly,” cold kitchen manager Samantha Hipol said.
Peregrino returned from an eight-week medical absence stemming from surgery. Her substitute teacher, Anu Datar, exited at the start of semester two after Peregrino resumed her position.
Radice resumed her position at the beginning of semester two after returning from maternity leave. She gave birth to twins Aaron and Theo on April 26, 2014. Physics teachers Eric Montany, Scott Pflaumer, and Anuradha Aiyer covered her classes while she was on maternity leave.
“My Physics colleagues have been incredibly supportive and helpful. We met several times at the end of the first semester and we continue to meet on a regular basis to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible […],” Radice said. “The hardest part hasn’t been in the classroom, it has been trying to get out of the house on time in the morning.”
Miriam Allersma, also a freshman physics teacher, plans to return to campus in March after spending as much time as possible with her new- born daughter Alice Pearl Allersma, who was born on Sept. 30 last year. Allersma anticipates minor difficulties in resuming teaching after an extended break.
“I know it will be challenging for the students and for me to adjust,” she said. “I would like to continue with as much of Mr. Montany’s style as possible to make the transition easier for students. Plenty of clear communication between me and the students […], flexibility and patience will help smooth the bumps.“
All the returning teachers hope to have a successful second semester with their students.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on January 28, 2015.
Maya Jeyendran (11) is the Lifestyle Editor of Harker Aquila. She been a part of Harker's journalism program since her freshman year, and has previously...
Emma Yu (9) is a reporter for The Winged Post. In her free time, she usually draws, surfs the internet, and hopes for no tests in the upcoming weeks of...