![“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)
School meeting recap 3/16
Senior Andrew Jin thanks the Upper School community for their support throughout his high school career. Andrew, along with partner Steven Wang (12) also won the team portion of the Siemens National Finals last year.
French National Honor Society announced the beginning of its club week with a video on the organization Doctors Without Borders. Throughout the week, the society will be selling food such as macarons and crepes with nutella after school and during lunches. All proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders, which has recently been active in providing humanitarian aid in West Africa and Ukraine. In addition, French Cultural Night will be held on Wednesday from 4:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The Robotics Club revealed its robot, the “Hovernaut,” for the annual For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition after six weeks of building. The game this year is Recycle Rush, in which robots deposit pool noodles that represent litter into bins, which are then stacked. This week, Robotics travels to UC Davis to compete in the Sacramento Regional, and in April, the club will compete at San Jose State University.
The Pacific Northwest JSA will be participating in the 2015 Spring State, which will include debates, dances and elections.
Beginning next school year, JV dance will practice during the school day instead of after school. Other course changes included the addition of Dance Composition and Advanced Business Operations and Management, both one-semester classes, to the course list. Students interested in taking classes from the Global Online Academy or being a summer TA should contact Academic Dean Evan Barth.
On Tuesday, Spirit Club will hold a four-leaf clover cookie decorating competition in spirit of St. Patrick’s Day.
The Evening of Jazz concert, featuring Jazz Band and Lab Band, is this Friday at 6 p.m.
On April 29, a reception will be held for Near and Mitra Grant scholars, and their papers will be posted on the library portal. The application process for the grants begins today and is due on May 1.
Head of School Christopher Nikoloff congratulated Intel finalists Rohith Kuditipudi (12) and Steven Wang (12) and Intel winner Andrew Jin (12). Science Department Chair Anita Chetty then introduced Andrew, who came up to the podium to thank the Upper School community for its support.
Arden Hu, copy editor for the TALON Yearbook, is a senior and has been on staff for three years. She is also part of the varsity tennis team and enjoys...