![“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)
Freshman Class of 2019 joins Upper School
Cheering Key Club members introduce the class of 2019 through a tunnel of hands. Freshmen Orientation was held on Aug. 20.
The Upper School welcomed the new freshman class of 2019 on August 9 with a number of recreational teamwork-building games.
The events commenced on a symbolic level as freshmen passed under a tunnel of cheering Link Crew members, upperclassmen who have chosen to personally provide advice to freshmen. Two Link Crew members, a junior and a senior, are assigned to each advisory and will intermittently speak with their freshmen advisories throughout the year.
The new freshman class is the largest, by students, to date. The class of 2019’s new dean, Chris Florio, reflected on his annual vision for the class.
“I’m sticking to goals for this year right now which of course extend to all four years. Focusing on the freshman year, really, the words that come to mind are pride and unity,” Florio said. “I want the class to get to really have a sense of being together and really form a sense of unity right away.”
Many freshmen are excited about the new privileges the upper school confers.
“I’m really excited about the independence, and [being able] to pick my own classes,” freshman Andrea Simonian said.
Others enjoy the new academic opportunities.
“[There’s the] beautiful campus, and the amazing teachers, and the amazing programs,” freshman Anika Rajanani said.
Dean Florio personally welcomed the new students into the gym, where they sat and met their advisories. To build familiarity, advisories played a game of “get to know each other” bingo.
After finishing up in the gym, the freshmen moved to Davis Field to begin the main games. The games are played in advisory teams at rotating stations. Each activity is designed to “absolutely require teamwork” and serves as a constructive exercise in building advisory synergy.
Some activities took place in the Singh Aquatic Center, which helped counter the heat of the summer day.
“I would have loved to jump in the pool, as it was such a hot day,” senior and Link Crew member Namitha Vellian said.
There was a brief recess for lunch, where advisories sat together to build familiarity. Pizza, brownies and lemonade were served.
Many freshmen are excited for the upper school’s culinary options.
“I heard the food’s really good,” freshman Erana Wan said.
After lunch, the games continued until dismissal.
Derek Yen is a senior and the Opinion Editor of Winged Post. Derek served as the STEM Editor of Aquila and Winged Post during his junior year and as a...
Adrian Chu (12) is a columnist for the Winged Post and Aquila. He has served as an Opinion Editor for The Winged Post. This is his fourth year in journalism,...
Vivek Bharadwaj (12) is the co-Editor-In-Chief for the Winged Post. His favorite subject in school is computer science, and he enjoys swimming and watching...