![“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)
Freshmen and sophomores learn about upcoming trip to Greece and Italy
History teacher Andrea Milius presents an overview of the trip to interested freshmen and sophomores. The 10-day trip will occur over Spring Break.
Over 40 freshmen and sophomores interested in the upper school trip to Italy and Greece attended informational meetings about the trip and its application process today during long lunch.
The two 15-minute meetings were led by history teacher and trip chaperone Andrea Milius in Shah 407 and took place at 11:15 a.m. and noon for students interested in learning more about the trip and receiving an application.
The trip, which will take place over spring break from March 23 to April 2, is open to current freshmen and sophomores and is meant to add to their understanding of world history, which all freshmen and many sophomores study.
“I think it’s one of the places that we go that just actually aligns with our curriculum and history, so that’s very important but just academically there’s so many areas that enrich what we’re learning,” Milius said. “I just think that when you like this type of history you have to go and see this stuff and you can’t see it in the United States.”
The trip will include visits to Rome, Naples, Capri, Athens, Pompeii and Delphi and students will visit landmarks such as the Vatican, the Parthenon, the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel.
Jennifer Walrod, Director of Global Education, explains the events that led to the creation of the trip.
“A couple of things had happened, Ms. Milius and I started talking about it for several years and she is very interested in Greek and Italian history and over the years I’ve had plenty of parents come to me and say ‘There’s nothing for kids that are studying Latin – no trip for them to go on,’” she said. “And also along with that I’ve had a lot of past students recommend that we start a regular trip to Europe.”
Walrod, who will also be a chaperone on the trip, hopes for a minimum of 15 students and depending on amount of students, will add on a third chaperone.
“I’ve always been interested in Roman history and Greece’s history so this is actually being there instead of just learning about it in books,” freshman Timothy Chang said.
Applications for the trip are due next Friday. Interested students should contact Milius or Walrod for further information or to receive an application.
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