![“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)
Fire sparks in East San Jose
A large fire burned the side of a hill in Evergreen, San Jose, in a community called the Ranch at 4 pm today. Starting off as a small fire, it grew and climbed up the hills, partly due to the wind; several emergency fire trucks and helicopters were present at the site of the fire, pouring water onto the hill and checking for any injured victims.
A fire encompassing between seven to 10 acres spread across one of the hills near the Silver Creek Country Club this afternoon at around 3:47 p.m. leaving the entire hill charred.
According to NBC Bay Area, the fire which started on 1700 Echo Canyon Road, had extended within the Ranch Golf Club by 4:30 p.m, by that time covering the estimated seven to 10 acres.
Barbara Valluru, mother of students Maya Valluru (11) and Joshua Valluru (8), saw the fire while on her way to the upper school at around 4 p.m.
“I saw the fire under the power lines. There was a helicopter over it dumping water and many fire engines rushing to the scene,” Valluru said. “It was scary because the dry grass was burning right next to the residential area.”
In spite of the fire’s magnitude, no homes in the area were damaged. The San Jose Fire Department sent 10 fire engines, and Cal Fire sent two air tankers and a chopper, which released fire retardants and water onto the area to prevent the fire from spreading.
By 5:10 p.m., the fire had been extinguished and the helicopters and choppers had left.
This fire comes in a string of recent wildfires in Northern California. On Sept. 2, firefighters were dispatched to Lakeport, California to contain the 450-acre wildfire. The fire prompted the issuance of evacuation orders to 60 residents. According to the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, the fire is now 40 percent contained, yet covers 670 acres.
This summer, the drought has spawned wildfires throughout California. Since January, a reported 5,500 wildfires have devastated about 180,000 acres of land across the state.
On its website, the Santa Clara County Fire department posted a list of summer-specific safety guidelines, which range from practicing water safety to learning CPR.
Tara Parimi (12) is co-Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. She has been involved with the upper school's journalism...
Trisha Dwivedi (12) is the Managing Editor of Harker Aquila. She was a reporter her freshman year, Business Manager of the Winged Post her sophomore year...