![“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)
Dance certificate students perform Sophomore Juries
Miranda Larsen (10) stretches while playing the music for her solo piece. All sophomores chose to self-choreograph their pieces, which includes choosing and altering their own music.
Certificate students specializing in dance performed solos during long lunch today in the dance room.
Students who choose to participate in the certificate program must perform a choreographed solo piece to exhibit in front of a panel of seven performing arts teachers, Chris Florio, Rachelle Haun, Karl Kuehn, Laura Lang-Ree, Jennifer Sandusky, Brian Larsen and Susan Nace. This process, known as Sophomore Juries, allows the performing arts teachers to decide whether each potential certificate student possesses the necessary skill to continue the certificate program.
“Because we are conservatory, our certificate students are exposed to multiple disciplines within the performing arts and not just the one they are majoring in,” head of the dance program Karl Kuehn said. “So dancers, for example, are also required to participate in aspects of technical theater and attend acting workshops so that by the time they graduate as seniors they really have a full comprehension of being a performing artist.”
Seven sophomore dancers performed solos, including Charley Huang, Miranda Larsen, Mallory Millard, Eleanor Xiao, Gracean Linthacum-Janker, Ashley Cook and Liana Wang.
All sophomore dance certificate students chose to choreograph their own solos to perform.
“I started [choreographing] in the summer, and I choreographed the majority of it in three days,” Charley said. “I practiced it throughout the summer, but I never added anything to it until a couple weeks before [sophomore juries] happened and finished it the day before.”
Next week, the performing arts teacher will either officially accept certificate students into the program, or they will ask students to perform at another sophomore jury when their mentor feels they have improved.
“I chose to pursue certificate because dancing is really important to me and I would like to continue dancing even after high school and college,” Miranda said.
The Harker Conservatory built the certificate program for students who have a passion for a specific performing art. After a four-year program, a certificate is awarded to each students, signifying their prowess in their particular field.
“I think the certificate program has benefited me because it [has] exposed me to more than what I would have typically been comfortable to try out in terms of the different types of art forms,” certificate member and Varsity captain Ankita Sharma (12) said.
Technical theater certificate sophomores also performed during long lunch yesterday, instrumentalists and theater students performed after school yesterday, and vocal and musical theater students performed today after school.
Eleanor Xiao is a junior and Co-Student Life Editor for TALON Yearbook. This is Eleanor's third year on staff. In her free time, Eleanor enjoys dancing,...