![“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)
Student representatives meet for annual Harker Summit
Arben Gutierrez (11) speaks at the Harker Summit. The event brought together students to discuss ways to improve the environment and community.
Representatives from each advisory and club met to discuss the issues in the Harker community and to think of ideas to improve the school on Sept. 25 in the Nichols Atrium.
Previously called the Honor and Ethics Conference, the administration changed the title to foster a broader discussion of the school community.
“What we realized over the last six months is that the goal here at this conference is that the students get a chance to speak about this place,” National Honor Society advisor Dr. Smriti Koodanjeri said. “These are big fundamental [ideas] that we adults assume sometimes and don’t really ask you guys.”
The conference was divided into three sessions. During the first session, students described their ideal Harker and what their dream community would look like.
“I have a lot of faith in Harker students to not have the ideals as ‘walls made of candy’ or ‘a petting zoo between periods’, which is ridiculous,” Honor Council adviser Evan Barth said. “I think they are going to be really constructive [and] well thought out, and we are to get some cool stuff.”
In the second session, students discussed in table groups what impediments stopped them from creating their ideal version of Harker.
The third session distilled the previous two sessions: students thought of solutions to the impediments and drafted action plans to implement in the school. Towards the end of the conference, several students also gave individual speeches regarding their experience at the Harker Summit.
Students also felt that administration would have a better grasp of student issues through the Harker Summit.
“I hope that because the administration is now aware of what the students want, [and] that [they] will try to create a community where everyone is comfortable around each other,” Andrea Simonian (9) said.
While some students hold more cynical views towards Harker Summit, Harker Summit moderator Jonathan Yiu (12) feels that administration and students must respect each other to begin change in the Harker community.
“I think there is a majority of kids [who] don’t trust that administration will let us change, but I think there needs to be mutual trust in order for change to happen,” he said.
Representatives who attended the Harker Summit sent written summaries, of their experience at the Harker Summit to their advisors and recreated the discussion with their advisories on Oct. 7.
Kaitlin Hsu (11) is the Editor-in-Chief of Wingspan Magazine. In her freshmen year, she was a reporter, and in her sophomore year, she was the Features...
Aneesha Kumar (9) is a reporter for Winged Post, and has been at Harker since Kindergarten. Since it is her first year in Journalism, she looks forward...
Ashley Jiang (11) is the photo editor for Winged Post. This is her third year in the journalism program, and she was a reporter her freshman and sophomore...