![“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)
Science Bowl teams prepare for upcoming competition
Sophomore Rajiv Movva and junior Arjun Subramaniam attend Science Bowl practice as members of the A team. The regional competition of the Science Bowl will take place Saturday, Feb. 6.
February 3, 2016
The Upper school Science Bowl teams are currently preparing for their regional competition, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6.
Last year, the Harker Upper School team won second place at the regional competition.
If the team places first at the regional level, which has happened three times before in Upper school history, the members will travel to Washington D. C. in late April for the national competition.
Unlike last year, where the space was limited to just the A team, both the A and B teams will compete at regionals this year.
Alexander Young (9), a member of the B team, previously participated in the competition in middle school.
“I joined because it’s an interesting way to exercise my science skills and learn new things and associate with other students who are interested in science,” he said.
Chemistry teacher Robbie Korin and biology teacher Gary Blickenstaff advise both teams and help them prepare for the Science Bowl.
“We are in one of the toughest regionals. So if we make it out of the regional, we’re surely one of the top teams in the nation,” Korin said.
The teams have been practicing once a week since the beginning of the school year. As the date of the competition approaches, the A team has begun to practice during long lunches as well.
“I think this year we have a really strong team; we have people with expertise in different fields,” Arjun Subramaniam (11) said, “I think that this is probably one of our best chances to qualifying for the national team and this is one of the most competitive regionals and there are so many good schools. So we look forward to competing and I think we have a pretty good shot this year at making it to nationals.”
Jonathan Ma, a member of the A team, has been a part of the Science Bowl since middle school.
“We’ll be trying to do our best and hopefully snag that regional championship title, Jonathan Ma (12) said. “No matter what, I think it’s the process of training, the working hard, studying hard, and competing– that’s the truly rewarding part of the process, more so than any award or placing.”
