![“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)
Sophomore quickly rises from middle school P.E. runner to varsity track and field co-captain
Sarah Min (9) and Gloria Guo (10) warm up before their race.
May 7, 2016
As the track and field season comes to an end, the team enters upcoming WBAL and CCS meets with several runners breaking personal records and placing in several heats. Star runners on the team include Anthony Contreras (10) and Niki Iyer (11) and thrower Demonte Aleem (9).
The coaches chose Gloria Guo (10) to be one of the co-captains of the team this season, even though she is only a sophomore.
The Winged Post sat down with Gloria to get a glimpse of her journey in track and what it is like to be a captain at such a young age.
Winged Post: Why did you start running track?
Gloria: I started running track when I was in middle school because I actually realized in PE that I really enjoyed running, and then so I started running track in middle school and I ended up continuing into high school.
WP: You are one of the captains on the team. How does it feel to be the captain?
GG: Well, firstly,being one of the younger captains I was surprised that I was chosen as a captain. But then it really gave me the chance to show my leadership to the team. There’s a lot of responsibilities including leading warm-ups, as well as sending out emails and all those types of things. It has been a time where I can really communicate with my team and get to know them a lot better, so I really enjoy being captain this year.
WP: When did you specifically start running in middle school?
GG: I started running in sixth grade.
WP: And it was just because of PE?
GG: Yeah, I just started running. I mean we never really ran that much in elementary school, but then I started running in PE class and then I realized that I really did enjoy running, so because of that I started running on the track team in sixth grade.
WP: You have been running track for almost 5 years now. Why did you choose track over other sports?
GG: I think track is a sport that doesn’t really require many skills. I know a lot of people who find ways to get out of doing other kinds of sports because they don’t have the time or the equipment to do these kinds of sports. WIth track, there is really nothing that you need except shoes and you just go out running and that’s just it.
WP: What are you thinking when you run? How does running make you feel?
GG: I seem like a different person when I’m running track and field because I’m one of the quiet people and most people don’t know me for a lot of things except sports. When I’m running track, I feel like it’s one of my times to shine, especially because there are a lot people who come to watch my races, so I feel like it’s one of my more special moments.
WP: Who is one of your mentors?
GG: I think although it’s more of my PE teachers who really encouraged me to do track as a sport. Continuing on to high school, Coach Chisam has been the one pushing me and to do even better every time.
Gloria and her teammates will compete at their next meet at Palo Alto High School on Saturday.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on May 4, 2016.
