![“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)
Varsity girls water polo loses to Saratoga; varsity boys water polo defeats Saratoga
Matthew Hajjar (10) reaches for the ball during the varsity boys water polo game. The team worked hard in order to achieve its win.
October 6, 2016
Both the girls and boys water polo teams played against Saratoga High School today during home games.
Girls water polo eventually lost 5-4 after a comeback effort in the 4th quarter. The team was down for most of the game, but came back towards the end, almost tying the match. Despite the loss, many of the girls were satisfied with the efforts Harker put into the game.
“I think we played good defense because we got them to turn the ball over a lot, and we also took a lot of opportunities and shots,” goalie Lily Wancewicz (10) said.
Although Saratoga is currently undefeated, coach Allie Lamb believed that the girls water polo team showed improvement since their previous match.
“They beat us pretty handily last time we played them, but we’re improving, and it’s showing, so I was pretty happy with the game,” Lamb said.
During these games, the girls water polo team gains lots of experience that they will put to use during the following series of games.
“I think [this game] will just get us hyped up for the next couple of games,” Melinda Wisdom (12) said. As the season comes to a close, the team is working together to finish the season off strong.
After the girls’ game and a boys’ junior varsity game, the boys varsity water polo team beat Saratoga 13-5. After starting the game off strong, the Eagles kept up the intensity throughout the rest of the match.
“We were looking to specifically play better defense. Our offense has been pretty good all year long, but now that we are entering the winning part of the season we need to focus on defense, and I think we did a great job there,” coach Ted Ujifusa said.
The team worked together to defeat the Saratoga Falcons, a team they had previously beaten, with a goal to prepare for the rest of the season.
“I hope this game will be a reflection of the rest of the season because this is the second time we’ve played this team and I feel that our quality of game has increased a lot and I really hope that’s the same for the next few games in the season” Matthew Hajjar (10) said.
The girls next play at Wilcox High School on Oct. 10 and the boys prepare for a non-conference game tomorrow against Heritage High School in the Eagles’ pool.
