![“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)
Humans of Harker: Arthi Iyer strives to make an impact
“My philosophy is that I could die penniless and I wouldn’t care—I wouldn’t care what diploma I graduated with or what percentile my ranking was in my class. I’d rather be remembered for something good,” Arthi Iyer (12) said.
January 18, 2017
For Arthi Iyer (12), helping others serves as the driving force for many of her actions. From volunteering with the Humane Society for the past four years to tutoring students at Harker or with Kumon, Arthi makes sure that she leaves a positive impact on those surrounding her.
“My philosophy is that I could die penniless and I wouldn’t care—I wouldn’t care what diploma I graduated with or what percentile my ranking was in my class,” Arthi said. “I’d rather be remembered for something good.”
During her junior year, Arthi was the president of the Animal Welfare Club. Although the club soon disbanded, she continued to help animals by volunteering at the Humane Society.
Arthi’s main goal for her future is to spend a year working in the Peace Corps, an item that has been lingering on her bucket list for as long as she can remember.
“I really want to work in a non-profit and live that life where you don’t really get a large paycheck, but you are helping people,” she said.
One piece of advice Arthi follows after reflecting on her time in high school is that staying true to herself and who she is as a person is the most important thing.
“Something I’ve noticed about myself recently, maybe senior year and over the past summer, is that I care a whole heck of a lot more about making other people happy, and therefore making myself happy, than I do about whatever science fair is coming up or whatever research paper I have to write or anything along those lines,” Arthi said. “Sure, they exist in life and to some extent you have to play the game and do them, but I would tell myself not to spend so many hours banging your head against the brick wall, trying to be the stereotypical Harker kid that you’re just not.”
Medha Shah (12), one of Arthi’s friends, likes that Arthi is a person she can always count on.
“Arthi is a very energetic yet loving and caring friend who is always there to listen and help you no matter what hour,” Medha said.
Through all of her activities both in and outside of school and the ways they have shaped her personality, Arthi always strives to be her best and have a positive impact on others.
“If I end up living my life and not having a tangible sense of accomplishment upon someone else, then I wouldn’t really know what I accomplished,” Arthi said.
