![“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)
Valentine’s Grams brought back: Students buy flowers and chocolates to send to peers
Selin Sayiner (11) types her name, recipient’s name and the type of gram that she wishes to purchase on an online order form outside of Manzanita during long lunch. A Google form was sent out to all students on Jan. 23 to expedite the process of buying Valentine’s Grams and was available until Feb. 3.
February 21, 2017
Student Council sold Valentine’s Grams in person from Jan. 23 to Feb. 3 to raise money for their individual classes.
This year, Valentine’s Grams came in three different options. A single rose could be sent to a person of your choosing for $5, a box of chocolates for $5 and a rose and a box of chocolates combo for $10.
“You can write your name down and select which gram you want, or you can order them online, which is what everyone’s doing,” freshman class spirit coordinator Adhya Hoskote (9) said.
A Google form was sent out to all students on Jan. 23 to expedite the process of buying Valentine’s Grams and was available until Feb. 3.
On the Google form, students were required to fill out their email address, first and last name, grade level, recipient’s name, grade level and advisory, a message that they would like to have displayed on the Valentine’s Gram as well as the contents of the gram.
The form stressed the importance of keeping the personalized messages clean and appropriate.
Junior class spirit coordinator Amitej Mehta (11) volunteered to sell Valentine’s Grams and enjoys them more this year in comparison to previous years.
“In other years, students just got a rose,” he said. “This year, you get the option of buying just a rose, chocolates or both. It’s a bit pricier, but way better than other years’ grams.”
This year, the prices of the grams increased, causing sales to decrease from last year.
“They’re so expensive,” Lauren Napier (11) said. “I used to be able to buy Valentine’s Grams for all of my friends, but because of the jacked-up prices, I can only send them to two or three of my best friends, which is bad because I want to buy everyone one for Valentine’s spirit.”
Students will receive their Valentine’s Grams during advisory on Feb. 10.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on February 21, 2017.
