![“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)
School meeting recap 2/28
Students at the freshman and sophomore school meeting watch BEcon’s promotional video for their upcoming conference on March 11. The presentation featured BEcon officers Ria Gandhi (12), Lucas Wang (12) and Haley Tran (12).
February 28, 2017
The Los Altos Hills Youth Commission, a group of students that represent teenagers in local government and support civic involvement of youth, will host a leadership conference for students on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Los Altos Hills Town Hall. Speakers at the event, which include town officials and business executives from fields ranging from STEM to politics, will discuss leadership and entrepreneurship at the conference.
FEM Club will hold its club week next week and will sell boba and sweets during long lunch throughout the week. All proceeds will go to Girls Learn International, an organization dedicated to educating students about the global movement for girls’ access to education.
Representatives from the Art Wall Committee spoke to students about the proper usage of the Art Wall. The Art Wall outside of Shah Hall is a place for people to express and reflect upon their emotions, but students have lately misused the board by writing inappropriate language and drawing on the bordering wall. For the Art Wall to continue, students need to use respectful language.
BEcon, the Upper School’s Business, Entrepreneurship and Economics conference, will take place on March 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Upper School. Students can participate in networking luncheons and business workshops and listen to keynote speakers and student presentations. The conference will also host sHarker Tank, a pitch competition based off of the TV show Shark Tank, an event inviting students to present their ideas of a start-up to a panel of venture capitalists. Students can sign up via the email sent by BEcon. The winners of the tournament will also have the opportunity to discuss how to take their idea further with the venture capitalists over lunch.
Ken Manaster, a law professor at Santa Clara University, will speak at an event hosted by the National Honor Society this Thursday in the Nichols Auditorium from 12:40 p.m. until the end of lunch. Students can also see a documentary screening of his book “Illinois Justice: The Scandal of 1969 and the Ruse of John Paul Stevens” and participate in a Q&A session afterwards. Members of NHS who attend will receive 10 NHS points, and some history teachers have also offered extra credit to students who plan to visit as well.
