![“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)
Girls lacrosse kicks off season with win
Captain Alayna Richmond runs with the ball. The varsity girls lacrosse team won their first regular season match against Newark Memorial High School 10-3.
March 1, 2017
Girls varsity lacrosse started the season with a win, defeating Newark Memorial High School 10-3 at Davis Field today.
Although the game is the first to be included in the season, it counts as a non-conference match. The girls played two preseason games prior to this match.
The girls scored five points and ceded three goals in the first half, and scored five more points in the second half.
Captain Alayna Richmond (12) plays defense and midfield for the team.
“I was so proud of how well we played,” she said. “I think that our teamwork was better than ever, and we just connected on all the passes and all of our movements on attack, so I’m really looking forward to the continued teamwork.”
Head Coach Alyssa Dunlap commented on improvements made throughout the game. This season is Head Coach Alyssa Dunlap’s first season coaching the team.
“We made some key adjustments at halftime, and they responded really well. One of our biggest goals was to come up with the draw controls, and they executed perfectly,” she said. “At halftime, my biggest thing for them was to maintain possession, and that’s exactly what they did; [they] brought the ball over on attack, they held the ball and then we finished with a shot in goal.”
This season is Dunlap’s first season coaching the team. She sees room for improvement in future games in transitioning by “coming back and receiving the ball on the transition,” and in offensive movement by “creating a better flow on the attacking end and creating space for teammates.”
Team manager Haley Tran (12), who counted plays, commented on the game.
“I think especially since it’s the first game, [and] they’re still getting used to things, we played especially well,” she said. “There was a lot of good passing and good goals, and I think it was a good learning experience for the freshmen.”
Junior Lauren Russell, who plays attack, defense and midfield, spoke about the team’s performance.
“We definitely were playing 100 percent and hustling, and I know it can sound kind of cliche but we really put our effort in and that’s what ended up making a difference with a lot of it,” she said. “[We] definitely have stuff to work on, but it was a really great first game.”
The team will play their next non-conference match against York School at Davis Field on Friday.
