![“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)
Freshmen and sophomores attend annual LIFE assemblies
Freshmen gather in Nichols Atrium for the LIFE assembly on Friday. Speaker Diane Main addressed the topic of digital citizenship during the meeting.
March 11, 2017
Upper School Director of Learning, Innovation and Design Diane Main and writer D’ Anne Burwell, author of the memoir “Saving Jake: When Addiction Hits Home,” spoke to the freshman and sophomore classes, respectively, at a series of LIFE assemblies yesterday.
Main spoke in the Nichols Atrium about digital citizenship and explained the psychology of the teenage mind, emphasizing the differences between the development of the frontal lobe of an adolescent and one of an adult.
“We want to make sure that students are aware of all the different ways that their decision making and what they are going through as teenagers can present challenges,” Main said. “Social media is definitely a place where a lot of students are, so I want them to understand the risks involved so they can be there, but be there safely.”
On the other hand, Burwell shared her experiences with coping with her son Jake’s struggles with overcoming a drug addiction.
“I hope [Jake’s story] causes my audience to think and helps them decide what they will or won’t do when faced with the choice of using illegal substances,” Burwell said. “If students have family members and friends impacted by this, I hope my talk encourages them to be empathetic and to not stay silent.”
Before the introduction of the LIFE program, freshmen were required to attend a health class after school. Due to a lack of positive student response to this course, Head of School Butch Keller and mathematics teacher Jane Keller, who first created and now organize both LIFE and the Eagle Buddies program, decided to replace the health class with LIFE, a different program unique to Harker that would cover topics useful and relevant to high school life and students.
“What some students don’t realize is that the things they post and do on social media, while they believe they are deleted or aren’t captured, can actually stay with them as part of their digital footprint,” Mrs. Keller said.
Freshman Avi Gulati enjoyed the presentation because it allowed him to learn more about how the adolescent mind plays a role in one’s social media presence.
“I was amazed because Ms. Main brought in so many different aspects of our student lives, like sleeping and our brains—prefrontal cortices to be specific—and connected these various and disparate aspects into the one idea of a digital footprint,” he said.
While the sophomores and freshmen attended LIFE assemblies, the seniors and juniors spent time with their Eagle Buddies at the Bucknall and Saratoga campus, respectively.
