![“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)
First Quadchella invites students, faculty to participate in informal talent show
Kaitlyn Nguyen (12) reads a self-written poem to the Quadchella audience. A total of nine acts were featured in the Nov. 3 Quadchella.
November 16, 2017
Student council hosted the first iteration of the upper school’s newest talent showcase, Quadchella, on Nov. 3. Teachers and students from all grades performed a variety of acts, including self-written poetry and piano pieces.
Student council co-student event committee heads, Shania Wang (11) and Avi Gulati (10), who serve as the conduits between administrative concerns and student action, organized the event.
Student council intended for Quadchella to promote school enthusiasm and solidarity and not only to allow students to showcase their talents, but also to permit teachers to share their passions as well.
“I know we have some really talented teachers, and it’s always cool when you see [them] doing something outside of the classroom,” Shania said. “In terms of students and attendees, we just want[ed] them to stop by if they [had] time so it [would be] a fun time to relax.”
Student council got the idea and name for Quadchella from Palo Alto High School. Because Hoscars did not occur last year, the addition of Quadchella as the upper school’s newest talent show is especially relevant.
Each act lasted around two to three minutes, making the entire event about an hour.
“There [was] some comedy involved, some magic, some dancing, some poetry,” Avi said, “kind of like an open-mic.”
For Millie Lin (12), who sang at Quadchella, the show provided her with a stress-free and laid-back performance opportunity.
“When I heard about the event, I was thinking that it would be an amazing opportunity to bring the school together and for students and teachers to share their talents,” Millie said. “We can see from the performances how supportive the school is, which is great.”
Many attendees of the event were pleased that Art Club was hosting activities to participate in while watching the performances. This club’s presence drew in audience members.
“There were flash tattoos and we got to paint bananas, and it was all just really exciting,” Calais Poirson (9) said.
Students can sign up to perform at future Quadchellas via the link tiny.cc/quadchella.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on November 16, 2017.
