![“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)
Varsity girls basketball loses against Mercy High School
Maria Vazhaeparambil (9) catches a pass from teammate Akhila Ramgiri (11). Maria and Akhila were the leading scorers in the game against Mercy San Francisco.
January 7, 2018
Upper school varsity girls basketball lost 29-77 at their home game against Mercy San Francisco on Friday at 7 p.m.
Akhila Ramgiri (11), one of the captains, took the lead this game, scoring a total of 14 points. Maria Vazhaeparambil (9) followed with a total of five points.
Harker ended the first quarter 14-24, falling slightly behind in Mercy’s tracks. Mercy strengthened their lead in the second quarter, holding Harker to 0 points. Overall, the Eagles scored 14 points in the first half and 15 in the second.
Jazz band played music during the break between the first and second quarter, as well as during the ten-minute-long halftime.
This is only the girls’ second game of the season other than tournaments and scrimmages, and players believe they already have learned important lessons about working together as a team.
“I think communicating — talking to each other and getting used to playing with each other — has come a long way,” Akhila said. “I know that we as a team really enjoy playing together, so it’s going to be a good season.”
The varsity girls say they will continue practicing hard towards a better and more successful overall season.
“There are two things that we really focus on as a team, and that’s making our shots from the outside and transitioning,” co-captain Selin Sayiner (12) said. “I think we’re still working to perfect both of those.”
Assistant coach Joan Marciano adds to this by explaining they are slowly approaching a new level of success.
“They still have a long way to go in order to have a successful season,” Joan said, “and with the hard work and dedication that they had to put into practices and games, it’s achievable.”
The team’s next game will be away against against Mercy Burlingame next Saturday at 1 p.m.
