![“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)
Tennis team honors seniors, defeats Pinewood
![The team lines up with letters taped to their backs that spell out “KAISHANT BEAST MODE FOREVER” to honor the two seniors. “Our two seniors have been just massive on the team, just massive supporters and great players. They definitely know how to conduct themselves on and off the court,” assistant coach Mike Nguyen said. “[This is] the culmination of their high school experience and its just one of those crucial times where they transition to college.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/DSC5196-900x596.jpeg)
The team lines up with letters taped to their backs that spell out “KAISHANT BEAST MODE FOREVER” to honor the two seniors. “Our two seniors have been just massive on the team, just massive supporters and great players. They definitely know how to conduct themselves on and off the court,” assistant coach Mike Nguyen said. “[This is] the culmination of their high school experience and its just one of those crucial times where they transition to college.”
April 21, 2019
The varsity tennis team celebrated its senior night on Wednesday, April 17, celebrating seniors Kai Franz and Nishant Ravi and winning 4-3 against Pinewood at home.
Before the matches began, the team lined up with letters taped to their backs that spelled out “KAISHANT BEAST MODE FOREVER” to honor the two seniors.
“Our two seniors have been just massive on the team, just massive supporters and great players. They definitely know how to conduct themselves on and off the court,” assistant coach Mike Nguyen said. “[This is] the culmination of their high school experience and its just one of those crucial times where they transition to college.”
After the Eagles wrapped up the 4-3 victory, which brought their overall record to 10-1, the team held a short ceremony honoring the seniors. Coaches and players gave speeches talking about and thanking the two seniors.
“This really means a lot to us because they’re such cool guys. They’re really good tennis players too and they’re just nice people overall. It’s really a celebration of them going off to college which is a huge step in their life and we’re just sending them off,” junior varsity player William Chien (9) said.
The seniors also gave a short speech, after which the team and spectators enjoyed pizza.
“It’s nice in terms of team spirit. Lots of our teammates came out and did a lot of stuff and took their time to come so that was really nice of them to do. It’s a great sport, its fun to be on the team,” Nishant said.
The varsity tennis team next competes at Menlo on Monday, who previously handed the Eagles their sole defeat of the season. The West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) individual tournament will also be held next week, and Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs will begin the week after.
