![“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)
Behind the Scenes: Students rehearse for annual Senior Showcase performance
Members of both JV and Varsity dance stand in a line and execute a move from Olivia Esparza’s (12) senior showcase dance.
The annual Senior Showcase premiered the performances of graduating Certificate Program seniors and their accompaniments last Friday at 7 p.m. in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center’s Patil Theater (RPAC).
The upper school’s conservatory Certificate Program includes a four-year study within a field of performing arts, including dance, theater, musical theater, vocal music, instrumental music or technical theater. At the showcase, each senior selected a piece that reflected their area of study.
During the day on Friday, performers rehearsed in the RPAC. Check out photos from behind the scenes of this year’s Senior Showcase below.
Sophomore Zoe Kister smiles and demonstrates a hand movement to senior Cameron Zell during a rehearsal for Olivia Esparza’s (12) senior showcase dance.
Donna Boucher (12) closes her eyes and leans back while playing the tenor saxophone. She switches between saxophone and flute later throughout the song.
Neil Ramaswamy (12) smiles as he plays a sequence on the drums.
Rahul Goyal (12) plays a solo on his baritone saxophone.
Henry Wong (12) plays the cello while Ayush Alag (12) plays violin. The two were accompanied by Alex Yu (12) on piano.
Karina Chen (10) reaches emotionally offstage during a tech rehearsal for Aditi Anthapur’s (12) senior showcase piece.
Dance team members reach towards the audience during a tech rehearsal of Sonal Muthal’s (12) senior showcase piece.
Esha Gohil (12) is the co-editor-in-chief of Humans of Harker and the photo editor of Harker Aquila. This is her fourth year on staff, and this year she...
Gloria Zhang (12) is the co-editor-in-chief for the Winged Post. This is her fourth year on staff. She hopes to continue her passion for sharing stories...