![“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)
Water polo teams defeated in league tournament after strong season
Rohan Sonecha (12) looks to throw the ball as a defender from the opposing team raises his hand to block the shot. The boys varsity team earned fourth place in the league tournament after losing to Cupertino.
November 2, 2019
After a strong run this year, both varsity water polo teams lost their respective games on Friday in the league tournament, ending their seasons early. The boys finished 16-14 overall and 10-4 in league, while the girls were 20-4 overall and 13-1 in league.
The boys played Cupertino High School at 4:45 p.m., fighting for the third place seat after beating Fremont High School 15-11 on Tuesday and losing to Santa Clara High School 10-5 on Wednesday. Although the Eagles were up 7-6 at the start of the third quarter, Cupertino took the lead, pulling ahead to 10-9. Despite goals by Rohan Sonecha (12) and Kai Burich (10) in the fourth quarter, the team was unable to keep up with their opponents, finishing the match with a 13-11 loss.
After defeating Cupertino High School 17-1 on Tuesday and Wilcox High School 11-1 on Wednesday, the varsity girls were competing for the league championship title against Santa Clara High School on Friday and for a chance to qualify to the CCS playoffs. Having faced Santa Clara twice during league, winning 10-9 the first time and losing 11-9 the second, the players were disappointed with the 8-3 loss on Friday and the large margin between the teams.
“We expected a much closer game,” goalie Anna Arnaudova (11) said. “But we weren’t using our clock properly and opportunities were being missed [on offense], and I think that’s just something that we have to work on [for the future].”
The girls are currently applying for an at-large bid to earn a place at CCS, since they did not qualify at the league tournament. Based on the response, they may compete at the CCS quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Additional reporting by Muthu Panchanatham.
