![“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)
Freshmen council elected with new voting, leadership system
Newly elected freshman class council member Kris Estrada (9) addresses his class at freshman election speeches on Monday. This freshman class inaugurated a new system of elections in which students voted for general class representatives as opposed to specific positions.
November 9, 2019
Inaugurating a new system of student leadership, the results of the freshmen student council election were announced today, naming Alexander Lan, Kris Estrada, Michelle Jin, Rupert Chen and Zubin Khera as members of the council. Freshmen voted following candidates’ speeches during class meetings on Monday and Tuesday.
A new leadership and voting system allowed students to vote for their top five candidates from the 18 running, who will then participate in a general council free of positions such as president and treasurer.
Anthony Silk, the chair of the Honor Council, which organizes voting methods, accredits this change to a more equal approach to voting and leadership.
“Especially in the freshman year, the students aren’t really set on ‘I know what a treasurer does, and therefore, I want to be the treasurer.’ In general, the council should work as a collective,” he said. “Only one of the [best candidates] can be on the council. Don’t you want the 2 best people to be on the council?”
The new system also seeks to prevent previous members of the council from having an advantage over new students.
Students have different opinions on this new system. Candidate Rupert Chen (9) believes that the system has its benefits and flaws.
“I think that it’s an interesting experiment. I know that it’s to try to help new kids have a better say. I’m not sure if it’ll work out, but it’s worth a try,” he said. “I kind of worry that if people just have five people to choose for, they’ll choose the five kids that they know best.”
Sara Wan (9), a candidate who joined Harker at the beginning of the year, has similar concerns.
“For the people voting and for the candidates, it’s a lot harder since instead of only competing against the people in your category or position, you’re competing against everyone, so you have to encompass all the traits instead of only the traits you’re specializing in,” she said.
