![“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)
Car Club showcases variety of cars in Harker community
Sports cars such as the BMW i8 line up at the upper school Car Club’s first ever car show, which was held in the Saratoga campus parking lot on Nov. 23. Members of the Harker community were invited to drive in their cars to showcase.
December 1, 2019
Harker upper school’s Car Club sported vintage cars and supercars, including a 2020 Drako GTE, at their first ever car show in the front parking lot on Nov. 23 from 9 to 11:00 a.m.
Car enthusiasts from all over the Harker community, students, parents, staff and alumni showed off their unique and sometimes expensive cars at the car show.
“It’s fun to come and be with like-minded people who love cars and devote their time and energy to look for, acquire and maintain cars. It’s a lifestyle,” said Bharat Gohil, a Harker parent, who showcased his 2020 McLaren 570S.
Gohil acquired his car about a month ago. This particular car is made of carbon fiber, which makes it one of the lightest cars which allows it to travel over 200 miles per hour. Bharat plans to take his car to a racetrack one day.
The star of the show was the 1.25 million dollar 2020 Drako GTE, a fully electric, four motor beast. Shiv Sikand, a Harker parent and cofounder of Drako motors, brought the only existing 2020 Drako GTE. He says that only 25 units are going to be made as the limited edition model is meant to be a collector’s item. In the most recent issue of the renowned car magazine “Automobile,” the Drako caught readers’ attention on the front cover.
“After finishing a product, you don’t know if people are going to like it. You don’t know if you’re going to be on the cover, you don’t know what people are going to say, what photos they’re going to take. So when you’re there working with the journalists and photographers, you don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but to find ourselves on the cover of a world famous automobile magazine along with an eight page spread, I don’t know if it could get any better,” said Sikand.
Sikand claims in the article that this car is spearheading the way for future electric race cars with a seperate motor powering each wheel.
“I believe we’re on the cusp of a revolution with the use of four-motor electric cars,” he said in an interview with “Automobile.”
With a maximum speed of 206 mph, 0-60 mph in only 2.9 seconds and a whopping 1200 horsepower, the 2020 Drako GTE definitely is a strong competitor for gasoline powered race cars such as Lamborghinis or Ferraris.
In addition to innovative supercars, antique cars were also present at the car show. Paul Knauer, a Harker parent, drove in a 1956 Austin Healey 100-4 that he had initially found rusting in a field. After restoring it for over a decade, he brought the car to a local car show in 1999 where it won first place. In conversation with his fellow car aficionados, he recalled that he first got into cars because both of his parents were involved in racing during the 50’s and 60’s.
Kerry Enzensperger, the activities coordinator at the upper school, brought her 1956 Porsche Speedster, her partner drove a 1958 Impala and her cousin, Rommel, brought his 1997 Mazda Miata. Kerry and her family enjoy fixing up old cars in their spare time. Kerry and Mark own nine cars in total. Mark’s hobby is fixing up cars, so he is able to work on the engines and take care of upkeep for fun.
“I’m part of Car Club, and I also wanted to show some old cars that we fixed up, so I drove my car up from Santa Cruz,” said Kerry.
Meridith Cranston, an upper school librarian, allowed students and parents to sit in her 1971 VW Bus Lime Green, which she nicknamed Hugo.
Sukrit Ganesh (‘19), a Harker alumni who attended the car show, found a passion for cars in the beginning of ninth grade.
“I just caught on to cars because they were not only great works for art but great works of engineering itself,” Ganesh said “I found that the combination of artistic and engineering talent, when they came together, it really appealed to me.”
At the end of the day, a love for everything about cars, from their history to their innovation and aesthetic, brought people from all over the Harker community to this unique event.
“The sound [of cars] is absolutely intoxicating,” Ganesh said.
