![“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)
STEM Spotlight: Public Health Club
“STEM Spotlight” is a new Aquila repeater showcasing STEM clubs and their initiatives.
August 31, 2021
STEM Spotlight is a repeater exploring what clubs at Harker have been doing as they return to campus. This week’s featured club is the Public Health Club, which strives to spread awareness of issues such as infectious diseases and hardships and provide service to the community through the field of computer science.
Founded by club adviser and upper school English teacher Dr. Pauline Paskali at the start of the last school year, the club has led initiatives, such as “Christmas For Quarantined Seniors,” which raised money for presents to local senior residents and the Public Health Podcast, which was a series of interviews with medical experts that focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When the pandemic hit, there weren’t many opportunities on campus specifically dedicated to community activism for fighting the pandemic,” Kevin Wang (12), president and founder of the club, said. “I wanted to found an organization that could specifically rally community activism to help out the pandemic.”
The club also held virtual speaker events over the year, beginning with a talk by Dr. Archelle Georgiou, Chief Health Officer for Starkey Hearing Technologies, who explained her work on race-based disparities and federal intervention on COVID spread. Since all meetings were virtual, some students found them easier to attend.
“Because they were on Zoom calls, you could just easily access the club [events] through a link,” Chloe Lee (10), a Public Health Club member said.
In addition to asking Dr. Georgiou, club officers invited Yan Zhao, Mayor of Saratoga, to speak with students about her work combating the challenges that Asian Americans face.
“We held about four or five speaker events and invited Mayor [Yan] Zhao to the campus for a talk on stopping Asian hate,” Kevin said. “We also started a nursing homes initiative. Nursing homes have been quarantined for a year, so we did fundraisers and virtual performances for [the seniors] there.”
One of the main goals of the Public Health Club is to find creative ways to serve the community. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, their efforts can greatly help those affected.
“We are so fortunate here at Harker, we have the knowledge, the resources, the connections, and the community to make a difference. I think part of the underlying goal of the Public Health Club is to make a difference,” Dr. Pauline Paskali, upper school English teacher and Public Health Club adviser, said.
