![“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)
Varsity girls volleyball team falls to Castilleja
The varsity girls volleyball team huddles up after a point in the first set. The girls lost 16-25, 15-25, 17-25.
October 10, 2021
The varsity girls volleyball team lost to Castilleja at home yesterday 16-25, 15-25, 17-25.
The team called a timeout ten minutes into the first set before continuing to play and ending the set with 16 points. After a three minute break between sets, they proceeded to the second set, where they fought hard but ended with 10 points less than Castilleja. The team continued to battle in the third set. They led the game until Castilleja caught up and tied the score at 15-15, after which Castilleja went on a 10-2 run to seal the match.
Despite the result, varsity volleyball head coach and middle school athletic director Theresa Smith is proud of her team’s resilience and unwavering effort through the match.
“I was proud that we battled back in [set] three. I was happy that [we] didn’t give up,” Smith said.
Player Navya Samuel (9) noted her proudest moment as her dive for the ball in the second set.
“During practice, I’m known for not moving my feet which I have to run liners and gassers for, so I’m just really proud for hitting the floor and getting there on my feet,” Navya said.
Player Liza Shchegrov (12) pointed out serving and receiving as areas in which the team can improve going forward.
“I think that we’re always working hard on serving and receiving in our practices because serving is just one of those things that is really difficult,” Liza said. “We’re [also] just looking to have fun at practice since the season is almost over.”
Smith speaks on how her team will persevere and grow over time as they play more games together.
“You just keep trying to get better every day, every practice, every match,” Smith said. “We just try to get better every day, as we’re moving along, trying to learn something every day and trying to do something better today than we did yesterday.
The team will face Sacred Heart Preparatory School in an away game at 6:30 p.m. this Tuesday.
