![“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)
Students attend class-respective LIFE speaker events
Charis Denison, expert in adolescent development and community involvement, gives an in-person presentation to the junior class about “Relationships, Substances, Sex, Communication, and Your Rights.” She previously spoke to the class two years ago, when they were freshmen.
November 29, 2021
Content warning: This article mentions the topic of suicide.
“There was a 17-year-old girl who texted her boyfriend, encouraging him to act on his suicidal thoughts. Was this criminal?” Skadden Law Firm associate and Harker alumna Colleen Lee (‘06) said.
Freshmen from upper school physics teacher Dr. Mark Brada’s advisory discussed the prompt and arrived at a conclusion, sending their answer to Lee through a Zoom poll along with the other freshman advisories.
The LIFE Board, which stands for living with intent, focus and well-being, organized four separate events for each grade to attend from 11:10 to 12:10 a.m. on Nov. 12. The events targeted each grade’s specific needs such as the legal side of social media, reflection on opportunities available after high school, adolescent development and preparation for college.
The freshmen event took place over Zoom with students listening to the talk in their advisories. Students participated in the virtual event by answering Zoom poll questions regarding cases of sexual violence and hate crimes that were both propagated by social media. Lee aimed to provide students with the proper resources and ideas to respond appropriately should they find themselves in these situations.
Jason Shim (9) believes that cyberbullying and online harassment are direct results of how society’s way of expression is embedded in social media. The meeting also served as a reminder to him of the inherent issues with freedom of speech and how society is influenced by gender stereotypes.
“I learned how problematic in a way free speech is,” Jason said. “It’s a constitutional right, but there’s always going to be one or two people who have dangerous opinions. The meeting [also] caused us to reevaluate our place in society because right now, it’s been built over gender norms that aren’t very healthy.”
Upper school academic dean Kelly Horan led the “Exploring Your Options” event for the sophomore class. During the assembly, she gave a presentation addressing the challenges of which colleges to choose to apply to and which career paths to take after graduating.
Horan started by asking students to reflect on where they would be in the next five years, prompting them to think about their options after high school. Afterward, she held an open-ended discussion about preparing to apply for a college.
“Worry less about which colleges want to choose you, and start thinking about which colleges you want to choose,” Horan said during the assembly, encouraging students to prioritize their own interests over any specific college.
Horan then introduced students to multiple resources such as BigFuture, a website that aids high school students in finding a suitable path to pursue after graduation. After the assembly, students joined their advisories to discuss the assembly and familiarize themselves with the resources provided.
“I feel like the LIFE assembly gave me some really useful advice and resources to help me narrow my search for colleges to consider,” Zihua Wang (10) said.
Charis Denison, an expert in adolescent development and community involvement, gave an in-person presentation to the junior class about “Relationships, Substances, Sex, Communication, and Your Rights.” She previously spoke to the class two years ago, when they were freshmen.
“It was really a developmental talk,” Denison said. “What we talked about is what I spend the whole time with freshmen talking about, but I make it more developmentally appropriate, where I just really talk about situations that you get into that you aren’t expecting.”
The pandemic influenced what Denison included in her presentation, as she tried to highlight the challenges students were commonly facing as they returned back to in-person school.
“I really emphasized coming back in person,” Denison said. “A lot of the teens that I work with, which are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds, are really struggling with being back in person. How do you navigate in the world again, advocating for yourself and being aware of what [choices you need to make]?”
Denison used a variety of activities to engage the students, such as asking them to stand up if they had experienced specific situations and prompting them with questions. She also requested that adults, aside from a counselor, leave the room before her speech in order to maintain student confidentiality. She hopes her speech reminded students that they have power in their own lives and have resources such as trusted adults they can reach out to.
Seniors attended “Navigating College and Transitions,” a Q&A session over Zoom set in their advisories, with Harker alumni Shea Tuli (‘18), Cristian “Mishu” Nitulescu (‘18), Kelsey Wu (‘19), Olivia Esparza (‘19), Emiko Armstrong (‘20) and David Feng (‘20). The senior class council moderated the session by reading questions from students submitted through an anonymous form. Chair of the senior council Yejin Song (12) saw value in having the senior council lead the discussion with the panelists.
“[The council] agreed that u moderating it versus adults doing it would be more helpful because we have the perspective of knowing what kinds of things we are looking for and want to know more about,” Yejin said.
The alumni panel discussed advice regarding making friends in an unfamiliar environment, selecting a major and related career option, choosing a suitable school, learning the skills for living alone and cherishing the rest of senior year.
“Our questions came from a position of being stressed and anxious about college,” Yejin said. “It made me feel comforted that, whether it’s academics, social life or living alone, it’s something that we’ll probably be able to figure out just as [the panelists] did.”
Throughout the school year, the LIFE Board aims to educate high school students about health and wellness. They achieve this intention through speaker events and student-led discussions. Board member Malar Bala (12) reflects on the importance of LIFE’s speaker events as they allow students to explore ideas and concepts existing outside the school community.
“At Harker, a small school, sometimes it’s easy for a singular perspective or idea to be absorbed by all,” Malar said. “Bringing in a speaker who has done this so many times and is largely effective at talking about topics that people need to hear is the most engaging way that those ideas could be put across to students.”
For free and confidential support, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
