![“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)
Women for Women International hosts holiday card event
Sophomores Selina Xu, Meishin Yen and Claire Miao work on cards at a table outside of Manzanita with chapter president Ishani Sood (10) and vice president of outreach Trisha Iyer (10) during the upper school Women for Women International’s holiday card writing event on Dec. 7.
December 15, 2021
The upper school’s newly founded Women for Women International (WFWi) chapter set up a table outside of Manzanita Hall during lunch on Dec. 7 for students and faculty to create holiday cards for women in Afghanistan.
Sophomores Ananya Sriram, Claire Miao, Olivia Xu, Selina Xu and Meishin Yen and upper school speech and debate teacher Scott Odekirk created a dozen cards using supplies provided by Director of Upper School Community Service and Student Activities Coordinator Kerry Enzensperger.
According to vice president of outreach Trisha Iyer (10), WFWi plans to mail these cards to the foundation headquarters in New York City, which will then send cards created by chapters around the nation to women in countries devastated by war, including Afghanistan.
“Making cards is a great way to give back to the community,” attendee Claire Miao (10), who decorated her cards with adhesive gems, said. “I had a great time with my friends decorating the cards, and we were able to get into the [holiday] spirit before finals.”
Founded in early November by Trisha, chapter president Ishani Sood (10) and vice president of events Shareen Chahal (10), the Harker upper school WFWi chapter is part of the Women for Women International global development organization, which has aided women in impoverished and war-torn nations since its founding in 1993 through fundraisers, volunteer work and speaker events. The chapter held its first meeting during lunch on Nov. 8 in Director of Student Organizations Eric Kallbrier’s office.
“[My favorite part of the event was] seeing those completed cards and seeing how many people took some time to express love and care to someone they’ll never meet,” Odekirk said, who stopped by the table on his way to Manzanita Hall. “If we don’t have empathy for those who are in different circumstances than us, then society never changes.”
The chapter leaders have a subsequent card decorating event planned for early January, according to Trisha. The completed cards will be sent to New York afterward.
“It’s really important [to hold these events] because we’re so privileged to have all of these [holiday decorations], but people in war-torn countries don’t have that holiday feeling, so we’re trying to spread a bit of holiday love to people who don’t have it,” Ishani said.
