![“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)
Harker journalism announced as CSPA crown finalists
Members of leadership from The Winged Post, Harker Aquila, Humans of Harker and TALON Yearbook publications pose for a picture in August 2021. The last time all three (Winged Post, Aquila, TALON) publications were awarded the CSPA crown award was in the spring of 2019.
February 23, 2022
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) announced The Winged Post, Harker Aquila and TALON Yearbook publications as Crown finalists in the print news, digital news and print yearbook categories, respectively.
The publications will receive either silver or gold crown awards during the CSPA Spring Convention from Mar. 16 to 18. The last time all three programs were awarded the CSPA crown award was in the spring of 2019.
“This is just an exceptional year for our program,” Director of Journalism Ellen Austin said. “Given what last year was like when we were completely remote, to get this level of recognition speaks to the incredible journalistic force of this program and the dedication of everybody on staff, especially the leadership.”
The CSPA, based in New York, is affiliated with Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Founded in 1925, it accepts newspapers, yearbooks, magazines and online content created by students in middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities for membership. The CSPA Crown Award recognizes “a student print or digital medium for overall excellence.”
The Winged Post was also selected as a Pacemaker finalist for 2021, and TALON Yearbook has been selected as a Pacemaker finalist for the NSPA Spring Convention this fall. The National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), a non-profit organization based in Minnesota, works with student journalists through conventions, conferences and awards programs. The NSPA awards Pacemakers, considered to be the highest national honor in student journalism.
“It just really reflects on the unity of both the leadership and the staff, I think we all had a very clear vision of what we wanted to produce this year,” Aquila co-editor-in-chief Alysa Suleiman (12) said. “It’s very obvious that we all care deeply about the work that we do as journalists, and I’m really proud and really happy that it’s been recognized by organizations that are such hallmarks of journalism.”
