![“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)
Switzerland exchange program announced for 2013
Upper School students and faculty went on a city tour of Fribourg, Switzerland in 2009, where our sister school Collége de Gambach is located.
The Upper School Switzerland Exchange program is currently accepting applications for homestays and participants for the 2013 trip to our sister school Collége de Gambach.
Swiss students will be visiting the Upper School in the beginning of February 2013, and Upper School students will travel to Fribourg, Switzerland to reunite with their “buddies” from June 6 to June 16. Students stay with their buddies for a week, attending classes, sightseeing, and acquainting themselves with a different culture.
“I would love to go […] I think exchange trips are a great way to build international friendships that help you learn different cultures,” said Sophia Shatas (10), who was a homestay in the 2009 Tamagawa exchange program.
As the program is offered every two years, Spanish teacher Diana Moss went on the Switzerland trip in 2009 with her daughter Kendra Moss (‘10).
“The highlight for me obviously was […] stay[ing] with some of the Swiss teachers,” Moss said. “We had the opportunity to observe and get to know our Swiss counterparts, our colleagues, in teaching.”
Other activities of the 2009 program that Moss enjoyed included hiking in the Swiss Alps, enjoying the “spectacular scenery”, and dining at “some amazing restaurants”.
Senior Neeraj Baid, who took part in the 2011 exchange program, said that his favorite part was the homestay experience. He believes that the trip gave him a new perspective on the different ways people can live their lives.
“When my Swiss buddy came here, she was amazed at the concept of a freeway. […] They do more of public transportation so that was something very interesting for me to see,” Neeraj said.
Faculty such as Moss and French teacher Nicholas Manjoine, who has also attended the exchange program, emphasized that foreign language choices are irrelevant to students’ decisions to attend, as many Swiss residents are multilingual and students will have no problem communicating.
Applications for the Switzerland 2013 exchange program are available from Jennifer Walrod, Director of Global Education, at [email protected].
Juhi Gupta is the Multimedia Editor for Harker Aquila. She is a junior and has been part of the journalism program since her freshman year. Her position...