![“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)
Student athletes sign off to future in ceremony
Committed senior athletes pose for a picture at signing day, wearing their respective college apparel. They took photos with family, friends and audience members after the ceremony.
May 3, 2023
Nine seniors were honored by the upper school athletic department during the college signing ceremony in the Zhang Gymnasium at 12:45 p.m. on April 25.
Upper School Athletic Director Dan Molin started the ceremony by commending the seniors for their devotion to their respective sports and noting the significance of their recruitment.
“We all admire any individual that pursues a passion in life,” Molin said in his speech. “These young men and women are fortunate enough to be able to pursue their athletic passion at the collegiate level next year. At this point in their young lives, they will get to experience something not many are able to do, which is to compete at the collegiate level.”
Following his speech, each of the seniors announced their names and the school they were signing to. They also thanked the various individuals who helped them along their athletic careers. Claire Chen expressed her gratitude to those who helped her achieve her goal of furthering her golf career beyond high school.
“Playing D1 golf is a dream come true,” Claire said during the ceremony. “And I owe all my thanks to my parents who have fully supported me the entire time, my sister who reminds me of all the good, Harker girls golf [who] taught me what it feels like to be part of a team and lastly, my friends for always being there for me even with all the countless times I’ve had to say ‘sorry, I can’t go, I have to golf.’”
Kyra Hawk noted her excitement for starting college, as she will continue lacrosse and also form new relationships along the way.
“I’m really excited to further my lacrosse career at Smith College and continue to participate in something I enjoy deeply,” Kyra said. “I’m also looking to meet new people who have different interests as me.”
To end the ceremony, each senior signed a piece of paper to represent the official shift from high school to college athletics. The seniors will officially graduate on May 18th.
Below are the recruited seniors, their sports and their universities:
Claire Chen will play golf at Georgetown University.
Andrew Fu will run track at Yale University.
Kyra Hawk will play lacrosse at Smith College.
Abhi Namala will play basketball for the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens.
Emily Novikov will play tennis at Georgetown University.
Amrita Pasupathy will play soccer at Caltech.
Arman Thakker will run track at Columbia University.
Thomas Wisdom will play water polo at Santa Clara University.
Lexi Wong will play soccer for the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens.
