![“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)
Associated Student Body (ASB) President Daniel Lin (12) opened the fourth school meeting of the year on Tuesday.
The robotics team presented a video highlighting different aspects of their program, including their software, design, and outreach teams. Harker Robotics Team Executive President Aeliya Grover (12), Technical President Chiling Han (11) and Operations President Tiffany Gu (11) encouraged students interested in robotics to attend their meetings at 3:45 p.m. on Thursdays or 12 p.m. on Saturdays in upper school computer science department chair Eric Nelson’s room, Nichols 312.
Nelson announced the Critical Issues Forum (CIF) at Harker, a project-based education program that aims to combat the danger of thermonuclear weapons. Two Harker students will present a nuclear nonproliferation policy research paper at the next annual CIF conference held in Hiroshima, Nagasaki or Monterey. Nelson will host an interest meeting Tuesday at 12:55 p.m. in his room.
ASB and Harker Spirit Leadership Team (HSLT) presented a video to promote the upcoming Homecoming Week from Monday to Friday and Harker Day on Saturday. Homecoming activities commenced with last Thursday’s Spirit Night at 3:30 p.m. outside of Manzanita Hall. To win spirit points starting on Monday, students can dress up in accordance with the daily themes, starting with class musicals: “Mamma Mia!,” “High School Musical,” “Hamilton” and “Wicked.” On Tuesday, students can wear their class colors, followed by Adam Sandler dress on Wednesday, class shirts on Thursday and pajamas on Friday.
Harker’s Homecoming game against Crystal Springs Uplands School will take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday. HSLT representative Shreeya Merchia (12) encouraged students to wear black to support Harker with the “blackout” theme.
HSLT representative Charlotte Ludlow (10) announced the Athletes of the Week. Allison Yang (11) from the varsity girls golf team and Axel Szolusha (9) from the cross country team earned the titles this week for their stellar performances in the Helen Lengfeld tournament and the De La Salle Invitational, respectively.
Head of upper school Paul Barsky spoke about autumn being a season of gratitude, and he encouraged students to reflect on their fortunes when faced with troubling thoughts. Director of annual giving Jun Wang introduced the annual giving booth that will celebrate donors at Harker Day. Wang noted that generous funders support all Harker programs, from visual arts to athletics, and students can show their gratitude through stopping by the booth.
ASB Community Service Committee members Luke Wu (10), Aaron Bao (11), Cynthia Wang (12) and Kabir Ramzan (12) thanked students for participating in the boba fundraiser organized by the ASB on Sept. 18 and Sept. 20. The Harker Upper School community raised over $1700, which will be donated towards repairing earthquake damage in Morocco. The Canadian Red Cross may match the donation as part of its Morocco Earthquake Appeal, possibly bringing the total amount to around $3500.
Conservatory representatives Shareen Chahal (12), Luke Mehta (12), Iris Cai (11), Sam Parupudi (11) and Jason Shim (11) performed a skit to remind students that auditions for the annual Student Directed Showcase (SDS) will occur on Monday and Tuesday. This year’s SDS will feature four plays each directed by a senior, Isabella Riberio, Mariana Rai, Selina Xu, and Sonya Apsey. All students will have the opportunity to perform regardless of skill level. Shareen, Sam and Jason then reminisced on their summer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe performing in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Students watched a video Ethan Guan (11) produced, which documented some of the cast’s rehearsals and experiences busking.
Daniel concluded the meeting with a reminder about lunch etiquette in order to expedite the lunch lines and promote fairness for students. He first explained some statistics: during an average lunch period, eight students cut the line at the front of the line in Manzanita Hall, and the wait time is about 13 minutes. To lessen the wait time of the main line, Daniel advised students to avoid cutting and visit other stations such as Veggie Cafe and the Bistro before joining the main queue.
Daniel presented a slide showing the kitchen staff, which prompted a round of applause for the chefs who prepare the Harker upper school lunches. To further show their appreciation for the kitchen staff, Daniel encouraged students to return their trays and cutlery to Manzanita Hall.
