![“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)
Current AP Statistics and Honors Pre-Calculus teacher Troy Thiele returned to the Upper School on October 1 following his six-week paternity leave.
Thiele, who is teaching five mathematics classes this year, has been absent for five weeks of the academic school year and one week of teacher training. Consequently, his interaction with the school environment has been kept at a minimum.
“Quite honestly, being a new father takes up an exorbitant amount of time, so I’m either playing with him[,] feeding him, and then changing him,” he said. “It’s really been a true break from [the school].”
During his time away from school, Thiele’s responsibilities have increased. In addition to working with his students now, Thiele must fulfill his duties towards his family, especially his newborn son.
“I am concerned about the [upcoming] workload, […] especially from the standpoint that I’m still trying to manage being a parent [as] that takes up a lot of time,” he said.
Furthermore, because he missed the initial weeks of the year, Thiele has not been able to become acquainted with several of his students.
“[The students] are at a little bit of advantage over me because they only need to learn one person’s name that’s new, […] whereas I have to learn anywhere between 15 to 18 students times five [new] names,” he said. “It’s something that’s a little bit overwhelming. I feel like I’m kind of jumping off a train that’s going pretty quickly, and I have to hit the ground running.”
Despite the multiple hurdles, however, Thiele revealed that he has successfully been able to manage coming back to school owing to the aid of the community and faculty.
“There’s definitely a lot of people [who] are very supportive at this school,” he said. “My colleagues in the math department did a really good job initially. [Also,] when the long-term [substitutes] were hired, they came into a difficult situation and did well. […] Its great [coming back to] work with the students and teachers here.”
Moreover, Thiele said that he is determined to put his students back on track and compensate for his missing time from school. He believes that the students will be an essential factor in this process.
“We will find out over the course of the next six or seven months what things haven’t been covered that I would have covered,” he said. “We’ll fill in any gaps and make sure that [the students] get the full course experience. [For] that part, I’m confident we’re in really good position. Harker students are students who I believe can demonstrate true resiliency.”
Thiele expressed excitement for the upcoming year and said he is glad to finally return to school.
