![“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)
NEW YORK — Twenty Harker journalism staff attended the Columbia Scholastic Press Association 100th annual Spring Convention at Columbia University in New York from March 13 to 15.
1599 participants from across the country attended the convention at Columbia University. Over the course of three days, attendees had the option to visit 221 sessions focused on a variety of journalistic topics such as design, interviewing and storytelling.
“I attended a session on Friday morning, and it was with the Rolling Stones photo editor,” TALON student life editor Shiv Deokar (11) said. “I’m really into music, and the Rolling Stones is primarily a music magazine. Hearing him talk about how he’s shot for concerts and judge street artists was really cool. Everything about the different thoughts behind these shoots and photography sessions and hearing more about music journalism and business was great.”
Harker attendees arrived on Tuesday, and the convention began on Wednesday morning with registration and sessions.They presented ‘Let’s Eat: How to make your illustrations, infographics and photos COOK!’ on Wednesday afternoon, and ‘Humans of [Your School]’ on Thursday.
On Wednesday night after a pizza dinner at Angelo’s Pizza, Harker Journalism students and chaperones watched the Broadway musical “& Juliet” in Sondheim Theater. On Thursday evening the group visited the High Line and walked to Chelsea Market where they ate dinner, shopped and engaged in the lively atmosphere.
“My favorite part of the trip was [visiting] the High Line,” co-Opinions Editor Isabella Lo (11) said. “It’s really cool to see artist’s displays on the tops of roofs and it’s interesting how they converted an old subway track into a nice walking path: it’s a quieter part of New York that I didn’t expect. We had a lot of fun together on this trip and made a lot of good memories.”
The awards ceremony to honor the 2023 CSPA finalist took place Friday afternoon. CSPA recognized Harker Aquila and Winged Post as CSPA crown finalists, as well as Harker’s literary magazine, Harker Eclectic Literature & Media (HELM). Harker Aquila and HELM received Silver Crowns and The Winged Post received a Gold crown.
Following the awards ceremony, trip attendees visited the Riverside Church before a gala dinner at the Empire Steakhouse Midtown West location. On Saturday, one group explored Central Park while another visited the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building branch of the New York Public Library.
Director of Journalism Whitney Huang, CJE commented on the success of the trip and her hopes for the journalism staff.
“My hope for the journalism seniors and juniors is that they can start understanding the responsibilities and the accountability that they need to go forward and be successful in the world,” Huang said. “It’s a really wonderful opportunity — there’s so much educational learning at Columbia.”
Harker Journalism looks forward to attending the JEA/NSPA Spring Journalism Convention in Kansas City, Missouri from April 4-6.
![“Probably the most important thing that I can do is to help raise awareness amongst youth because [students] are the ones that sadly are going to inherit this mess. It’s important for us, the people who helped take the planet to the place it is now, to really lean in and make a difference about this issue," Moss said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC_9315-e1778880890147-1200x873.jpg)
