![“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)
This is Aquila Weekly Wrap-Up, where we bring you the latest updates from around our school community.
Saturday
Future Problem Solving Launch introduced new members to FPS competition events, where participants use critical thinking to analyze futuristic scenarios. Attendees acted out hypothetical scenes and heard from former FPS presidents Ritu Belani and Aeliya Grover in an alumni panel.
Monday
CareerConnect hosted CEO of Wushu Central Martial Arts Academy David Chang, who shared his entrepreneurial journey with students in the club’s first C-Sweets event of the year, a series where students learn from various successful entrepreneurs while snacking on sweets.
Green Team invited students to a phone banking session, where they called environmentalists and encouraged them to vote with the Environmental Voter Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to passing environmental legislation.
Wednesday
Frosh voted for their first class council after 12 candidates delivered their speeches in the RPAC.
Thursday
Renowned psychologists David Yeager and Carol Dweck spoke to Harker parents and faculty about the science of motivating young people in a speaker event part of the Common Ground Speaker Series.
Friday
Sophomores met their Eagle Buddies for the first time on the lower school campus, while seniors spent time with their Buddies on Davis Field during a special schedule. Frosh and juniors attended LIFE sessions, with frosh learning about planning for academic success from Speech and Debate department chair Jenny Achten and juniors hearing from Harker alum Simar Mangat (’13) about his high school experience and insights.
At the Harker Model U.N. Kickoff, students participated in mock conferences focusing on access to clean water and AI surveillance technology. The event served as an introduction to Model U.N. for new members.
Students attended a contemporary fusion dance workshop with alum Ankita Sharma (’16), a professional dancer and choreographer in New York.
Science Bowl held tryouts to determine its eight team members after school in Dr. Mala Raghavan’s room.
Additional reporting by Aryana Bharali, Emma Li, Lily Peng, Jonathan Szeto, Heather Wang and Tiffany Zhu.
