![“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)
Sophomores and seniors spent time with their Eagle Buddies and frosh and juniors attended Living with Intent, Focus and Enthusiasm sessions on Sept. 20.
Sophomores took a bus to the lower school campus to meet their Eagle Buddies for the first time. Eagle Buddy groups ate lunch on the field and participated in various activities like tag, hide-and-seek, making friendship bracelets or exploring the lower school campus. Sophomore Duncan Marquardt expressed his appreciation for the Eagle Buddies program.
“I am new to Harker, so I didn’t have an Eagle Buddy in elementary school,” Duncan Marquardt said. “I could have benefited from having an older role model who was there to help with my journey and development, so I’m really glad Harker is doing that for their younger kids. It’s good for the older kids too, to practice being role models.”
Seniors reunited with their fifth-grade buddies in the Zhang Gymnasium before eating pizza, watermelon and cookies for lunch in Davis Field. Students relaxed and spent time with their buddies with different activities, ranging from field games to arts and crafts. Some seniors chose to give a tour of the campus grounds to their buddies.
Senior Jason Li notes the genuine, unfiltered self-expression of his younger Eagle Buddies. He finds his conversations with them about their experiences in the lower school nostalgic.
“Part of me is spiritually uplifted everytime we encounter our Eagle Buddies,” Jason said. “Interacting with the younger generation in such a close setting really sets you back and reminds you of your own inner child. You have to bring yourself back down to your buddy’s worldview, which is refreshing for the soul and good for character development as upcoming adults.”
High school students are first assigned their third-grade Eagle Buddies in their sophomore year. Director of Student Organizations Eric Kallbrier, who runs the Eagle Buddies program, watches students grow and mature as leaders at these events.
“Eagle Buddies is often one of those first steps of feeling yourself transition into a leadership position,” Kallbrier said. “By the time [students] get to the senior class, they’ve developed a great rapport with the younger students and then it’s really about getting to feel like a kid again before entering into adulthood as a college student.”
Meanwhile, frosh listened to speech and debate department chair Jenny Achten’s presentation entitled “Planning for Success” in the Auxiliary Gym. Atchen equipped students with helpful tools for their transition to high school.
Upper school division head Kelly Horan interviewed alumnus Simar Mangat (‘13) in a presentation titled “What I Wish I Knew as a Harker Junior” for the juniors’ LIFE session in the Patil Theater. Mangat discussed conflicts about his academic choices and challenges he encountered as a Harker student, like losing an Associated Student Body election.
“I enjoyed Simar’s insights on the struggles and difficulties of junior year,” junior Victoria Ma said. “I can learn from a lot of his tips and experiences and apply them to my own life to help make this year fulfilling for me, and it’s great that they invited someone who could relate to our experiences at Harker.”
Mangat also explained how he balanced his classes with other extracurricular activities. Mangat invited junior Charlotte Ludlow on stage to go over her extracurricular commitments and then helped her prioritize them based on importance.
The LIFE program features speaker presentations that introduce students to ways of overcoming challenges in their academic careers and staying healthy throughout their four years of high school.
