![“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)
Ten seniors on the football team were honored yesterday during one of the last games of the season. The team lost to Monta Vista High School 6-48.
Seniors Spenser Quash, Drew Goldstein, Adrienne Mendel, Robert Deng, Deniz Celik, JP Doherty, Daniel Wang, Ryan Mui, Michael Chen, and Raghav Selvaraj were recognized for their contributions to the football team before the game.
According to Michael and JP, the energy and excitement of the game will be missed as the season draws to a close, but they were honored to be a part of senior night.
“[I will] definitely [miss] my teammates; I like hanging around the team, and the environment we create; it’s a pleasure,” JP said. “I remember being a freshman and looking at the seniors and thinking, wow, and now I finally got to do it, so that’s definitely cool.”
Michael echoed these sentiments.
“It’s not too great that the season’s ending, because I won’t be able to see these guys all together ever again,” Michael said.
He was also pleased with the team’s performance despite injuries sustained by some of the players this season.
“I’m most proud of the whole team; when I was out, they stuck it up and went through quite a lot of hardships without me. It made a man out of all of them,” Michael said.
The first quarter ended 0-21 in favor of the Matadors. A touchdown from quarterback Spenser to Kevin Moss (11) left the score at 6-28 by halftime.
Although the Eagles were unable to end Monta Vista’s lead, many in the crowd were still optimistic.
“I thought it was a good effort all around,” Arya Kaul (10) said during halftime. “Although Monta Vista has some raw talent, Harker can still win this game. Go Eagles!”
Nikhil Panu (12), co-president of Eagle Nation, thought the crowd was much more spirited compared to previous football games.
“It’s pretty cool [to cheer on the Eagles at senior night]. Regardless of what the scoreboard says, we’re just having fun out here, having a good time, and trying to energize [everyone],” Nikhil said. “It’s a big improvement from last games, and I think we’re uniting more; we sectioned off part of the bleachers for the students, and it’s been great today.”
In spite of the energized spectators and a renewed effort after halftime, the Eagles were unable to close the gap.
“We couldn’t stop them on defense,” Head Coach Ron Forbes said.
The game ended with a final score of 6-48.
The team’s next game, which is the Eagles’ last away game, will be held at Fremont High School on October 26 at 6:30 p.m.
![“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)
