![“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)
From Zoom to DoorDash to Spotify, there are mobile applications for nearly everything—including fitness.. Exercise tools support a wide range of physical interests, from laid-back recreation to intense workouts. Beyond recording miles or calories, these apps transform how people experience movement through personalized guidance and new ways to stay motivated.
For athletes like junior Jaden Ruffy, Strava is his go-to. Using phone sensors or paired devices like Apple watches and heart rate trackers, Strava provides detailed workout summaries containing distance, pace, calories burned and other metrics for a variety of activities, including numerous foot, cycle and water sports.
Jaden downloaded Strava to track bike rides and runs with his dad. His favorite features are the top speed, live location and route tracing statistics provided by the app.
“Strava helps add a sense of competitiveness between my dad and me,” Jaden said. “I love going fast on my bike and seeing how high I can get my top speed. On some of the famous climbs I did in Italy and France this year, they have Strava checkpoints which automatically start a timer for certain segments of bike rides, so I can see where I rank compared to everyone else.”
Alongside standard workout tracking features, Strava offers a unique social networking component. Strava allows users to follow others, create groups and react to friends’ workouts.
Sophomore Aahana Sharma downloaded Strava and joined the Harker cross country group through recommendations from upperclassmen. The communal nature of the app helps hold her responsible for staying consistent with training.
“I couldn’t make it to practice one day, but I still went on a run on my own because I wanted to maintain my streak on Strava,” Aahana said. “It gives you encouragement to not fall off. Strava also encourages me to keep up my pace, because when other people can see the run you did, they can see how hard you were trying, so it makes me want to do better. ”
Exercise software not only supplements experiences with helpful workout details but also provides convenience and accessibility. Peloton is a widely used stationary machine and app that closely simulates the real experience of mountain or road biking. The equipment uses immersive technology to mimic scenic routes and offers interactive, instructor-led classes.
Senior sales representative at Folger Graphics and avid biker Carlos Armenta started using Peloton during the pandemic to work out from the safety of his home. Post-COVID, Peloton remains an important part of his routine.
“I warm up on it when I’m going to do a 40 or 50-mile bike ride,” Armenta said. “I do about 15 to 20 minutes on the Peloton. Then once I hit the road, I’m ready to go at full speed. For professionals, when they finish their races, they jump on the Peloton to cool down.”
On Peloton, a ride isn’t confined to four walls. With a few clicks, users can pedal along the beaches of Hawaii, through the streets of Paris, or up mountain roads in Spain. For Armenta, those virtual landscapes have sparked a bucket list of places he hopes to see on two wheels in real life.
“It’ll take me to Utah, to China, to Thailand, to India,” Armenta said. “It actually took me to some of the roads that I’ve done in Monterey, which was entertaining. I was like, ‘Hey, I’ve actually passed that road.’ The Peloton has actually intrigued me to do a ride sometime in the Grand Canyon in 2027.”
From neighborhood streets to simulated bike rides in the Alps, workouts now unfold across both physical and digital terrain. The stats that once lived on paper now live on the cloud, and runners who might never have interacted now fight for the ultimate spot on a leaderboard. In this hybrid world of fitness, connection and exploration can happen anytime, anywhere.
