![“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)
For spectators, the fall season begins with the first whistle of the opening game. For athletes and coaches, it begins weeks or even months earlier in the summer, during which they lay the groundwork to maximize their team’s success. The lead-up to the fall season provides a unique opportunity to prepare as much as possible, giving their team an early advantage even before the first whistle blows.
Varsity girls volleyball coach Theresa Smith begins preparing in the summer with open-gym sessions, during which players practice and condition on campus. Smith has seen how this form of preseason training helps the team get off to a good start in September, especially since the team has moved up to the Foothill Division of the West Bay Athletic League this year.
“I had 11 players who committed to the summer schedule,” Smith said. “That kind of preparation helps us start our season right. The Foothill Division [will be] a more challenging, night in, night out battle, but we approach every season the same — with discipline, respect, heart and the guts to overachieve.”
Over the summer, Smith visited the University of Southern California women’s volleyball team during their first week of fall training and reconnected with head coach Brad Keller (’94). Smith credits her experiences observing, speaking to and learning from the Trojans with preparing her to coach the Harker varsity girls volleyball team.
The varsity girls water polo team also begins practices during the summer, which include swimming, weight and conditioning sessions. Coach László Szieben believes laying the foundations for a good season during the summer frees up more time for strategy planning during the fall.
“Conditioning before summer is a big part of getting a good start to the season,” Szieben said. “It’s good to get that portion done now so that we’re able to focus more on tactics during the season. There are some girls who haven’t done club over the summer and haven’t played for almost nine months, so it’s very important to be practicing before the season starts.”
Szieben also takes advantage of the preseason to address any physical or technical issues in the team as much as possible before they can affect the season performance. The summer also serves as a transition period from the previous year’s team to a new one, in which new players join and returning players take up new responsibilities.
“This year there are some girls who have some shoulder issues, so we are trying to address that now with shoulder rehabilitation sessions,” Szieben said. “But I have good feelings about the season. Last year we had some seniors who were contributing a lot. This year other people will need to step up, and the summer is an important opportunity to start doing that.”
While sports like volleyball and water polo emphasize conditioning and technical preparation, the cross country team spent time developing endurance and consistency over the summer. The team welcomed new head coach Jorge Chen, who spent the past few months building a tight-knit community and training the runners.
“In the first few weeks, my main goal is to create this culture where we feel like family and where kids could work really hard in the classroom and also relax and have fun out on the trails,” Chen said. “I told the kids every single workout and race I do has a purpose in order to challenge them while having a little bit of fun at the same time.”
Chen emphasized how much he values the dedication his runners displayed during summer training and how excited he is to guide them in the upcoming fall season.
“I really appreciate these kids because on day one, the main thing I asked from them was to commit,” Chen said. “We had close to 30 kids even before school started, and that was very promising. Nowadays, it’s pretty rare to coach kids that are willing to work with coaches for a long-term goal, but these kids are so respectful of the coaches, they communicate well with us, and they trust us. I’m very excited for this season and for this program.”
