![“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)
SAN FRANCISCO — Nineteen Harker journalism students, Director of Journalism Whitney Huang and TALON Yearbook Adviser Stephen Baxter attended the Journalism Education Association NorCal (JEANC) Media Day at Archbishop Riordan High School today.
Students attended various 45-minute sessions throughout the day hosted by students and advisers from other Bay Area schools along with professional journalists. They learned about journalism skills from design and coverage to networking to fostering diversity. Featured sessions included “The World of Broadcast Journalism,” hosted by NBC Sportscaster Bonta Hill and “Art of The Anecdotal Lede,” featuring KPIX CBS News Bay Area Broadcaster JC Canicosa.
Harker reporter and attendee Shreyas Karnam (10) participated in “Design Like a Pro” and appreciated the opportunity to connect with other students throughout the convention.
“It’s easy to get stuck in a bubble at your own school, so I really liked getting to hear the perspectives of other journalism advisers and students from other schools,” Shreyas said. “The sessions expanded my worldview both academically and for our publications. The design session encouraged me to think outside of the box and opened my mind to new possibilities.”
Harker journalism staff also hosted three sessions: “Leadership Roundtable: Let’s Talk,” “ChaRIZZmatic Communication” and “Humans of [Your School].”
Students finished their last session of the day at 2:15 p.m. and departed at 3:30 p.m.
“There’s a sense of community because everyone is united under journalism,” sports editor and attendee Lily Peng (11) said. “It’s a really nice bonding experience to meet new people and open your mind to other publications and share some aspects of our own newspaper and yearbook as well.”
JEANC President Julia Satterthwaite, MJE, explained that they decided to host NorCal Media Day at Riordan instead of Palo Alto High School like in previous years to diversify the schools that attend the convention and connect a larger variety of students and programs.
“I hope that students learn a lot from the sessions, find something that they’re really passionate about and try something new,” Satterthwaite said. “We also hope that they get to know people from other schools, learn something from a professional or students at another program and expose themselves to what other programs in the area are doing.”
![“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)
