![“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)
At 5 p.m. on Election Night, members of the Upper School community gathered in the Bistro for “Pizza and Politics” to watch and discuss the election results while enjoying a dinner of pizza and soda.
The event, hosted by JSA, lasted for 1.5 hours and was attended by approximately 65 students and faculty members.The gathering was open to both JSA and non-JSA members and aimed to provide an impartial environment in which individuals can freely express their opinions.
“It’s basically a free forum for anyone to discuss any political idea or opinion that they have without being shut down by someone else. Anyone can voice their own opinion about [the election],” Reyhan Kader (12) said.
Many attendees felt that the event was successful and that it effectively emphasized the significance of the election. Chemistry teacher Rachel Freed shared her opinions on the political framework of the elections in relation to the event.
“I think the election is really important, and I love that the students of the high school level and younger are getting exposed to the idea,” she said. “It feels like with the state of the country in general, there’s a lot riding on [this election]. It’s just going to be a big change in a lot of policies, and that will affect huge numbers of people.”
Organized by JSA officers, Pizza and Politics has become a biennial tradition since 2004, when George W. Bush ran against John Kerry for president. The event was designed to not only increase political interest in the community, but also publicize the intentions and ideas behind JSA.
“The whole idea of JSA is to encourage youth political activism. It’s not to say that I want you to vote for Obama [or] I want you to vote for Romney,” JSA advisor Daniel Hudkins said. “It’s that I want you to believe that you have the power to make a difference.”
Although most students proved to be in support of Obama, many agreed that this election would be neck and neck, making it into one of the closest presidential polls in American history.
“I think this is a very, very important election, even more important than the last one that happened between Obama and McCain,” JSA president Sachin Vadodaria (11) said. “I think this is because we’re seeing a battle not just between two different people, but a battle of two different ideologies and two different paths of America. One will definitely hurt America and one will definitely help America. So, it’s up to the people to decide which path they want to take.”
On a similar note, Anna Kendall (11) expressed her opinions on the poll as well.
“I think this election is a big turning point,” she said. “It can either continue with Obama’s plans or it can just completely undo everything he did. So I think it’s just a big turning point in America’s next four years.”
Pizza and Politics will continue to uphold its tradition in 2014 during the elections of the Senate.
Contributing to the article: Ashi Gautam
