![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.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)
Varsity girls water polo lost 3-13 to Palo Alto High School on their senior night at the Singh Aquatic Center on Thursday.
Before the match, the team honored seniors Alana Brill, Jasmine Hansra and Mia Tang with bouquets, cheers and applause, with the celebration marking the last home game of their high school careers.
Palo Alto won the swim-off and capitalized on gaps in Harker’s defense, setting the tone of the game by scoring within the first 30 seconds to bring the score to 1-0. Center defender Alana responded by launching a long goal attempt from the outer arc, but it was caught by the Vikings’ goalie. The Eagles struggled to penetrate the Vikings’ strong defense throughout the quarter, totaling five unsuccessful shot attempts. Palo Alto converted on three more possessions, building a 4-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Mia and Jasmine were unable to play due to prior injury, leaving the team with no substitutes and Alana as the only senior in the pool. Jasmine’s mother Harpreet Hansra was impressed by the team’s resilience and adaptability, even without some of their essential players.
“I’ve been really amazed at how well the team has come together and really grown in the last couple of games, even without some of their regular key players,” Hansra said. “It was really a great game to watch. The team rallied and they had a great defense.”
The second quarter commenced with two attempts to score by field player Emma Xia (9) that were saved. Palo Alto landed a goal a minute later, bringing the score to 0-5. After a give-and-go play between field players Tvisha Ganesh (11) and Alrisha Chen (10), Alrisha scored Harker’s first goal of the game at 1-5, prompting loud cheers from the crowd.
In the first few minutes of the third quarter, goalie Emma Jiang (9) blocked several of Palo Alto’s shot attempts. Minutes later, Alana fired a shot from half court for Harker’s second goal, closing the deficit to 2-5.
“The first goal was really nice because we weren’t sure we were gonna score and then I scored one from half court,” Alana said. “I was happy to have scored one on my senior night and then the end of the game was also really exciting. It was my last goal in the home pool.”
Palo Alto slipped through the cracks in Harker’s defense, netting 5 more goals and bringing the score to 2-10. Following the Vikings’ goal, the Eagles called a timeout to regroup, reset and give the players a rest. After the break, Palo Alto took advantage of quick counterattacks and scored two consecutive goals to increase their lead to 2-12.
Harker shifted to a more aggressive strategy at the start of the last quarter. Emma X. shot an outer attack which slipped past the goalie but rolled out just before the goal. Field player Isabel Yang (10) continued Harker’s pressure with another shot attempt that flew above the goal. Palo Alto interrupted Harker’s attempted offensive push with a goal of their own. In the last minute of the game, Alrisha stole the ball from Palo Alto’s goalie and scored, concluding the match at 3-13.
Head coach Laci Szieban commended the team’s effort, especially because Harker was playing with limited numbers. He took pride in watching the seniors’ growth, having known several of them from their club water polo experiences.
“I knew some of the girls before from San Jose Express, and it’s always emotional,” Szieban said. “ It’s good to see that they are developing and going into their college careers. Alana was our only senior able to jump in today and she scored a huge goal for us. I congratulate her — it was a good way to finish her career at Harker.”
After the final buzzer blared, teammates hosted a senior night ceremony for Alana, Mia and Jasmine, a farewell to the pool where their Harker water polo career began and ended. Each grade on the team had their own responsibilities for the celebration, with the frosh making posters, sophomores reciting heartfelt speeches and juniors purchasing gifts.
The team currently holds a record of 13-11 and will play the SCVAL quarterfinals at Castilleja School today.
