![“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)
Student Diversity Coalition (SDC) hosted their first ever Lunch and Learn on Nov. 10, where students gathered over lunch to explore questions about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
SDC officer Elie Ahluwalia (12), who proposed the initiative, hoped to foster a space where students could talk about important social issues and promote open, respectful dialogue.
“I’ve always wanted to do lunchtime talks at Harker, specifically with DEI focus, ever since I ran for SDC in sophomore year,” said Elie. “I wanted to create Lunch and Learn because people can come if they don’t have anything to do. In our political climate, there’s a lot of topics that students do want to talk about with other students, but it’s not as comfortable to talk about those things in the classroom.”
Elie and Arushi Sahasi (12) guided the group through a set of discussion questions designed to encourage thoughtful conversation. The prompts ranged from DEI policies to students’ experiences with inclusion on campus. Attendee Marc Gouriou (10) noted that the session strengthened his understanding of the benefits and the challenges of these issues on campus and beyond.
“I went because I wanted to learn more about DEI, how it looks in America right now and how it’s being impacted by the current political climate,” Marc said. “It was pretty interesting. It helped me understand what SDC actually does.”
At the end of the meeting, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Patricia Burrows invited students to SDC’s next Lunch and Learn, where attendees will discuss affirmative action. She emphasized the importance of having these frequent conversations to expand Harker students’ perspectives.
“Some deeper conversation would be helpful,” Burrows said. “If someone has attended the Harker School for all of their life, they may not be aware of how other schools operate and the different issues that come up when it comes to resources and access to information or opportunity.”
As discussions about DEI grow more complex and emotionally charged, Elie acknowledged that such conversations can quickly become divisive if participants are not communicating with care for others.
“When we have to do discussions that are more controversial, we need to go over conversation norms: speak from the “I” perspective, be mindful of who’s in the room, take space and make space and keep respectful civil discourse,” Elie said. “Preparing in ways to facilitate dialogue that is respectful instead of just attacking each other is important.”
