![“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)
Following Homecoming, this week proved that spirit is still prevalent on campus. Commencing with the Junior State of America (JSA) Pizza and Politics session and a surprise spirit event, the week also featured several sports that qualified for Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs.
“The three things that are highlighted I think are all pretty indicative of the life of a student at Harker with Pizza and Politics,” Butch Keller said. “We are a pretty savvy community in the political world. I also enjoyed the spirit event; it’s good to see that very serious people can let their hair down and have fun. And then I really enjoyed watching the kids get into supporting the [teams] in the CCS matches. It was a good week.”
JSA hosted a political viewing party for the presidential elections open to all Upper Schoolers on Tuesday, November 6. At 5:00 p.m., students flooded into the Bistro to share political views while enjoying pizza and drinks. Representatives of all grades attended, along with a few teachers and JSA advisor Daniel Hudkins. The event concluded at 6:30 p.m.
Students had the opportunity to participate in an interclass competition on Wednesday, November 7. Provided with supplies in the school colors, black, white, yellow, and green, each grade had to create two outfits for a girl and a boy. The seniors and sophomores reigned as victors in a tie, with the juniors in third and freshmen last.
Five fall sports qualified for CCS this year: water polo, volleyball, golf, tennis, and cross-country. Although the girls’ Varsity water polo team lost in their first round, this year marks their first time participating in CCS. The girls’ Varsity volleyball team won their first game of CCS and will proceed to the quarterfinal round against Soquel High School on Saturday, November 10. Meanwhile, girls’ golf and tennis had two qualifying athletes each: Patricia Huang (12) and Kristine Lin (11), and Katia Mironova (11) and Daria Karakoulka (12), respectively. The Varsity cross-country team has four representatives running in the Toro Park CCS championship on November 10 as well: Corey Gonzales (10), Tyler Yeats (12), Claudia Tischler (11), and Ragini Bhattacharya (12).
More events to look forward to next week include the food drive and updates on the girls’ and boys’ soccer teams.
![“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)
