![“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)
Over 200 Harker students, parents and staff volunteered at the annual Day of Service, assembling care packages and sorting food at the upper school campus and Second Harvest Food Bank on Monday.
Hosted annually by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Community Service Offices, the Day of Service honored Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy by encouraging volunteering and reflection across the Harker community on a day off from classes.
“This isn’t a day off, but a day on,” English teacher Susanne Salhab said. “It’s about how we can continue Dr. King’s legacy and the ways we can think of our community as not just an academic one. We can work together to hopefully make the lives of everybody better — people close to us and far away from us.”
Volunteers on the Upper School campus worked at seven stations: writing letters for veterans and seniors, decorating lunch bags and grocery bags, creating pet toys for animal shelters and assembling hygiene kits, community care kits and personal protective equipment kits. Junior volunteer Charles Smith particularly enjoyed decorating grocery bags for the unhoused and reflected on his motivation for helping with the day’s activities.
“The event helps build a lot of community, especially because it’s open to all campuses and all age groups,” Charles said. “This also helps a lot of people and organizations that are really efficient. I volunteered here last year, and I thought it was a really good experience, so I decided to come back again this year.”
Off campus, 20 Harker students and parents volunteered at Second Harvest in morning and afternoon shifts, packaging bread and oranges into hundreds of boxes that will be distributed to families in need. A local food bank, Second Harvest collects and distributes surplus unused food to fight hunger in the Bay Area.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Second Harvest distributed food to around 250,000 clients in Santa Clara and San Mateo County. However, that number has doubled to half a million in recent years, reflecting the Bay Area’s growing food insecurity.
Frosh volunteer Bartu Milci noted that participating in service projects helps students think beyond their own experiences.
“It’s really wholesome to give back to the community, especially to people who don’t have food or access to resources,” Bartu said. “We all live in the Harker bubble, so it’s nice to see that we can provide aid for some people who don’t actually have that privilege.”
Harker’s recognition of MLK’s legacy continued during Friday’s MLK Evening Celebration, which featured keynote speaker Walter Greason and musical guest Kev Choice.
