![“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)
Sophomores and frosh attended their last LIFE sessions of the school year on Jan. 29 in the Auxiliary Gym and Nichols Auditorium. The sophomores’ session focused on preparing for the next year’s college counseling meetings, while frosh learned about staying safe on the Internet.
“Your College Counseling Road Trip,” led by Assistant Upper School Division Head Kelly Horan, introduced students to the college counseling process while encouraging reflection, self-awareness and intentional planning before applications begin. Attendee Avi Gupta (10) explained how the talk offered him valuable insight about finding the college that best caters to his interests.
“The LIFE session addressed my concerns about the college admissions process,” Avi said. “I also learned a lot about how to choose the right college for myself, and that college is going to be a fun experience.”
Horan framed the college admissions journey as a road trip, emphasizing that students should take ownership of the process. She highlighted two main keys to the journey: knowing yourself and organizing yourself.
Rather than focusing on the nominal value of a college, Horan encouraged students to think about what they value in their learning environment and how those values should guide future decisions. Attendee Anusha Saha (10) noted how Horan’s advice will help her shape her own path to college.
“The college application process before you start can be very hard to figure out or mysterious,” Anusha said. “I think the session helped clear some of that up. It gave me instructions on what I should start thinking about when I’m going to college and what I should look for besides just what I need to do to get into this specific college.”
During the session, Horan posed guiding questions like whether students were taking classes that made them excited about learning or if they had mentors who encouraged them to pursue their goals. Building on ideas from a previous talk by Dino Ambrosi, a key discussion point was the difference in social connections with teachers and professors from high school to college.
She encouraged sophomores to consider the importance of close student-teacher relationships when eventually evaluating colleges.
“Professors are human, too, too. As a teacher, I think it’s definitely possible to find a mentor in a subject you’re passionate about,” History and Social Science teacher Jonathan Rim said. “I also felt like [Ms. Horan] did a good job of planting the seed that not every college might be a right fit, and that students need to find the right school for them.”
Towards the end of the meeting, Horan discussed next steps for sophomores, including continuing to put strong effort into academics, choosing classes thoughtfully and staying organized. She also recommended that students begin thinking about summer plans, possible campus visits and questions they might ask college students in the future to get a first-hand view of what different schools are like. The session concluded with students logging their activities into the College Counseling Organizer in preparation for their first college counseling meeting next year.
During the frosh meeting, Harker alumna Colleen Lee (‘06) gave a talk titled “Staying Safe and Knowing the Law: Cyber, Hate and Sex Crimes”. Lee, a practicing attorney at Baker McKenzie Law Firm, spoke to students about how to protect themselves and those around them from accidental cybercrimes like identity theft, hate speech or even being complicit in real-life crimes.
