![“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)
Ashley Mo, Winged Post Editor in Chief: Culture Week concluded with an assembly featuring multicultural performances and a street food fair during lunch on Monday.
Leah Krupnik, Features Editor: Students, faculty and parents performed cultural acts, including singing and dancing like a Bulgarian folk dance and a Chinese fan dance.
Vinayak Sinha (12): I participated in the cultural performances because I was dragged into it by a friend, and it was a good experience. We were wearing kurtas. That’s a traditional Indian dress, so I’ll wear that to like family events or events with family friends as well, especially on religious or Hindu holidays. And then also the dancing that we did, we danced to a Bollywood song — a very famous one. And we incorporated many traditional Indian dance moves.
Dhanya Ramanan (11): I really liked it. I think it was very lively and energetic. And I think one of the most important parts about cultural performances is seeing a specific side of someone. And I think we were very much able to do that today and see specific sides of people. It was really nice because there were certain moments where I was like, wow, I didn’t know you could do that or I didn’t know you do do that.
Leah: SDC organized a street food fair featuring local Korean, Vietnamese and Middle Eastern restaurants, which students and faculty enjoyed in the quad during lunch.
Dhanya: I think Harker students in general are motivated by two things, and that’s grades and food. And it was nice to help participate and allow people to explore culture in that way. I think our main goal for this was to explore cultures that aren’t as typically platformed. We don’t have a particularly large Middle Eastern student body, so we wanted to support them in that way by adding baklava and falafel. We don’t have a particularly large Korean student body, so we wanted to add japchae.
Kadar Arbuckle: I like when the students are excited about stuff that is non-academic. I feel like it’s just nice to eat. In terms of culture, that’s one of the things that is similar across a lot of cultures. Eating represents time you spend with people. So to me a day like this is cool because you have a similar feel, even with the students helping. It’s creating community almost out of thin air, which is kind of cool.
Dhanya: I think we’re in a time in which diversity is not particularly viewed as a valuable trade, or it’s viewed as a superfluous trait that doesn’t need tending to and protection. And I think this event has shown our school that diversity is a beautiful thing. And we get to learn so much about each other, and it’s really important to protect that.
Ashley: These events concluded the 2026 Culture Week. We hope you enjoyed our coverage, and thank you all for tuning in.
