![“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 Action Club hosted Alán Bonilla, director of sustainable finance at S&P Global, for a speaker event on careers that result in both financial success as well as social and environmental impact on Wednesday.
The session focused on Bonilla’s unique path into the field and the growing role of sustainability in global finance. Bonilla began his talk by explaining his journey after high school. He grew up in New York City, and described a difficult start that did not initially position him towards a corporate career.
“I grew up with a pretty rough life,” Bonilla said. I was called a troubled student. From 10 to 21, I got into a whole lot of trouble. I was not a college bound kid. I graduated high school, and did not go immediately to college. I was into music and I was in a band from 15 to 21. I thought I was going to be a famous musician.”
After initially pursuing music and participating in a band, Bonilla eventually enrolled in Nassau Community College, where his classmates motivated him to begin taking academics more seriously. With guidance from a counselor, he transferred to Columbia University, where he studied history and originally planned to become a history educator. About halfway through his time at Columbia, a friend encouraged him to apply for an internship program in 2002 shifting his career journey once again.
“I was fortunate to be placed with a company called Moody’s Investor Service at the time, which is one of the 3 large credit rating agencies,” Bonilla said. “That was my foot in the door into finance. It speaks to the power of internships, the power of networking, the power of just speaking to people and hearing what they’re doing.”
Students also had the opportunity to ask Bonilla questions about the future of sustainability careers. Bonilla acknowledged that the field is currently facing challenges in the United States, including political pushback against sustainability initiatives, reduced demand for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) related work and downsizing of sustainability teams. He still emphasized that long-term opportunities remain strong especially in areas like climate risk and environmental transition.
Students were able to ask him specific questions during a Q&A session towards the end of the event. (Vivek Moorjani)
Senior Suhana Bhandare asked about how these trade-offs are evaluated in practice.
“I had a question about the social impact scale and the environmental impact scale you mentioned,” Suhana said. “How do you balance those two? Say there’s a nonprofit that gives baby bottles to pregnant women and maybe those bottles are cheapest to manufacture in plastic, but they can make a lot of social impact that way. Do they have to have a certain environmental ranking to get that funding?”
Bonilla explained that situations vary case by case, noting that organizations may be recognized for strong social impact even if their environmental impact is less positive. However, he added that companies cannot simply label themselves as sustainable and that analysts assess factors such as materials used, production methods and long-term environmental effects before determining whether an investment qualifies as “green.”
Bonilla concluded the event by stressing the importance of gaining experience early. He advised the group to take advantage of as many opportunities they can in college and beyond.
“Don’t take your summers off,” Bonilla said. “I promise you, when you’re older, you’ll have a much easier time. “It’s gonna be very enticing to be like, ‘I don’t want to do anything this summer, but hang out with my friends’. Don’t, don’t be lured by that. Take every single opportunity from your freshman year in college to find an internship. When we’re looking at people for those entry level jobs, that internship is everything, that you have some experience that’s not like, ‘I work at the coffee shop.’”
Spanish teacher and Green Team adviser Diana Moss, who attended the meeting, mentioned the broader importance of the talk for students interested in sustainability and advocacy.
“The message that he gave to students to give them direction in how to get involved in careers that are environmentally socially positive forces in the world is what we need for all of our young people and to be,” Moss said. “Students should get involved. Get involved in making a positive difference. Recognize that this is your future, so find the solutions of the problems that face us today, take everybody leaning into ways that can make a positive difference.”
