![“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)
View the full transcript here:
Simon Kirjner (12): I’m really about performing arts. This building is technically my second home. I started pretty young. At 3 years old, I started playing the violin, and then picked up musical theater in 8th grade. And then I saw Downbeat, and I was like, “Oh my God, I gotta do that.” I feel like I’m very interdisciplinary within the Harker Conservatory, allowing me to be everywhere all at once.
When I was younger, I would do what I now know is screaming in the shower. And everyone was like, “Oh my God, please learn how to sing. You love to do it. Please get training.” It was more loving, obviously, but I know that’s what they meant.
Vocal teacher Jennifer Sandusky: Over the years, his singing has just grown amazingly. It’s just truly amazing the way his voice has developed. He’s in my voice class this year, and I’m amazed at how well he now goes from a musical theater or pop sound to a classical sound, back and forth.
Simon: When I’m acting, I feel oddly my truest self, because I can belt really high notes, and that’s really fun. I feel almost relieved, because being on stage and performing means you have done the work. You have done the hours upon hours of rehearsal to get this product that you are now sharing with the RPAC, which has 300 seats, so 300 people, 4 times, 1200, which is a lot of people.
Downbeat leader and close friend Aditya Ramanathan: The quality I admire most about Simon is the fact that he will not give up until he obtains what he wants, and he’s always very, very perseverant in terms of his goals. I think I got to see a lot of his character choices as Nicely Nicely Johnson last year in the musical, and I saw him grow and fit into the character more and more as we progressed from January to March.
Simon: I was honored to be nominated for Best Actor for Nicely Nicely. Being on the San Jose Center for Performing Arts stage, sitting there, seeing this Broadway-level theater filled with seats and realizing I’m soloing on that stage, it just kind of clicked. That was like, “yeah, this is what I wanna do.” I loved musical theater before, but that was the moment I truly decided to go for it.
Instrumental teacher Jaco Wong: Simon is one of the most joyous people with a passion for music. Coming in, he’s always taking rehearsals very seriously. He has always wanted to improve his musical skills and wanted to be inspired by others and also inspire others as well, so there’s a really positive energy whenever he’s in rehearsal. And you can also see him now that he’s one of the leaders of the section; he wants the whole group to improve together.
Simon: Sometimes it’s challenging to juggle everything, but with the conservatory teachers’ help, I’ve always been able to do it. They’ve been helping me along, making sure I don’t crumble under the stress. It’s also helped my executive functioning. I’m neurodiverse, so it helps with that. It also helps me become a better musician and a better actor, better singer, better dancer.
My SDS show is very close to my heart, about neurodiversity, so I really want to get that message across, because shows are just wells of emotion that we want to get across.
One small thing I think I have done at Harker is I’ve changed the word from ‘learning disability’ to ‘learning difference’, because it’s not a disability, your brain is just wired differently. If it works, it’s not broken. This show and what I hope to leave is that anything’s possible, no matter how you think.
I have been told ‘no’ so many times, because, ‘Oh, you can’t do both, you can’t do both,’ but if you keep pushing, eventually you get there. I want to leave a legacy that if a) you know what you’re doing, b) you’re willing, and c) you put your heart and soul into it, anything’s possible.
