![“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)
Students dressed up in the theme of “Back to the Future: Younger Self” and participated in a lunchtime “Coffee House”-style karaoke outside Manzanita on day three of Spirit Week today.
Each class recreated outfits from their childhood, showing reference photos to Harker Spirit Leadership Team members for verification and spirit points. Outfits ranged from sports jerseys to onesies and old Halloween costumes, supplemented with accessories like stuffed animals and old toys.
Class council representative Avi Gupta (10) wore a traditional Indian kurta. He noted his particular challenges in finding an outfit that fit the theme.
“Honestly, it was a bit difficult to find an outfit to wear because younger me had very questionable choices in fashion,” Avi said. “When I was a baby, my mom dressed me in clothes that I don’t really have anymore, so it was hard to find something that matched.”
Sophomore Jonathan Tang emphasized how the process of choosing today’s outfit made this dress-up more meaningful compared to previous ones. Jonathan donned a yellow-striped polo shirt, tucked into a pair of gray sweatpants.
“You have to look through old photos to find something that actually fits, and remember all the memories you had back in the day when you were a little child,” Jonathan said. “It’s pretty fun, even if I don’t have many clothes from when I was a baby.”
HSLT check-in representative Arun Banerjee (9) observed that comparing past and present appearances gave him unexpected insights into his interactions with other students.
“It shows how people in our community have changed over time, and it’s very different from who they are now,” Arun said. “You get to see that they weren’t always the person you know them as.”
In addition to dress-up, HSLT collaborated with Tri-M to host a second day of the Coffee House karaoke booth, where students performed in a casual, open setting. Junior Brianna Madrigal, who sang with junior Megha Unny, highlighted the importance of these events.
“It serves as a break from all the academic stuff that we do during the school year,” Brianna said. “It’s a way to relax, have fun, and enjoy ourselves. It brings everybody together, even if we have one person coordinate, and everybody else participates in it.”
Spring Spirit week will come to an end tomorrow with the Spirit Rally, where classes will duke it out in competitions like the Spirit Dance and Scream-Off to crown the 2025-2026 Spirit champion.
