![“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 juniors reunited with their Eagle Buddies, while frosh and seniors attended LIFE sessions on addiction prevention and self-protection in dangerous college scenarios, respectively, on March 20.
Sophomores welcomed their buddies to the Upper School campus for the first time. Groups participated in a variety of activities like a scavenger hunt, karaoke, dance and volleyball. Sophomore Aarya Vaidya reflected on her buddies’ reactions to the Upper School campus.
“They were very overwhelmed but in a good way,” Aarya said. “They wanted to just explore everything and go everywhere, and that was really cute. They were surprised that we didn’t have a playground here.”
To end the visit, Upper School Director of Student Organizations Eric Kalbrier challenged sophomores and their buddies to gather around the AC and pass a ball around in a circle in under five minutes. They managed to beat the juniors’ record from last year, finishing in three minutes and fourteen seconds.
Juniors joined their Eagle Buddies on the Bucknall campus for recess and free time. Some groups played sports on the field and blacktop, while others folded origami, played word games and enjoyed other arts and crafts activities.
“It was great to catch up on their lives and see how they were doing, and they’re so fun to be around,” junior Isabelle Niu said. “We went to play a game of Mad Libs, and that was also a lot of fun because we had different Eagle Buddy groups join us, so it was a very interconnected experience.”
Frosh attended a LIFE session led by Christina Bowsher from Prevention Solutions on addiction, consent and refusal skills in the Auxiliary Gym. Using skits, videos and interactive activities, the presentation connected substance use and peer pressure to real-life situations students may face.
During the session, Bowsher asked students to reflect on their values, explained how addiction affects the brain’s dopamine system and walked volunteers through refusal-skill scenarios. Frosh Siri Gudladona, who participated in a skit where a pair of students were peer pressuring two other students to vape, noted how this life session was more interactive than other talks.
“I feel seminars talk more about drugs and how harmful they can be, rather than expanding on how you can avoid doing drugs,” Siri said. “Even though I knew it was just a skit, I really felt what it was like to be peer pressured into doing drugs.”
History teacher Jesse Lara appreciated the interactive elements of the talk that helped keep it interesting, highlighting the skit as his favorite part.
“The skit was amusing,” Lara said. “It makes the session a little bit easier for me to sit through and be able to get a little more fun out of it — there’s something other than just listening to a parent or an adult talk.”
The senior class attended their last LIFE session featuring sexual consent educator Shafia Zaloom in the Nichols auditorium. Zaloom covered a powerpoint covering topics ranging from different drug types to the definition of consent.
She wrapped up her presentation by presenting potential scenarios students might find themselves in post-graduation and asked students for their input. The scenarios included students studying together in a dorm, meeting online friends and more.
Senior Maryanne Davies remarks on the necessity of Ms. Zaloom’s presentation, and how important the lessons were. Although the information regarding drugs, consent and alcohol was not necessarily new she notes that they were good refreshers prior to leaving for college.
“I appreciated Ms. Zaloom’s upfrontness when discussing these topics,” said Maryanne. “And honestly, one of the biggest takeaways from her presentation for me was just the fact that everyone is learning simultaneously, and it’s important to not only educate yourself but also to give yourself grace as you learn to navigate difficult situations.”
