![“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)
Psychology teacher Julie Turchin, PhD, guided 13 choir students through a workshop on how to effectively handle performance anxiety on April 6 in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center. Vocal teacher and choir director Jennifer Sandusky facilitated the workshop and, while Dr. Turchin gave the main presentation, Sandusky shared her own experience and expertise.
Turchin explained how the sympathetic nervous system controls the body’s stress response and provided tips to singers on how to calm their nerves through techniques like deep breathing. She also emphasized the importance of positive self-talk, encouraging students to encourage themselves as they imagine a friend would.
Sandusky first reached out to Turchin with the idea for the workshop after noticing that students were nervous before auditions. Some students told her that they wanted more practice handling nerves before auditions or performances.
“This is a job for not just a vocal teacher, but also a psychologist because it’s really a brain thing more than anything,” Sandusky said. “I hope that students take away ideas to mold for themselves. They can apply those skills in their lives beyond singing.”
Before and after students performed, Turchin asked them to share their emotions and how they regulated anxiety. Turchin participated in choir starting in 5th grade, and singing remains one of her hobbies. Her experience allowed her to offer students practical tips on improving their performance through mental calmness.
“I’m not a professional musician,” Turchin said. “But it was fun to realize that, in addition to knowing the psychology, I’ve picked up a few things from 40 years of singing and auditioning.”
Sophomore Aashi Jain performs “Wild and Reckless” from the musical “Drat! The Cat!” Dr. Turchin and Sandusky gave students feedback after their performances, and the other attendees listened and cheered their peers on. (Leah Krupnik)
Sophomore Aashi Jain and frosh Lucy Wang performed songs and received feedback from Turchin and Sandusky. Lucy attended the workshop to learn more about the possible strategies she could use both to improve her vocal technique and her mental peace when singing.
“When I’m performing for others, I have this regret that I’m not at my 100%,” Lucy said. “There are scenarios where I am not super comfortable in front of my peers or people I know. So I wanted to challenge myself and get tips on how to improve, which is something that I’ve always been interested in.”
Turchin asked students to talk through their thoughts and feelings before they performed, suggesting what they could focus on thinking about. Then, after the performances she asked how the students felt they did and helped brainstorm ideas on how they could improve going forward.
“The brain is this fascinating thing that really can be manipulated by us,” Turchin said. “It can be our own worst enemy or our best friend. It’s not easy and it takes time, but we really can trick ourselves, which is cool.”
