![“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)
Two students hosted a debate-style event to discuss issues surrounding immigration and law enforcement in the Quad on Thursday.
Junior Cameron Rampell and sophomore Justin Hu answered audience questions about their thoughts on ICE and its recent acts of violence. They believed that right-wing political viewpoints were underrepresented, especially in the mostly liberal Bay Area.
“There is an issue at our current institution where people with beliefs and opinions that differ from the norm are scared to voice what they believe in,” Justin said. “I hope that by speaking my own opinions today, I can let other people know that it’s okay to believe what you want to believe in, and it’s okay to express your feelings towards any given subject.”
The planners had originally wanted to organize a protest, but after administration voiced concerns about an emotional response from the community, Cameron and Justin ultimately settled on a debate session. They hoped to stimulate thoughtful discussion regarding border control and build a platform and safe space for students who have less popular opinions.
Attendee Lucas Yuan (10) commented that he was surprised by how moderate the speakers’ views were.
“They didn’t seem to be all the way really far right because they actually ended up supporting immigration reform, which was kind of surprising,” Lucas said. “It felt like they wanted to argue, but they ended up having more in common with the people they’re debating.”
Though some audience members approached the situation as a chance to learn and debate, the two organizers faced backlash. Justin felt the experience strengthened his motivation to continue advocating for his beliefs.
“Almost all these people who make extremely inappropriate remarks about my intelligence, maturity and character have never personally met or spoken to me,” Justin said. “I find it extremely concerning and dangerous that people can assume, infer and make heinous comments about my character just based on a political perspective that I presented, which doesn’t align with their own perspective.”
After hearing the various views expressed during the event, Student Diversity Coalition (SDC) officer Dhanya Ramanan (11) recognized the importance of effective political discourse but urged participants to use objective information and complete thorough research before engaging in debates on sensitive topics like immigration and ICE.
“The premise sounded interesting, and I was curious to see what they wanted to share,” Dhanya said. “We talked about the violence that ICE has caused in our community, which they seem to be against. We also spoke about how we believe immigration should be regulated in this country, and we all had a hold over the facts. Nobody was bringing in any misinformation. The consequences of those facts, we interpreted differently. The discussion gave me more of an insight into what my classmates feel.”
