![“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)
When asked how stargazing helps people on Earth, senior Eric Dong explains that the lofty principles of physics he explores through the lens of his telescope apply equally to clean energy production and commercial aviation. He points out that the curiosity astronomy instills in a child spotting Jupiter for the first time can contribute to a lifetime of meaningful learning and innovation.
Growing up in Kansas, Eric learned about astronomy through YouTube videos in elementary school and quickly became interested in the mathematics and physics used in cosmology. He recalls his fascination with the universe driving him to pursue more advanced coursework and believes that his volunteer teaching efforts at ParagonX, a STEM education nonprofit, will similarly empower and inspire his students. Last year, his thermodynamics course attracted Cameroonians, Belgians and Indians in addition to Americans.
“Teaching physics appeals to me because it opens a lot of doors for a really diverse range of people,” Eric said. “I wanted to develop my students’ curiosity and show them what they could do scientifically. Teaching exposed me to diversity that I couldn’t find within the Harker bubble.”
Having long been fascinated by the many ways physics underlies human progress, Eric is inspired by the seminal contributions of legendary scientists like Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei. He observed that many highly influential findings stem from self-guided experimentation and expressed hope that his curiosity will lead him to other impactful discoveries.
“One of the main things that has made humanity and society advance is physics, from rockets to computers,” Eric said. “Everything has been the result of people just thinking about questions that interest them and having fun. Physics is really abstract sometimes, but I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think my efforts could amount to something useful.”
Senior Jaden Fu and Eric have been close friends since meeting in their Honors Precalculus class as freshmen. Jaden expresses that Eric’s love of physics motivated him to explore more deeply its applications and adds that Eric’s quest for understanding reaches far beyond classroom assessments and homework assignments.
“He talks and cares a lot about how physics can help people, and that’s definitely inspired me,” Jaden said. “I want to apply physics to create systems that are ethical, and conversations with him have shaped that interest.”
English teacher Nicholas Manjoine taught Eric in Honors English 3 last year and describes him as possessing a quiet intensity. Elaborating on Eric’s interest in the humanities, he reflects upon Eric’s unique strength of grappling with complex issues from a wide range of perspectives.
“He was always raring and ready to go, excited to learn and express his thoughts,” Manjoine said. “He always tried to work on his skills and expresses himself really freely. He embraced risk taking and rose to the challenge of engaging with hard-hitting content in a really dynamic and respectful way; he excelled at responding to and honoring many of the minority voices American literature features.”
Close friend senior Erika Wang detailed Eric’s involvement as principal clarinet of Harker’s orchestra. She highlights his mentorship of other clarinetists as particularly inspiring.
“The passion he has for everything he does totally extends to his music,” Erika said. “The reason that many people, including me, enjoy orchestra is because the culture is really casual. It’s really important for a principal to support a close-knit community by maintaining balance between seriousness and having fun. Eric takes on a lot of responsibility because he has a lot of solos, but he also ensures that other clarinetists enjoy performing.”
Whether making music on stage, watching the sky from his yard or teaching principles of astronomy in Nichols 310, Eric hopes to continue contributing to the communities he belongs to. Although he acknowledges that he’ll likely face a number of obstacles en route to his long term goal of studying nuclear fusion and high-energy particle physics, he’s confident that he’ll be able to overcome them.
“There have definitely been moments when I wanted to stop doing math and physics because I just didn’t think I could get anywhere,” Eric said. “I thought, ‘These other people are so smart and I’m trying so hard.’ But I know now that I wanted to study physics because there’s a lot of good to be had if I keep doing it.”
When looking back at such challenges, Eric reminds himself why physics fascinated him all those years ago. He’s captivated by the prospect of helping others, both as a researcher and as a teacher.
“We all have the freedom to decide what we want to do with our own lives, and I’m just excited by everything physics enables,” Eric said. “Even people I can’t talk to, I can impact by practically applying what I’ve learnt and will learn.”
