![“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)
LIFE Board hosted the finals of the 3v3 basketball tournament during school meeting to give students a break from academics and upcoming exams on April 30.
Yash Belani (11), Babila Mfonfu (11) and Lucas Huang (10) competed against Stephen Gao (9), Ethan Xu (9) and Eric Zhang (9) for first place. The teacher team, featuring academic counselor Jonah Alves, biology teacher Matthew Harley, Assistant Upper School Division Head Kelly Horan, English teacher Christopher Hurshman and Assistant to Assistant Upper School Division Head Eric Lee, played against Jillian Chen (10), Danya Arun (9) and Finley Ho (11) for third place. Stephen, Ethan and Eric ultimately won first and the teachers won third.
LIFE Board Physical Wellness Committee member Aanya Sharma (11) explained the value of physical exercise especially during exam season.
“We know that with APs and finals coming up, a lot of people are likely super stressed right now,” Aanya said. “Physical exercise has been proven to improve brain function, so if you find yourself unable to focus on studying, any form of exercise is a great way to re-energize. We wanted to provide a fun, competitive game for spectators to enjoy.”
History teacher Jonathan Rim helped the physical wellness committee navigate scheduling conflicts for the tournament. He highlighted the event’s ability to unite both the players and the audience.
“Students were engaged, the atmosphere was positive, and the event gave everyone a chance to come together as a community,” Rim said. “Overall, I thought it was a fun event and something that could become a meaningful school tradition.”
The preliminary round for the basketball tournament took place on April 16 during long lunch.
Aanya emphasizes how the basketball tournament during both the preliminary round and final round gave students the opportunity to relax and expresses hopes to expand the event in the future.
“My favorite part about the event was seeing everyone in the crowd cheering and looking very interested while the games were happening, which is really nice and warm to see,” Aanya said. “I think the event was very successful and we plan to host this event next year as well but instead of playing basketball we’re gonna be playing football.”
