![“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)
Backstage before his cue in last year’s spring musical, Daniel Miao (’26) is busy cracking jokes and having fun with his castmates. As he steps out from the wings, however, he bursts into the serious, straight-laced and constantly angry Lt. Brannigan in the chaotic world of “Guys & Dolls.” To the theater community, he serves as a dependable upperclassman who never fails to cheer others up in the Student Directed Showcase (SDS), Downbeat, Rhapsody, International Thespian Society (ITS) and the spring musical.
Drawn to the emotional aspects of theater, Daniel began performing arts in eighth grade in the fall play as the Great Prognosticator from “The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra Go!” During the following summer in the Summer @ the Conservatory, he immersed himself into the role of Shere Khan from the “Jungle Book,” beginning a streak of castings as big and explosive characters.
“I initially got into theater because it was super fun,” Daniel said. “It allowed me to explore a different artistic side of myself that I didn’t really get to know that well. But as it continued on, I began to enjoy more and more the community.”
In ninth grade, he participated in the Fringe, a quadrennial program where the musical goes to Scotland to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as part of the cast for the spring musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Daniel pinpoints this two week overseas bonding experience with the cast as a turning point of his theater journey.
“Those two weeks in Scotland are what really took theater beyond just a hobby or your average arts extracurricular for me,” Daniel said. “It really caused me to realize why I love theater: its community and the art.”
This year, as one of the four selected SDS directors, Daniel directed “April Fish,” a fast-paced comedy about an Italian family in New York trying to fix a hole in their wall in increasingly absurd circumstances. Through his role of director, he wishes to inspire others to join theater through acting.
“I’m just hoping to get the next generation of people into theater because SDS is a program that’s less about the shows and more about the people,” Daniel said. “Some of the cast are trying it for the first time, and it’s just a really nice experience to get people into theater, which is why I love it so much.”
Director of Performing Arts Laura Lang-Ree, who teaches Daniel in SDS and directs the spring musical, underscores how Daniel gives his all on scenes and songs he works on and how he brings a calm focus and genuine enthusiasm to the theater community.
“He was always excited to go see everything and was so polite and so kind and so thoughtful.” Lang-Ree said. “He’s one of those people that never fails to say thank you, to send you a thank you card with words that actually mean something, and that’s a gift. It’s a really, really rare quality that a person can be so enthusiastic about what they’re doing and so generous with the way that they show their gratitude to the world.”
Close friend Charlotte Ludlow (’26) attests to how Daniel provides joy to the community while being a responsible leader in the ITS.
“He definitely adds so much to the theater community since he’s so fun and funny to be around,” Charlotte said. “He’s a goofball and he makes rehearsal so fun. He is also really responsible: In ITS he will always make sure we know what we are doing during our meetings and he’s always on it.”
Close friend Henry Fradin (’26) describes him as a caring and cheerful castmate. He distinctly recalls going to a small thrift shop during the Fringe with Daniel and playing poker on the in-flight-entertainment systems on the flight to London.
“He could always cheer people up, and he’s never really in a bad mood himself,” Henry said. “He’s never too serious unless it’s needed for him to be, and he’s very focused whenever it comes down to it. He’s someone that you can really talk to and trust with information.”
Outside of theater, Daniel also explores physics and computer science, building things through code that can impact the world and analyzing ethics and security in artificial intelligence. Through his pursuits in both the arts and sciences, he transcends perceived barriers between the two, and he encourages others to do the same.
“The main legacy I hope to leave at Harker is to inspire the next generation of performers and to inspire other dual STEM and theater kids who want to do both to a really high level,” Daniel said. “It’s not an ‘either or.’ It’s not a ‘because you’re this, you can’t do that’ type of thing.”
