![“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)
Student-athletes, their family members and coaches gathered for the annual Athletic Award Ceremony at 7 p.m. in the Zhang Gymnasium on May 22.
During the event, coaches looked back on the season, highlighting team achievements and individual students who stood out for their hard work and leadership.
Athletic Director Dan Molin kicked off the award ceremony by congratulating the league MVPs, recruited seniors and six league champion teams: Girls track and field, girls tennis, girls soccer, girls golf, boys volleyball and boys golf. The first award of the night was the Super Eagle Award, which recognizes three-sport athletes. Six athletes received this honor
: Jackson Powell (12), Robinson Xiang (12), Sam Li (11), David Kelly (11), Avyay Ganesh (9) and Hannah Tay (9).
“This award is very meaningful here at Harker, with the academic demands and many other outside interests of our students,” Molin said. “The daily routine of school, practice, eat, study and sleep for nine straight months is a healthy yet challenging routine. These athletes are not only becoming better all-around athletes but better people through the lessons from their sports.”
Each coach took the podium to announce their team’s Eagle award, which goes to a student-athlete voted on by their teammates for their constant hustle and support for the entire team.
Junior Ava Alvarez won one of the two cross country Eagle Awards, and Head Coach Jorge Chen commended her for her positive attitude and commitment to showing up early and leaving late from practice. She reflected on the significance of the recognition and her goals for next season.
“I’m really glad that my team feels that I’ve served them well, and it makes me feel good that I’ve been able to support them and be there for them,” Ava said. “Next year, I’m most looking forward to going to states and competing with my team for one last year.”
Strength, conditioning and physical education coordinator Marlen Castaneda continued the ceremony with the presentation of the Iron Eagle Award. She honored three student-athletes for their hard work and dedication in the weight room throughout the year: Alejandro Cheline (12), Elaine Xia (11) and Mason Tamashiro (9).
“I’ve been doing calisthenics for about one year now,” Mason said. “It’s pretty cool to be honored, especially knowing I’m actually the first golfer to receive the Iron Eagle Award.”
Molin then presented the Athletic Commitment Award, which was given to fourteen seniors who committed to playing four years of at least one sport. Eleven seniors also received the League Achievement Award, which commends athletes who embody those same qualities and earn 1st or 2nd-team all-league honors as top performers in their respective sports.
To end the night, Alves and Molin announced the Director’s Awards to seniors Alejandro, Jasmine Hansra, Sophia Ou, Brady Tse, Eva Cheng, Jackson, Wenjie Zou, Topaz Lee, Marianne Davies and Keira Chang who achieved state or section recognition, played four years of Harker sports or achieved league MVP honors.
“This is my first time coming to this event,” girls lacrosse co-captain and attendee Yena Yu (12) said. “It was really fun hearing about all the other sports and getting to know how athletic awards work at Harker. I was really proud of how I played this season so having a culmination of my efforts and celebrating my last year in the lacrosse program was part of why it was so special.”
