The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
“Working on Roobi has taught me how to bounce back from failures, and that problems need to be addressed one bit at a time because you can't just tackle huge goals. I learned to not be afraid of failure because every failure is a step towards success. I try not to look back and wish I could change something because I can't. It's the past. Instead, I look forward," senior Daniel Dorfman said.
Humans of Harker: Steeped for success
“With volleyball and Medical Club, I love working with people. I get to work with people who aren't necessarily in my classes or aren't my friends specifically, but we get to work hard and work together towards a common goal. That collaboration aspect is really important to me," senior Navya Samuel said.
Humans of Harker: Cooperation through competition
“Human connection is very important to staying grounded and stable. The people around me are one of the reasons that I'm not fully burnt out, so I really prioritize keeping a good schedule for myself. Being able to prioritize the things in life that give me internal satisfaction is important to me because that's what allows me to have the drive to do good with the rest of my time. Talking to people is a way for me to replenish," senior Kashish Priyam said.
Humans of Harker: Pep in every step
“It's very important to make sure the people in your life know they're important to you. Whether that's doing small acts of kindness or just being there whenever they need you, having a really strong support system is what gets you through life, and it's a really valuable life skill to have," Sofie Marino (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Pillar of support
“My karate teachers emphasize that as black belts, we should be living up to the standard of our rank and acting as an example for the students who are lower-ranked.' When I’m helping out and someone messes up, I don't necessarily say, ‘You did this wrong, try to do this.’ I take a more relaxed approach and act out what they did a little comically. It's finding the balance between being strict and being more playful with the students," senior Claire Perng said.
Humans of Harker: Playing with purpose
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
“There's a lot of value in every moment and everyone around you. I appreciate people who just appreciate the little things. For me, I feel like everyone you meet can teach you a little bit, and that's something that I've really internalized over the years. I think that's part of why I like being around people and different communities so much. Because in each of these communities, you can learn so many different things from everyone," Olivia Xu ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Purpose towards progress
“I get to choose how much effort and detail I put in, and that’s what you’re going to see in the end. I love that you can see the truth on paper. A lot of my work is in black and white, so I can’t rely on color to cover it up or make it more interesting — I can only rely on my skill and willingness to go into the studio and add to my piece," Katelyn Zhao ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Envisioning the everyday
"I used to think that I have to keep doing dance just because it's what I’m known for. But now I’ve realized there’s beauty behind all the madness that happens. And it’s now a part of me, so not doing dance or not having Legos is like I’m losing a part of my identity," Luke Mehta ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Building with style
“Why not? So many things are very foreign or unknown to us, but there’s not much to lose by just trying things. I initially wasn’t very comfortable with DECA, especially with impromptu, but the community really helped me grow out of that. And DECA is now one of my top high school memories. Just giving things a try is really worth it, and if it fails, the worst thing that can happen is you just try something else," Claire Luo ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: It’s all in the details
"Being a lifer, I really want to put my knowledge to use. Being a TEDx speaker is a really big honor in and of itself, but to be able to actually address the Harker community was really important to me because I wanted to have an impact on the place that I've been at for 13 years," Arissa Huda ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Prescribing change
"I’ve learned discipline: practicing a lot and then knowing what your strengths are, knowing where to improve. That discipline is definitely going to stay with me. If I’m trying to get a big piece of work done in general when I'm interested in it, I'll stop at nothing to reach my goals," Linette Hoffman ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Artistry in motion
"I have this philosophy with theater. I wholeheartedly believe that my life was made for the stage, and all my make or break moments have happened there. While some people learn best through lectures or visuals, I learn best from having a spotlight on me," Zubin Khera ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Scripts to success
"One of the most important things for me about performing is its transformative power. There was one concert where we were singing this commission about gun violence, followed by a piece about climate change, a piece about the Holocaust. Watching the audience's expressions and how they reacted to the music we were singing was the first time that I was like, ‘Whoa, music has the power to change lives and engender positive change,’” Sawyer Lai ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Symphony of spirit
"It’s been fun getting to know the chefs at La Mar, their team and how different cultural influences blend together. For example, they make ceviche, which is a traditional Peruvian dish, but they infuse it with many different cultures. They have a version of their ceviche which is inspired by African tastes and spices, and they also have a Japanese form of that same ceviche dish. I think it’s interesting to watch how these fusion dishes form," Alex Lan ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Flavors of knowledge
Prakrit Jain ('22) searches for new animal species to help the environment and wildlife.
Humans of Harker: Scorpion spotter
Arnav Gupta ('22) moves a DNA construction.
Humans of Harker: Coding for a cause
“[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.
Humans of Harker: Blast of creativity
"Every single person I've interviewed for Humans of Harker has said one killer quote that has stuck with me even through four years of high school, and I think I really do internalize those messages. There are nuances in every single person's experience that makes it unique to them and also makes it a good lesson for everyone else. It's just amazing to see how much wisdom every single person at Harker has, and it's fascinating to learn about those stories," Erica Cai ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: Harmony in humanity
“Something I took away from baseball is that there's always the opportunity to bounce back when things don't go particularly right. Even the best hitters only go one for three, so being able to push through that is one of the most important parts of the game. Being able to identify what goes wrong and learning from that is important to being able to find success in the future," Mark Hu ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: The perfect pitch
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
It's been obviously rough, turning on the news and seeing another death, seeing another acquittal every single time … but, ‘How much can I do?’ is the question I'm asking myself. ‘How much can I help, and what impact can I have?’” Brian Pinkston ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: For the future and the present
“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.
Humans of Harker: Leading with DECA-cation
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
“I feel really good about myself when I'm relaxed and enjoying the world. There’s so much to learn about the world and so many ways to do so," Daniel Wang ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: Mapping the unknown
"I'm the person that always has a plan for everything. And then I have backups for the plan, and I have backups for the backups," Nicole Chen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Calendars for a cause
"I don’t ever intend on letting the internal love of life that I have leave me. As I grow up and I maintain my love for the random things I do, I know I’ll be happy– and hopefully people around me will be, as well," Mathew Mammen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Jack of all trades, master of fun
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
"The more serious side, people will never see. You'll never see who's behind one of these websites that people may be using," Neil Ramaswamy (12) said. "Several freshmen have approached me like, 'hey, you're the really funny guy at school meeting' and I'm like 'hey, yeah, nice to meet you' and at the same time they might be using an application that I've written not knowing that it's me. I kind of get that personal satisfaction knowing that there is a serious side to me, you just don't know about it."
Humans of Harker: Dueling with duality
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
“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.
Humans of Harker: Neymika Jain finds balance in life
“A lot of the time, when I’m out at nail salons, nailers ask me if I‘m Vietnamese. I say yes, but they say that I don’t speak the language and have never been back to Vietnamese, so am I really? I always felt disconnected, like I would be Vietnamese-American but never Vietnamese. When I went to Vietnam for the first time, it brought me closer to my culture. I realized I shouldn’t view myself as a different. I have to see Vietnamese-American and Vietnamese as one and the same," Haley Tran (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Haley Tran values her cultural identity
“One time, I was hiking up this giant off-trail path, and this is going to make me sound like a complete hippy, but what I was thinking at the moment was that every single tree out there must have had some sort of backstory. Even when I was walking to Shah, there was this tree right next to the building, and I was like, ‘Maybe this tree had a lot of other tree friends, but then this building came up and they had to get cut down.’ That made me pretty sad. So, when I was coming up with backstories for trees, it reminded me of my childlike innocence of playing pretend or playing with my stuffed animals because I thought my imagination would never run as wild as it once did. But, this experience made me feel happy because it’s something that I’ve lost, and I feel like I gained some of it back," Aashish Jain (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Aashish Jain finds inspiration in painting through watching Bob Ross videos
“For me, robotics has always been a great way to learn about how to build things and how things work. Honestly, that is the reason why I love robotics. When you see everything working, you look at it and say 'I helped make this happen,' which is really really gratifying," Andrew Tierno (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Andrew Tierno reflects on his passion for robotics
“A lot of being a choreographer is about digging deep, understanding, and finding out which event leads to the next, which is basically what science is. You would take a circuit and break it apart to understand each of the components, and you would do that to a song,” Sneha Bhetanabhotla (‘17) said.
Humans of Harker: Sneha Bhetanabhotla learns to connect robotics and dance
“I can be serious, and I care a lot about a lot of things, but I also just like having fun and people feeling comfortable being their true selves,” Isabella Spradlin (12) said. “You don't have to be one-sided — you can have different sides of your personality, and different moods.”
Humans of Harker: Isabella Spradlin gleans insight from sisterhood
“This is like a melting pot of Cupertino, Lynbrook, Saratoga, some people from De Anza, so you meet all kinds of people,” Rahul Mehta (12) said. “Half the time I’m not even playing with my friends, so I’m playing with random people. You start off in the beginning a bit wary of each other, and then by end you’re playing like they’re your friends. It’s kind of gradual. Like after a really cool play, you’ll high five each other, and that’s how it all begins.”
Humans of Harker: Rahul Mehta befriends others through banter
"People are always debating, you know, ‘should I go up to a higher weight or not?’ And I’ll just yell, ‘do it, you won’t,’" Tiffany Shou (12) said. "And then, you know, it’s like that challenge, and so it always pushes them pick that higher weight, and then they can accomplish it, so it’s even more gratifying."
Humans of Harker Video: Tiffany Shou pushes her limits in the weight room
“First, I start at my house,” Sparsh Chauhan (12) said. “Then, I turn on Saratoga, and it’s always crowded with traffic and stuff. That’s when I’m setting the music, checking the tire pressure, the gas. After downtown, the road gets smooth, which is when I put the windows down. I go all the way down until there’s a dip and then I go back. Even when I have stuff to do, I drive that same route every day. I don’t have to take directions. I know all the traffic times; I know exactly where I’m going.”
Humans of Harker: Sparsh Chauhan takes pride in his work
“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.”
Humans of Harker: Angel Cervantes chases his goals
“[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.
Humans of Harker: Learning to fall
“You just have to go for it. You think, 'In the future, if I think back and regret it, is that how I want to end up — or would I rather just try something and see what happens?' Usually, it turns out well,” Montek Kalsi (’20) said. 
Humans of Harker: All fun and games
“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.
Humans of Harker: Leadership and love
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
Irene Yuan

Irene Yuan, Aquila Co-Managing Editor

Irene Yuan (12) is the co-managing editor of Harker Aquila with a focus on multimedia and social media. This is her fourth year on staff, and she hopes to work with reporters on telling stories through all different types of multimedia: video, podcast and more. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her cat (Milo), reading, dancing and listening to musicals and Taylor Swift.

All content by Irene Yuan
Prakrit Jain ('22) searches for new animal species to help the environment and wildlife.

Humans of Harker: Scorpion spotter

by Erica Cai and Irene Yuan
August 17, 2022
Arnav Gupta ('22) moves a DNA construction.

Humans of Harker: Coding for a cause

by Erica Cai, Selina Xu, Ella Yee, and Irene Yuan
August 17, 2022
"Every single person I've interviewed for Humans of Harker has said one killer quote that has stuck with me even through four years of high school, and I think I really do internalize those messages. There are nuances in every single person's experience that makes it unique to them and also makes it a good lesson for everyone else. It's just amazing to see how much wisdom every single person at Harker has, and it's fascinating to learn about those stories," Erica Cai ('22) said.

Humans of Harker: Harmony in humanity

by Olivia Xu, HoH Managing Editor
July 18, 2022
“For both theater and ballet, you have a set of guidelines: for dance, it's choreography, and for theater, that's your script. But in both, your role is to make those things feel like your own. You're fully embodying the character and making it seem completely organic. You take your own interpretation of the piece and make small artistic decisions to make it fully what you feel is true to the character or the idea you're trying to convey," Arely Sun ('22) said.

Humans of Harker: Stage magic

by Erica Cai, HoH Editor-in-Chief
July 16, 2022
“It’s the mind bending things that I’m really passionate about, the things where you're like, ‘I have no idea why this happens, but I want to figure that out.’ It’s a genuine, ‘I don’t get it, but I want to.’ Or perhaps it’s [that] I don’t want to never understand it. I don’t want to have a topic that I don't understand and never understand it," Spencer Cha ('22) said.

Humans of Harker: Mind bender, music maker

by Erica Cai, HoH Editor-in-Chief
July 14, 2022
Students discuss their opinions on Wordle, which has grown in popularity over the past few months. Fans try to guess a five-letter word updated daily in under six tries, and solving the puzzle has become an entertaining routine for many.

Talk Around Campus: What’s your Wordle?

by Irene Yuan and Arely Sun
April 21, 2022
Head chef of Korean fusion joint K’grill Kyung Yoon points at the menu board. K’grill is located on the fourth floor of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.

Hotel hotspots: LA hotel features food and hospitality

by Alysa Suleiman, Irene Yuan, Sally Zhu, and Erica Cai
April 9, 2022
On nuanced issues such as abortion, labelling people one of two ways is more harmful than helpful, because it implies so many unsaid words.

Pro-nuance: More than just a label

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor
March 26, 2022
“My favorite part [about table tennis] is that it's not just about your technique and your strategy; it’s very much a mental game. Even though you have your club mates and your coaches there, they can't come play for you, so you can't have an off day, because there's no one to pick up the slack for you. It's helped me a lot with being more confident in myself and being able to withstand pressure from [my] academic life as well," Ritika Rajamani (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Taking her best shot

by Lavanya Subramanian, TALON Student Life Editor
March 24, 2022
This is the second installment of Musical Musings, a podcast where Aquila staff members review and discuss music albums. In this episode, Erica and Irene share their thoughts on the soundtrack of Disney’s “Encanto,” released Nov. 24.

Musical Musings Episode 2: Encanto

by Erica Cai and Irene Yuan
March 24, 2022
“I like to see someone else fall in love with something that I care about too. [It’s] that feeling of giving back with what I know. And then, I grow as a violin player, I grow as a tennis player, I grow as a person, so I'm getting a lot back in return," Kavita Murthy (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Music and mentorship

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor
March 21, 2022
“I want to be remembered as someone who hopefully helped other people be better. I want to be a good influence on [people]. I want to be a friend who makes you a better person," Alexa Lowe (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Team player

by Isha Moorjani, News Editor
February 23, 2022
Medha Yarlagadda (10) and Brandon Zau (10) listen to Associated Press (AP) Photo Editor Jon Elswick speak about his background in photojournalism and his role in covering the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol during period three journalism class. “Being a journalist is one of the highest callings that you can have,” Elswick said. “I am always keenly aware that I am sitting in that front row seat to history, and it's my job to tell the story, whether I'm doing it from behind a camera, or from in front of a computer editing somebody else's work that I'm showing, and it's my job to let other people see what is going on.”

AP Photo Editor discusses Jan. 6 coverage with Harker Journalism classes

by Emma Gao and Isha Moorjani
February 23, 2022
Jack Yang (10) chases after the ball.

Live coverage: Soccer teams host Kicks Against Cancer fundraiser

by Vishnu Kannan, Desiree Luo, Nicole Tian, Alysa Suleiman, Katelyn Zhao, Irene Yuan, and Brandon Zau
February 11, 2022
Varsity girls soccer team members Lexi Wong (11), Heidi Lu (10) and Claire Anderson (9) watch from the sidelines before the girls game. The soccer players wrote the names of people affected by cancer on their shirts to honor them.

One of the journalism editor's cats sits on the table. A day in the life of cats showcases the various cats at the upper school and what they do when their owners are not at home.

A day in the life of cats

by Irene Yuan and Erica Cai
February 9, 2022
Kai Due (12) jumps over four other dancers during "September," a song from the 2014 show. The performers of the "September" routine were all senior dancers on the dance teams.

‘Blast from the Past’: Dance production 2022 reimagines music from past shows

by Sally Zhu and Michelle Liu
February 7, 2022
TALON Yearbook Organizations Editor Rachel Ning (11) announces that club photo day will be next Tuesday as the Olivas advisory looks on through Zoom last Tuesday. Class and school meetings will take place over Zoom until further notice.

School meeting recap 1/11/22: National Chocolate Cake Day, stress level and new dress code

by Lucy Ge
January 18, 2022
This is Illiterate Lexicology, a podcast where Aquila staff members delve into the history and evolution of words.

Illiterate Lexicology Episode 1: ‘Commencement’

by Erica Cai and Irene Yuan
January 15, 2022
“[Gardening] gives me a little bit of control over something. Sometimes I feel like I can do all this studying, but I still can’t control the grade or know the questions. But I can take this weed out. I will beat this crabgrass, and then I can listen to music or relax," Ann Ryan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Purposeful planting

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor
January 4, 2022
The audiobook edition of “Chain of Gold” by Cassandra Clare borrowed from Sora stands next to the hardcover edition. This novel was the first audiobook I ever listened to, and it introduced me to a new form of consuming media that I had previously shunned due to misconceptions.

Reading audiobooks isn’t cheating

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor
December 14, 2021
Members of the Harker Dance Company pose in a line in their routine to "Santa Baby." The other routine they performed was to "Chapstick."

Harker performing arts groups dazzle at ‘Spirit of The Row’ show

by Sally Zhu and Alena Suleiman
December 11, 2021
Aaditya Gulati (12) puts his hand on his heart while the all-school choir sings "The Star Spangled Banner." The game began after the anthem with kickoff from Marina.

Live coverage: Harker hosts Marina High School for annual Homecoming Game

by Vishnu Kannan, Alysa Suleiman, Nicole Tian, Arely Sun, Irene Yuan, Desiree Luo, Muthu Panchanatham, Alena Suleiman, Sydney Ling, Ethan Liu, Brandon Zau, Julie Shi, Medha Yarlagadda, Selina Xu, and Esha Gohil
October 9, 2021
Lachlan Rossi (10) throws the ball into the goal above the outstretched arm of an Gunn defender.

Live coverage: Varsity boys water polo team takes on Gunn High School

by Vishnu Kannan, Medha Yarlagadda, Julie Shi, Brandon Zau, Muthu Panchanatham, and Irene Yuan
October 5, 2021
The Harker School Saratoga Campus Parking map in Assistant Head of School Ken Allen's office. Seniors participated in a lottery to determine parking spots on Matriculation 2021, and juniors who applied afterwards could also receive remaining available parking spots.

The art of selecting a parking spot

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor
September 12, 2021
In a poll on Harker Aquila's Instagram account, 41 respondents say that thrifted clothing makes up one third of their closet. Thrifting has grown in popularity in recent years.

Fall fashion: Rise in the realm of thrifting

by Sally Zhu, A&E and Lifestyle Editor
September 7, 2021
Megha Salvi (12) bites into a chocolate frosted doughnut. The senior class council and senior class dean Christopher Hurshman distributed doughnuts to the seniors.

Class of 2022 partakes in annual Senior Sunrise tradition

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor
August 24, 2021
Anish Pai (12) receives a cup of hot chocolate from Director of Alumni Relations Kristina Alaniz. The hot chocolate station included toppings such as caramel sauce, mini marshmallows and whipped cream.

A pair of bronze eagles stand in a fountain in front of Shah Hall. The sculpture, a gift from the Class of 2021, had previously been installed in Dobbins Hall.

Graduates’ gift: Class of 2021 funds new eagle fountain, places near Shah Hall

by Sabrina Zhu and Nicholas Wei
August 17, 2021
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par

Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor
August 2, 2021
It's been obviously rough, turning on the news and seeing another death, seeing another acquittal every single time … but, ‘How much can I do?’ is the question I'm asking myself. ‘How much can I help, and what impact can I have?’” Brian Pinkston ('21) said.

Humans of Harker: For the future and the present

by Erica Cai and Esha Gohil
July 27, 2021

Upper school prepares for distribution day and upcoming school year

by Alysa Suleiman and Irene Yuan
June 2, 2021
“Ultimately, I want to be able to venture into new things and gain a breadth of experiences and perspectives, be able to document and fully appreciate every moment, every memory, every connection, and then pass on that same journey and hopefully make an impact somewhere along the way,” Helen Zhu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Searching for the melody

by Irene Yuan, Multimedia Editor
May 6, 2021
Music Monday is a new installation featuring a different category of songs on a weekly basis.

Music Monday: Dive into literary worlds with Aquila

by Irene Yuan, Multimedia Editor
May 3, 2021
This is a screenshot of my photo album of sunrises, mostly taken from my backyard or driveway. During the pandemic, although I did not go outside much, I found comfort in watching the sunrise from my house in the morning and often took pictures because each one was uniquely different.

How we overcame the unknown of 2020

by Harker Journalism Staff
April 17, 2021
“Cooking has been something I’ve explored during quarantine. I think that cooking has helped solidify a lot of chemical concepts whether it’s hydrogenation, protein structure, the maillard reaction, emulsions, and things like that. It just really makes what might otherwise be any other subject to be more tangible,” Russell Yang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Learning by doing

by Michael Eng, Multimedia Editor
March 16, 2021
“When you're running on your own, there's nothing really stopping you from just walking, other than your own motivation to get better. A major part of cross country is that it's a mental sport because of ... self motivation — learning how to motivate myself to push harder and do better has carried over to other aspects as well,” Aditya Singhvi (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The tracks of community

by Irene Yuan, Multimedia Editor
February 25, 2021
Flags of different countries stand outside a 2016 meeting of the International Syria Support Group. “I think we can all come together and agree that Biden's vision of America is a fundamentally more optimistic one.” Youth Activism Club president Ethan Choi (12) said. “And it's one that values the impact of immigrants so much more so than [former President] Trump.”

President Biden signs executive orders regarding immigration

by Irene Yuan, Multimedia Editor
January 31, 2021
President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to adopt a progressive stance on climate change and to reverse President Donald Trump’s actions. The Biden Administration has also expressed a concern for environmental justice, or the disproportionate harm of pollution on people of color and low-income communities.

Global Reset: Biden pledges a progressive climate change plan

by Irene Yuan and Sabrina Zhu
January 19, 2021
Music Monday is a new installation featuring a different category of songs on a weekly basis.

Music Monday: Sing Broadway with Aquila

by Irene Yuan, Multimedia Editor
January 18, 2021
Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff defeated Sen. David Perdue (R-G.A.), and Rev. Raphael Warnock defeated Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-G.A.) in the Georgia runoff elections on Wednesday, marking the end of the highly contentious election cycle in Georgia.

Democrats take control of 117th Congress amid U.S. Capitol riots

by Lucy Ge and Irene Yuan
January 10, 2021
I like to keep a clean workspace, so my desk usually only consists of my desktop for zoom, my iPad for taking notes, and whatever else I need for the specific class (e.g. a calculator for math). This used to be my mom's desk so I have a picture of my brother and I that she put here a couple years ago.

Stories from quarantine: Our pandemic workspaces

by Emily Tan, Winged Post Features Editor
December 2, 2020
Nilisha Baid (12) pours out the contents of a volumetric flask into a sink during an experiment as her lab partner, Vaishnavi Murari (12), looks on via Zoom. Six out of the seven students in Honors Analytical Chemistry participated in the Nov. 21 in-person lab.

Honors Analytical Chemistry students conduct in-person lab over Thanksgiving break

by Lucy Ge, News Editor
December 1, 2020
Irene Yuan (11) engages in a parent-teacher-student conference with English teacher Brigid Miller on Friday, Nov. 20. This year, conferences took place over the platform Meet the Teacher.

Students, parents and teachers attend virtual conferences

by Lucy Ge, Winged Post News Editor
November 27, 2020
“I used to live in New Jersey for the first ten years of my life, then I moved to California, so I had three different schools ever since coming to California. But my swim team … was like my second family. I knew everybody on the team for a long time. Even newcomers who came to the team later: they were embraced really quickly and [the] bond we had — it was pretty strong,” Matthew Chung (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Timed strokes

by Irene Yuan, Multimedia Editor
November 6, 2020
Judge Amy Coney Barrett gives a speech after President Trump announces her as Supreme Court nominee on Sept. 26. The Senate is expected to confirm her nomination on Monday due to its Republican majority.

Senate Judiciary Committee votes to move Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination forward

by Irene Yuan, Multimedia Editor
October 23, 2020
National security concerns prompted President Trump to issue two executive orders banning U.S. citizens or permanent residents from transaction with the owners of WeChat and TikTok. The orders go into effect on Sept. 15.

WeChat and TikTok to be banned from the United States

by Irene Yuan, Multimedia Editor
September 11, 2020
The Conservatory program held its virtual kick-off on Aug. 26, introducing an unusual year for the arts. “When we had one day to turn around and teach online, it was such an unknown,” said Susan Nace, vocal music teacher and director of Camerata and Cantilena. “Where we are now, it's not as scary, and we're seeing a lot of possibilities because we don't have that fear holding us back.”

“Art has prevailed”: Performing arts prepare versions of shows depending on COVID-19

by Sara Yen, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief
September 8, 2020
“A lot of people know me as the doughnut guy, but my main thing [is] kindness. The doughnuts were just a part of that. Sometimes people don’t have other people to reach out to or to get the assistance they need or the distraction they need. I want to be able to off-set the negative people in the world. It's easier to complain and be negative than be happy all the time, so I’d rather be the happy person that people can go to," Griffin Crook (12) said.

Humans of Harker: You’ve got a friend in me

by Nina Gee, Erica Cai, and Irene Yuan
May 29, 2020
“I want to be remembered for taking my skill set and doing something slightly out-of-the-box. I’m not just a STEM kid, I’m someone who sees the problems in her society and tries hard to develop solutions,” Emily Zhou (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Musical equations

by Amruta Dharmapurikar and Irene Yuan
May 26, 2020
Irene Yuan (10) looked at the fire at Republic Services Newby Island Landfill through her telescope and took this photo at 1:10 p.m. “I was doing some work and then my dad told me [about a fire],” Irene said. “We have this telescope in our house, so I looked through that. From where I was, [the fire] looked pretty big.”

“Dance is a bit easier to deal with that anxiety because I just put all that energy into the movement that I'm doing, but for music, you have to really control it and that's still hit or miss for me. What helped me was when I moved over to horn and playing in the orchestra. There's a bit of added pressure because I knew that people depended on me, but at the same time, it was less. It felt comforting to know that my friends were there to support me also,” Kai-Ming Ang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The humble artist

by Irene Yuan, Asst. Photo Editor
May 11, 2020

Upper school students elect ASB for 2020-2021 school year

by Irene Yuan, Asst. Photo Editor
April 17, 2020
“Volleyball has taught me a lot of discipline in that since middle school, I’ve grown in a team environment so that there’s this team culture of everyone always trying their hardest and maintaining high expectations for everyone around them. There’s also a sense that we won’t let each other down in terms of effort and drive. I’ve definitely dedicated a lot more time and it has become my main sport and main activity so in terms of skill, I’ve definitely developed a lot, but through volleyball I’ve learned a lot of maturity and dedication,” Emily Cheng (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Setting connections

by Irene Yuan, Asst. Photo Editor
April 7, 2020
“I want to combine programming and biology – I want to use computer science to create better tools for disease diagnosis. The research I did was specifically on neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s. I want to do something with my skills to help other people,” Matthew Jin (12) said. 

Humans of Harker: Code over words

by Sally Zhu, Reporter
March 18, 2020
FEM Club officer Julia Biswas discusses intersectional feminism at the second Fem Forum of the semester.

FEM Club holds Fem Forum discussing intersectional feminism

by Irene Yuan, Asst. Photo Editor
February 20, 2020
Attendees at the second annual Student Diversity Leadership Gathering participate in the fishbowl activity. In the “fishbowl activity,” chairs were set up in the center of the room with people of color in the middle and white people forming a ring around them. Featured speaker and organizer Dr. Rodney Glasgow showed three videos to prompt discussion.

Inside the fishbowl: Students explore diversity and race at the Student Diversity Leadership Gathering

by Isha Moorjani and Irene Yuan
January 23, 2020
"Going to school with kids who are ambitious, motivated, curious, just intellectual, is something that is just powerful because I don't think I could have those conversations with anyone else my age unless they also similarly valued education like I do. Something that I’m passionate about is just people becoming more aware and involved in their own communities and just being aware of current events,” Caroline Yager (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Learning art

by Irene Yuan, Asst. Photo Editor
January 11, 2020
Attendees play a medical trivia game during the Evening of Medicine, which took place between 4 and 6:30 p.m. last Friday. The evening's highlights included a plastic surgery keynote presentation, a medical ethics game, and a panel Q&A by Stanford doctors.

Medical Club hosts speakers and interactive activities in inaugural Evening of Medicine

by Amruta Dharmapurikar and Brian Chen
November 14, 2019
The location of the small fire that broke out today on the south side of Interstate 280. The fire, which burned briefly before the San Jose Fire Department extinguished it, released smoke that spread across campus and lowered air quality levels.

Freeway fire brings smell of smoke, unhealthy air quality to upper school campus

by Kathy Fang, Muthu Panchanatham, and Irene Yuan
November 14, 2019
Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas on Aug. 24.

Hurricane Dorian strikes coast: Rebuild process begins after 8 billion dollars in damages

by Anmol Velagapudi and Irene Yuan
November 9, 2019
The quad during lunch today, which was unusually empty due to the large number of student absences. Many students chose to remain home today, following the discovery of a threatening graffiti message in a Dobbins boys bathroom yesterday.

Lockdown drill canceled after discovery of threatening graffiti message leads many students to stay home from school

by Kathy Fang and Arushi Saxena
November 6, 2019
Maddie Hansen (10) converses with her Eagle Buddy over a lunch of burgers and chips on the Bucknall field. The class of 2022 traveled to the Bucknall campus to meet their Eagle Buddies for the first time yesterday.

LIFE, Eagle Buddy events build healthy lifestyle, community for students

by Kathy Fang and Irene Yuan
October 22, 2019
Katelyn Chen (12) and Joel Morel (12) act out a scene from "Seeing the Thing."

Fall play “Almost, Maine” displays the trials and rewards of love

by Catherine Feng and Alysa Suleiman
October 13, 2019
“The way I see it is for as long as I can remember, I’ve been enamored by everything, the concept of everything, and so, I think art is the closest way to achieve infinite consciousness...I feel like that viewpoint—being enamored by everything—kind of affects everything I do," Kismet Singh (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Sketches, doodles, and snippets

by Irene Yuan, Asst. Photo Editor
October 21, 2019
The varsity girls volleyball team huddles during a win against Mercy High School, San Francisco. At Dig Pink tomorrow, the freshman team will play Mercy High School Burlingame at 4 p.m., junior varsity at 5:30 p.m. and varsity at 6:30 p.m.

Volleyball teams to host Dig Pink fundraiser tomorrow

by Anna Vazhaeparambil and Aditya Singhvi
October 9, 2019
During the game against Mercy San Francisco on Sept. 10, setter Emily Cheng (12) tips the ball over the net as her teammates watch on. The varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams all defeated Mercy, winning every set.

Monthly recap: Fall sports go the distance

by Anna Vazhaeparambil, Aquila Co-Sports Editor
October 8, 2019
Heidi Zhang ('19) runs away from two Aragon players with the ball in her hand during the varsity girls lacrosse team's CCS quarterfinals match.

Harker awarded CalHi D4 School of the Year

by Aditya Singhvi, Aquila Co-Sports Editor
August 30, 2019
The 2019-20 Student Directed Showcase (SDS) directors talk to audience members about their visions for the upcoming year. SDS is an opportunity for students to try directing other students.

Conservatory Kickoff marks official start of performing arts season

by Irene Yuan, Asst. Photo Editor
August 28, 2019
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