To photograph is to fiddle with the scale of the world. To collect photographs is to collect tokens of the world. It’s an illusion of depth, an art of perspective, for photographs give people an imaginary possession of the past. And with one click, Anay Karwal (12) captures the vibrancy of the photo, breathing life into a moment frozen in time. Not only does he take photos of sunsets and nature for fun, but he utilizes this hobby to contribute to the Harker community, photographing various events at DECA conferences – a club he’s been engaged in since freshman year.

Anay taught himself photography before joining Joshua Martinez’s photography class in his sophomore year. His skill with a camera expands beyond just photography, founding the “multimedia club” of which he is currently the co-President. 

“I love how photography allows you to destress a lot. It’s a really good way to let you forget about all the problems you have. It allows you to see the world through a different lens. Literally. You can express more objective and subjective views,” Anay said. 

He also expresses himself through his clothes, linking both his passion for fashion and photography together by launching his own company called “Persona,” an app that automatically recommends outfits and brands to users based on their existing wardrobe and fashion preferences. His interest in economy and business led him to take the incubator class this year with the hopes of attaining an experiential perspective on entrepreneurship. 

“Be different. It’s really important for you to have your own personality and interests,” Anay said. “That’s part of the reason why I called my company Persona because I feel like you have to have your own unique persona where you can have your own beliefs, have your own perspectives.” 

With expression comes exploration. And with exploration comes freedom. Freedom to explore, to experiment, to create a sense of individuality. That’s another thing Anay loves about photography and clothes. 

“With the freedom you have with a camera, you can experiment with different stuff.  Each person has their own confidence and each person has their own sense of style which I think is important to showcase. Clothing is another way for people to articulate what they own and what their beliefs are,” Anay said. 

Michael Acheatel, one of the Business and Entrepreneurship teachers, has known Anay since he took the Principles of Business class. He’s watched Anay transform from a “squirrely little guy” to a person with a strong work ethic and focus. 

“Anay’s always had a lot of energy but he’s much more able to focus that energy into what his passions are. He’s really able to strike a good balance between [work] and [play]. He has a good work ethic but doesn’t take everything too seriously [and] knows when he needs to buckle down and when he can just have fun with the situation,” Acheatel said.  

One of the most defining factors in his life was moving to Harker in ninth grade from Challenger School. Moving from a school of around forty people per class, Harker taught him how to branch out and talk to more people. 

“Harker made me more open because at the beginning of freshman year I probably only had one friend from my old school. It really afforded me opportunities to develop my personal communication skills. And with all the academic opportunities they have it’s really instilled that confidence in me to have what I want and I’m really grateful for that,” Anay said. 

He and Ishaan Chandra (12) both took the Principles of Business class with Acheatel in their freshmen year, forging a friendship that only strengthened ever since. They’ve continued to bond through DECA, rooming together at every conference.

“He’s really passionate about everything he does and when he loves something he’ll put all his efforts into it. He’s compassionate and he’s always there to help. He definitely knows what he likes and how to get what he wants, which is what I really admire about him,” Ishaan said.  

Phil Han (12), Anay’s close friend since second grade, has watched him grow as a person and as a leader. 

“He gives off his own special kind of energy that compels you to not only be more relaxed and comfortable around him but also more driven in any way possible,” Phil said. “He’s very transparent in the sense that he knows when it’s time to have fun and joke around but he can also switch sides completely and become someone who can sit down and have a deep conversation with you whenever you need [it]. He’s very accountable and someone who’s willing to listen to you and give you advice.” 

Not only does Phil strive to see Anay become a prosperous businessman, but he also wishes that he finds a way, no matter how absurd, to connect and integrate his various hobbies and passions. 

“Honestly, coming from the bottom of my heart, I hope he’s successful in anything that he does. As of right now, his goal is to be an amazing photographer and businessman and somehow use those two in unison to do something crazy. I hope he finds that something crazy that he wants to do and does as well as he can at it,” Phil said. 

Anay’s ultimate goal is to bring these skill sets he developed in high school with him to college and beyond, aiming to start his own company in the future. But for now, his aspirations are more personal. 

“I want to be remembered as a nice guy. A person who’s open to a lot of people. There are so many more people at this school that I haven’t had the chance to speak to, and I feel like they’re all really interesting people. Just being an approachable nice person is what I want to be remembered for,” Anay said.