Ringing cheers fill the air, the present moment capturing everyone’s attention as students clad in green, white, black and yellow scream their joys and triumphs in a raucous symphony. Organized for students, by students, the Spring Rally brings energy to the Harker community. Witnessing the fruits of immense dedication and collaboration from the Harker Spirit Leadership Team, Arjun Moogimane (12) feels a profound sense of awe, the same feeling that led him to enter the world of Harker spirit three years ago.

When Arjun joined HSLT as a media director, he crafted posts for Harker’s spirit Instagram. He quickly discovered that driving the program’s initiatives, from tug-of-war to winter festivities, brought him a deep sense of fulfillment. 

“I was like, ‘Whoa, this group of people, this organization, really has the ability to make people a little bit happier, to lift people up a little bit,’” Arjun said. “I realized I also get enjoyment from putting on activities and leading events. I wanted to do more here.”

Since then, Arjun has become president of HSLT and devotes himself to improving the wellness of the Harker community through fun and refreshing spirit events that offer a reprieve from academic stress. From decorating for holiday events to generating novel ideas and streamlining spirit projects, he strives to spark joy in students’ long and structured school days.

“We all live very busy, very stressful lives,” Arjun said. “A lot of what I try to do is to bring people out of academic stress and away from, ‘I have a physics test next period’ to ‘Oh, I’m here in this moment, with my friends, making a gingerbread house or having hot chocolate, just enjoying life.’”

HSLT co-adviser Eric Kallbrier works closely with Arjun and watched him grow into a thoughtful and hard-working community leader. A frequent witness to Arjun’s dedication, Kallbrier commends him for taking initiative and leading by example. He recalls an example of Arjun’s work ethic the day before Winterfest, a holiday celebration that HSLT hosted in December.

“I looked out the window, and all of a sudden, I saw a bunch of decorations up and Arjun running back and forth by himself,” Kallbrier said. “And he’s like, ‘I wanted to make sure that every other person on the team saw stuff was set up so that they would then feel motivated to go and set stuff up.’ He didn’t tell anybody else to do it. Nobody asked him to do it. He got up, went and got materials and decorations and threw them up for people to enjoy and for our team to see his example.” 

Arjun’s work ethic is equally evident to his peers. Close friend Sriram Bhimiraju (12) recognizes how Arjun’s exceptional dedication to both his commitments and friends is closely related to his compassion.

“He cares so much about what he does and about the people he’s with that he’ll put in a lot of work to make them feel good,” Sriram said. “In spirit, for example, you’ll see Arjun working really hard, much harder than he has to, and that’s because of his kindness.”

According to his friends, Arjun’s upstanding character is another one of his key qualities. Close friend Mariana Rai (12), who has known Arjun since childhood, recognizes his integrity as a trait that has not wavered since their first meeting, and one that helps him play a key role within their social group.  

“He’s always been the moral compass of the group,” Mariana said. “When we’re having doubts about what the right thing to do is, we ask him for advice. He generally has a good heart and a lot of compassion, so he’s the best person to go to.”

Arjun’s deep commitment to helping others extends beyond the Harker community. Since childhood, he fostered an active interest in politics, particularly in gun rights and mental health care. In eighth grade, he conducted a media internship for his local Democratic Party, which exposed him to local politics and transformed his perspective of the American political system. Now, Arjun keeps himself involved in politics by canvassing, phone banking and running postcard campaigns for the party.

“I got to see how the things that affect people on a day-to-day basis are not decided by national-level political organizations, Congress or the president,” Arjun said. “It also gave me this realization that legislation and politics are a necessary aspect of driving change.”

Politics shaped other aspects of Arjun’s academic career as well. A combination of his devotion to policy and personal curiosity prompted him to expand his studies beyond politics and politics-adjacent subjects.

“I also make a point to take classes that are super interdisciplinary,” Arjun said. “For example, to be the best policy advocate, you need to have an understanding of the things you’re advocating for. If you’re advocating for change in health policy, you don’t need to be a doctor, but you need to understand how health systems work, you need to have an understanding of epidemiology.”

From spirit events to politics, Arjun ultimately aims to help out others. In the future, he plans to major in political science but also wants to continue volunteering as either a poll worker or a campaign volunteer. Arjun hopes to bring smiles to his peers’ faces and improve their lives. 

“If there’s one thing that I try to do, it’s to leave people happier, in a better place,” Arjun said. “If they’re having a bad day, maybe I can pick it up. If they’re having a good day, maybe I can make it a great day.”