Error.

The word appears on the screen again and again after each run, seemingly never going away. Suddenly, an idea comes to mind. After some tinkering, the solution comes closer and closer. Finally, with just a few simple lines of code, the error messages disappear and the code works perfectly. Aarush Vailaya (’25) chases the feeling of finding solutions to difficult problems, that magical moment where everything comes together. Whether it be programming a new tool for one of his classes or completing a math assignment, he feels a drive to solve any problem that comes his way.

In elementary school, Aarush started to explore gaming, spending hours on Minecraft and .io games. However, he soon realized that he did not have time to become a strong player in every game he found interest in. Instead, he turned to hacking. While the hacking may seem like a flippant activity, over time, it taught Aarush valuable lessons about coding. In his role as an administrator in Harker Dev, he applies these newfound skills.

“Hacking taught me how to manage a large code base,” Aarush said. “Some of the tools I gained from that have helped me do slightly more useful things. I’m an admin for Harker Dev, and one of the things I have to do is make sure the food court program doesn’t go down. The things I learned hacking video games can be applied in general.”

Aarush joined Harker Dev to find a platform to work together with his peers to make campus life easier with different programs. His experience in the club enabled him to develop his programming and interpersonal skills.

“There are two ways I’ve improved through coding,” Aarush said. “One of them is just skill in general. Before, I wasn’t patient. I think in a mathematical manner, but a large part of the process is patience. The other way I evolved was collaboration. It’s really easy to program on your own. It’s a different story to work with others on a shared code base, because other people don’t understand the code you write unless you document it.”

Computer science teacher Anu Datar taught Aarush for the first time when he was a frosh, where she immediately noted his innate curiosity and love of learning. When he took her Compilers class in junior year, she could see his drive for programming develop throughout the years.

“He’s tremendously self-driven,” Datar said. “That makes him stand out. I have had many interesting conversations with him because frankly, although I’m a teacher and I’m supposed to teach students, there are many students who end up teaching me a lot of things. He is definitely one of those.”

Aarush continues to find interest in programming because of how helpful it is in solving problems. In his junior year biology class, he programmed a tool to fix a problem on Excel, and he impacts his peers and teachers by creating useful tools for them. 

“I view programming as a tool,” Aarush said. “When I see a problem, I’m like, ‘Okay, I could code a solution to it’. In everything I do, even my hobbies. It’s a natural tool in my toolbox, and it opens up solutions to problems that otherwise can’t be solved.”

Close friend Neil Krishnan (’25) notices Aarush’s affinity for cracking codes. They met in a math club in middle school, bonding over their love of competition math. Aarush inspired Neil to explore more difficult math problems to which they found solutions together.

“He’s very funny,” Neil said. “I remember when I first met him he would always crack jokes. He’s also smart and hardworking. He can solve very difficult problems.”

Math underlies Aarush’s programming framework, and he approaches his problems with a mathematical mindset. Growing up, his parents often showed him theorems, piquing his interest in the subject. He specifically became interested in the niche of theoretical math, the study of abstract mathematical concepts, and he often spends hours every week researching different math problems.

Math department chair Anthony Silk, who taught Aarush AP Calculus BC in sophomore year, testifies to his unique mindset and understanding of math.

“He looks at problems in ways that other students do not, specifically within math,” Silk said. “He stands out because he can recognize abstract issues that not a lot of people can see. His brain is just running in all sorts of directions and that allows him to see things the way others cannot see.”

Inspired by his parents and teachers, Aarush aims to teach younger students the beauty in math, volunteering with ParagonX Academy. While math is often known as a difficult and dreary subject, he wishes to show other people that solving problems can be quite enjoyable.

“The reason why I want to impart knowledge to others is because as I was growing up, I was in a community where people were constantly telling me and showing me cool theorems and ideas,” Aarush said. “That has changed the way I think. It’s a really valuable way to give back to the community, and I enjoy it because I was in their shoes as well. I was someone who learned these theorems, so I feel a sense of connection with the people I teach.”