In 9th grade, senior Eva Cheng left the soccer team she’d been a part of for most of her life.

After starting the sport at age three and spending years at a small local club where she was among the best players, Eva decided to join Santa Clara Sporting, a higher-level and more competitive team. Moving to an environment where many of her teammates outperformed her was both intimidating and transformative. 

“That was a really big decision for me, going from somewhere where I was super comfortable to choosing to push myself and lean into that discomfort because I was really eager to see how good I could be,” Eva said. “It was a big challenge because I felt like I didn’t belong. I felt like everyone was so good, and I was like, ‘why am I here’? I’ve had to grow past that feeling that I’m not good enough.” 

While the increased commitment was challenging at first, sharing those experiences with her teammates built bonds that are now integral to her identity and growth. In both her club and as captain of Harker’s varsity girls soccer team, Eva learned not to measure her worth by how many minutes she played or the criticism she received, but instead began using the challenging environment as motivation for improvement. 

“Being around people better than me really pushed me to put in extra work outside of practice, whether that’s going on runs or doing extra technical work,” Eva said. “I’ve been super motivated by the people around me and that’s why I’m always trying to find environments that will challenge me. Seeing other people doing amazing things always inspires me to push myself and look for other ways I can also improve.”

Through soccer, Eva learned how to seek out challenge as a path to grow. She applied that mindset to journalism, where countless moments have pushed her limits — learning to approach random strangers for interviews and waking up at 4 a.m. on her birthday to photograph an early-morning athlete practice. 

Now serving as Harker Aquila’s Editor-in-Chief, she sees how each experience taught her not only how to go the extra mile for excellence but also the value of connecting with her community, something that didn’t come naturally at first. 

“In freshman year,  I didn’t like people reading my writing,” Eva said. “I was not confident in my ideas and not that connected with my community. Through journalism, I’ve been able to find power in my own voice and find a sense of connection with not only the members within journalism, but also people in our community. It’s given me so much more self-confidence.”

Eva views the connection she formed with the staff as the most integral part of journalism. She recalls the team’s shared exhaustion during long Winged Post production nights and intense live coverage of Homecoming, which she helped lead for two years. The bonds created through collective vulnerability are what define the journalism family for her.

As she leads pitch meetings and manages dozens of articles, Eva hopes to foster the same sense of trust and camaraderie among the staff she now guides. 

“When I first joined journalism, I really looked up to the older members and how they were able to create such a supportive environment,” Eva said. “As I have taken on a leadership role, it’s been really important to me to make sure people feel welcome, and seen and understood in the way I felt. That was instrumental in my development not only in journalism, but as a person, and so my goal is to create the same community for the younger students.”

Director of Journalism and Department Chair Whitney Huang describes seeing Eva grow from a quiet reporter inclined to work diligently and alone, to someone who fully embraces her role as a mentor. She remembers a moment this year when she first announced new reporters would begin their applications for assistant section editor positions. Eva immediately went over to the new reporters, unprompted, sat next to them and opened a conversation to give advice and answer questions. 

“It just made me feel like, ‘OK, I chose the right people, and Eva is one of those right people,’” Huang said. “She brings a lot of positivity if a situation isn’t going well or if someone isn’t doing their work — she’s the type of person who just doesn’t give up hope. She believes in people, regardless of when they make mistakes or when they’re not having a good day. She sees that light in them, and she’s able to be like, ‘Hey, you matter.’”

Navigating her academic responsibilities within Harker along with her role as a highly competitive soccer player outside of school, Eva felt like she was missing a community that could understand both parts of her identity. Realizing there must be others like her, she started the Women in Sports club in her sophomore year to find those people and provide support. 

“I was looking for a place to be able to meet and connect with other people who shared my passions and might be experiencing similar things as me,” Eva said. “I’ve been able to meet a lot of students from other grades or other circles or other sports I wouldn’t have ever interacted with if it weren’t for this club. It’s really interesting how we can bond over shared experiences even though we don’t know each other.”

Close friend and WiSports Co-President senior S Wang reflects on how Eva uses her personal sports experience to connect with others in the club. 

“Having played soccer for so long, Eva is really familiar with how to handle coaches, practices and long days,” S said. “She shows a lot of empathy to our club members and she is able to give some really good advice. Eva knows so many people in our school through journalism and through sports, so many people of different grades, ages and experiences. I can’t think of any person who dislikes Eva.” 

More than just holding speaker events and seminars, Eva wanted WiSports to truly serve as a community that connects people. Through the club, she organizes fun bonding activities like duck-duck-go and works to create a space for people to form new friendships naturally. 

Close friend senior Linda Zeng notes how intentional Eva is about helping others feel included. She remembers a school dance where, seeing Linda standing alone because she didn’t know many people, Eva ran over and pulled her into the circle, making sure she was having fun. For Linda, that small gesture exemplifies who Eva is: someone who’s always looking out for others. 

“She has such a fun spirit, but she’s also so humble and always wanting to help or give her support to people,” Linda said. “She brings out my fun side and my more empathetic side. Being around her and seeing how much she cares about other people made me realize that part of taking care of myself is finding close connections with the people around me.”

That care for others defines how Eva approaches every aspect of her life. She draws strength and inspiration from the people around her, using those connections to grow, and in turn builds new communities allowing others to do the same.

“Across everything I do, whether it’s journalism, where I get to hear people’s voices and tell their stories, or soccer, where everyone’s working together toward a common goal, it’s the sense of connection and community that drives everything I pursue,” Eva said. “In these environments that push me out of my comfort zone and teach me perseverance, it’s the community aspect that helps me do the hard things I don’t think I’m capable of, just to prove to myself I can.”