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The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

Memoir Monday: Baby Brother

Memoir Monday: Baby Brother

by Helen Yang, Reporter January 23, 2017

A chubby-cheeked two year old boy stands barefoot in the center of the photo with a marbled blue backdrop hanging behind him and covering the ground, and brightly colored toys and plushies scattered around...

“If all of a sudden you feel like you can’t live in the way that everyone is entitled to, I think that’s a kind of deprivation that’s unjust, and a lot of why I [participate in activism] is because I want the next girl who's on this campus to feel just a little less uncomfortable and a little more free to be exactly who she is and a lot less apologetic about her nature,” Divya Rajasekharan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Divya Rajasekharan campaigns for change

by Sharon Yan, TALON Student Life Editor January 23, 2017

Feet planted firmly on the ground, hands on her hips, eyebrows slightly raised—Divya Rajasekharan (12) examines the world with a critical eye, constantly ready to enact change. Participating in the...

“In my time as a high school student, I have gone out and tried as many things as possible. I would call 13 year old Arben and tell him to work a little harder and put a little more time into academics, but I don’t regret having all the fun I've had at all," Arben Gutierrez-Bujari (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Arben Gutierrez-Bujari strives to lead a balanced life

by Adrian Chu, Opinion Editor January 22, 2017

Arben Gutierrez-Bujari (12) is a fierce athletic competitor but makes sure to enjoy and appreciate life. “It’s important to do what needs to be done,” Arben said. “Academics always comes first;...

“When you read your own writing, it isn't just words and grammar that you absorb: it's a powerful tool for mental recall. You remember not only the words but your state of mind when you wrote them, and what possessed you to arrange them in one way and not another. Some of my middle school works have actually made me cringe and say, ‘What were you thinking when you thought this would be good?’ and then I'm quiet, because I know the answer. Incidentally, if I ever read the phrase ‘flashing sapphire eyes of icy blue’ again, I'll throw up in my mouth a little," Lavinia Ding (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Lavinia Ding writes from her imagination

by Kevin Huang, TALON People Editor January 21, 2017

From a young age, Lavinia Ding has used writing as an outlet for her thoughts and ideas. She uses her creativity and imagination to fabricate entire worlds, characters and stories that fascinate her. “I...

 “Languages aren’t just this foreign concept; they’re another way of talking to people. I like the idea of the unknown, and I want to make it so that that unknown culture is known to me. I’m attracted to that mystery. I want to find it; I want to uncover it. If there was no unknown, I think I would just be bored. It excites me, and I want to discover what’s behind it," Megan Swanson (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Megan Swanson pursues multiple languages

by Julia Huang, Organizations Editor January 20, 2017

Around 5 a.m. in an airport in Washington, D.C., a stranger started speaking to Megan Swanson (12) in Chinese. The man appeared to be requesting to borrow her phone, and she replied, in his language, that...

“I don’t feel the guard position is all that it’s made out to be. I’ve always wanted to draw contact and be more involved in the battle over the boards. When someone tries to cross a defender up, they usually aren’t trying to get anywhere; they’re just dancing in front of the defender, looking for a mention in the highlight reel. I like getting physical with getting rebounds and it’s something that a player can constantly be doing to help his team. There’s only one basketball to shoot on the court, but every shot that goes up is a potential rebound to be collected," Justin Jia (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Justin Jia distinguishes himself in basketball

by Alex Wang, Sports Editor January 19, 2017

Everyone wants to be a guard, to be the person to shoot threes and break ankles all day. The guards want to be guards. The small forwards want to be guards. The power forwards want to be guards. The centers...

 “My philosophy is that I could die penniless and I wouldn’t care—I wouldn’t care what diploma I graduated with or what percentile my ranking was in my class. I’d rather be remembered for something good," Arthi Iyer (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Arthi Iyer strives to make an impact

by Raveena Kapatkar, Editor-in-Chief January 18, 2017

For Arthi Iyer (12), helping others serves as the driving force for many of her actions. From volunteering with the Humane Society for the past four years to tutoring students at Harker or with Kumon,...

“For me, acting is just something that I love to do, and the feeling when you’re on stage and you’re performing, it’s really unparalleled. And also, I think it’s the entire process that makes me come back for more. You know, the rehearsal process, character development, all of these things that kind of come together to form the final product that the audience doesn’t really see, but the actors spend so long making into their actual character," Chetana Kalidindi (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Chetana Kalidindi appreciates the process of performing

by Delaney Logue, Reporter January 17, 2017

Although her family focused on sports, Chetana gravitated towards performing arts ever since elementary school. “My sister was really heavily into volleyball,” she said. “My dad played volleyball,...

“[My dad] says life is a dot. Everyone is a small speck on the earth, so you have to make your dot as prominent as possible. You have to do everything you can to impact others and yourself while you live," Kendall Ka (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Kendall Ka expresses herself through film

by Megan Cardosi, TALON Sports Editor January 16, 2017

As a filmmaker and a storyteller, Kendall Ka (12) finds herself constantly looking into the future. “I can envision where I want to be in five years,” Kendall said. “I picture myself winning awards...

“One thing that is important to me when I do something is to actually be able to see if it gets results, so I like starting from nothing and then over time seeing the robot get built until the finished product. We actually keep a time-lapse of it, which is something I enjoy watching when it's done,” Karthik Sundaram (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Karthik Sundaram dedicates time in the robotics lab

by Nerine Uyanik, Reporter January 15, 2017

Joining robotics opened many doors for Karthik Sundaram (12). It aided him in his path towards discovering his passion, making new friends and eventually finding volunteer work in a similar field. Karthik...

“[Acting gives you] a chance to be not who you are. When you are a character, no one is looking at you the way they do in real life,” she said. “It’s cool to have an effect on the audience and to grow from that," Mia Giammona (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Mia Giammona develops confidence through performing arts

by Natasha Maniar, Reporter January 14, 2017

Mia Giammona (12) lives by the motto “Fortune favors the bold,” and believes that her self-confident nature has benefitted her performing arts career and mentoring activities as well as her willingness...

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