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

“Music is one of those things where it’s a universal language that crosses boundaries of age and race and gender, and there aren’t many things in the world like that,” May Gao (12) said.

Humans of Harker: May Gao strives for interdisciplinary impact in her life and others’

by Trisha Dwivedi, Managing Editor March 13, 2017

As a second grader, May Gao (12) indulged in researching the heart in her elementary school science fair, playing knee surgery games and watching slideshows of live surgeries. Now, 10 years later, as a...

“Both art and music started out as such a chore, but I really started to enjoy it, and it became a way for me to relieve stress instead of creating more stress. It’s just really helpful, and there are some times when painting and playing music have helped me so much, and I don’t know what I would have done without them,” Joyce Zhao (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Joyce Zhao learns to love art and music

by Katherine Zhang, Asst. STEM Editor March 8, 2017

As an artist, Joyce Zhao (12) has painted everything from flowers to animals to buildings, using a brushes, paints and paper to bring various scenes to life. And of all the things that she has painted,...

“Times in high school feel difficult now, and you feel like you’ll remember all the highest points and lowest points of your experience, but in reality, the most mundane ones, or seemingly mundane ones will stand out to you most in the future, and those moments aren’t made up of your biggest failures or your highest grade you got in the toughest class. It’s really about who you surround yourself with, and the experiences you chose to have,” Maya Valluru (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Maya Valluru learns of the importance of friendship

by Devanshi Mehta, TALON Business Manager March 7, 2017

Ever since Maya Valluru (12) reached for the same name tag as Maya Rai (12) during freshman orientation, they became the best of friends. Maya Valluru met Illana Goldberg (12) in fourth grade at Challenger...

“Trombone is a male-dominated instrument, and sometimes it is easy to be overlooked. When I went to the audition, I played an orchestral excerpt for [the judges]. They said, ‘Could you play that again, dear?’ I felt really conscious being a woman playing the trombone. I knew that they wouldnt call anybody else in the audition, dear. It reinforced that I always have to be confident and mature, when Im playing trombone because it was patronizing to be called dear in an audition against people who I knew wouldnt be called dear,’” Melinda Wisdom (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Melinda Wisdom finds confidence in playing the trombone

by Gloria Zhang, Reporter March 6, 2017

Oblivious about her future major, Melinda Wisdom (12) picked up the trombone in eighth grade for fun. Though she only played a few months, Melinda introduced trombone to Harker orchestra, when she joined...

“Storytelling is a huge part of our society. I dont think our society could function without telling stories. I think actors sort of take everything that people don’t want to talk about bring it to the light. Thats one of the main reasons I started acting. Theres always something that I can tie to my own life, which is really cool and especially cool when the audience reacts. Becoming a different person is definitely a distraction from everyday stresses and issues, which is very helpful to me,” Zahra Budhwani (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Zahra Budhwani loves storytelling

by Vijay Bharadwaj, Opinion Editor March 3, 2017

Zahra Budhwani (12) reclines on the bench. She opens her scrapbook and carefully draws a sketch of her character for the next show. Ever since she was five, Zahra had a special place for visual arts in...

“One of the reasons I decided to teach was to give back and share my excitement and passion, and hopefully they will also get excited and grow as dancers, and I hope to share my knowledge and my enthusiasm, Priyanka Chilukuri (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Priyanka Chilukuri follows her passion for performing arts

by Nerine Uyanik, Reporter March 2, 2017

Priyanka Chilukuri (12) first stepped into the dance studio when she was four years old, earlier than most of her peers. “I’ve always had a passion for performing and dancing,” she said. “I...

Right now, I have three options that I’m really strongly considering but they’re all so different from each other, like one is becoming a doctor and that’s something I’ve wanted since I was little and something that my parents want, and the other is becoming a software engineer, which is what my brother is doing, and I think that what he’s doing is very cool, but then I also want to become a professional graphic designer. I’m worried that if I go one way, I’ll regret not choosing the others, and it’s a lot to think about, Angela Kim (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Angela Kim explores her interest in graphics

by Sahana Srinivasan, Winged Post Managing Editor March 1, 2017

Angela Kim (12) owns a large, black, bound sketchbook filled with everything from calligraphy practice to logo design drafts. She flips through it carefully, pausing at certain designs longer than others...

“My personal philosophy is now about being open to new experiences. Harker is a really good place, providing you with a lot of support and encouragement along the way. But as we go off to college, a lot of the support, may not be there anymore, because we may not be in such a warm and embracing environment like Harker is. I’m always trying to look for new experiences and new opportunities to grow and thrive, Raymond Xu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Raymond Xu ponders philosophy

by Adrian Chu, Opinion Editor February 27, 2017

Ever since 8th grade, Raymond Xu (12) has analyzed the world through the lens of philosophy. “Philosophy in general has broadened my views for how I can interpret the world and the things going on...

“J Cole said this during an interview with a radio broadcast host, ‘In life we are always trying to set the expectation or be successful, and we’re always in a place where we have to do better to get this and that seems like the main goal in life.’ I’ve got this dream of becoming a something and I want to be successful and I’m just going to keep going toward that dream, but in reality even though that makes you happy, in the end you gotta realize that there are people in your life… In life, I do have my own dreams and goals of success, but you can only get to those points in your life through family, friends and mentors in your life, Will Park said.

Humans of Harker: Will Park redefines success through his life experiences

by Justin Su, Reporter February 26, 2017

Through his life experiences, Will Park (12) has come to certain realizations and developed his own ideology on how to approach life. “Leave no regrets,” Will said. “For me, in life for the past...

I am confused on what you can judge research on because to me, all research is important. How can you say that one persons research is more valid than anothers? To me, thats like saying that one person is more valid than another, or that biology is more valuable than physics, Amrita Singh (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Amrita Singh develops her passions for research and theater

by Katherine Zhang, Asst. STEM Editor February 25, 2017

Sixth graders aren’t normally supposed to participate in the Synopsys Science Fair, but that didn’t faze Amrita Singh (12). Undeterred by being told that she was too young, she decided to do a project...

“Stop caring. First semester of junior year, I was really worried about what everyone thought, and even second semester I was the same, but this year, I’m cruising through life, doing me, and I don’t care what people think of me anymore. I used to be really, really obsessed with what everyone thought, and I tried to change myself a lot, and that wasn’t me, and it wasn’t fun. But this year, I made it a goal to not let what other people do define me,” Illana Goldberg (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Illana Goldberg finds her place despite high school transfer

by Kshithija Mulam, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief February 24, 2017

Coming to a new school is hard enough. Joining a new school as one of only four new kids in her class in her junior year is even tougher. But Illana Goldberg (12) has managed to make her voice heard at...

“People always make fun of me for driving really far ‘just for a drink’ or ‘some food.’ But for me its more than that; its a unique way to experience the world. What can I say? I have a big appetite for culture,” Era Iyer (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Era Iyer explores her passion for singing and her love of food

by Raveena Kapatkar, Editor-in-Chief February 23, 2017

For Era Iyer, singing serves as a mode through which she can relax and have fun. She had her first encounter with music when she began playing the violin to follow her older brother’s footsteps. However,...

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