The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
“Working on Roobi has taught me how to bounce back from failures, and that problems need to be addressed one bit at a time because you can't just tackle huge goals. I learned to not be afraid of failure because every failure is a step towards success. I try not to look back and wish I could change something because I can't. It's the past. Instead, I look forward," senior Daniel Dorfman said.
Humans of Harker: Steeped for success
“With volleyball and Medical Club, I love working with people. I get to work with people who aren't necessarily in my classes or aren't my friends specifically, but we get to work hard and work together towards a common goal. That collaboration aspect is really important to me," senior Navya Samuel said.
Humans of Harker: Cooperation through competition
“Human connection is very important to staying grounded and stable. The people around me are one of the reasons that I'm not fully burnt out, so I really prioritize keeping a good schedule for myself. Being able to prioritize the things in life that give me internal satisfaction is important to me because that's what allows me to have the drive to do good with the rest of my time. Talking to people is a way for me to replenish," senior Kashish Priyam said.
Humans of Harker: Pep in every step
“It's very important to make sure the people in your life know they're important to you. Whether that's doing small acts of kindness or just being there whenever they need you, having a really strong support system is what gets you through life, and it's a really valuable life skill to have," Sofie Marino (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Pillar of support
“My karate teachers emphasize that as black belts, we should be living up to the standard of our rank and acting as an example for the students who are lower-ranked.' When I’m helping out and someone messes up, I don't necessarily say, ‘You did this wrong, try to do this.’ I take a more relaxed approach and act out what they did a little comically. It's finding the balance between being strict and being more playful with the students," senior Claire Perng said.
Humans of Harker: Playing with purpose
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
“There's a lot of value in every moment and everyone around you. I appreciate people who just appreciate the little things. For me, I feel like everyone you meet can teach you a little bit, and that's something that I've really internalized over the years. I think that's part of why I like being around people and different communities so much. Because in each of these communities, you can learn so many different things from everyone," Olivia Xu ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Purpose towards progress
“I get to choose how much effort and detail I put in, and that’s what you’re going to see in the end. I love that you can see the truth on paper. A lot of my work is in black and white, so I can’t rely on color to cover it up or make it more interesting — I can only rely on my skill and willingness to go into the studio and add to my piece," Katelyn Zhao ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Envisioning the everyday
"I used to think that I have to keep doing dance just because it's what I’m known for. But now I’ve realized there’s beauty behind all the madness that happens. And it’s now a part of me, so not doing dance or not having Legos is like I’m losing a part of my identity," Luke Mehta ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Building with style
“Why not? So many things are very foreign or unknown to us, but there’s not much to lose by just trying things. I initially wasn’t very comfortable with DECA, especially with impromptu, but the community really helped me grow out of that. And DECA is now one of my top high school memories. Just giving things a try is really worth it, and if it fails, the worst thing that can happen is you just try something else," Claire Luo ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: It’s all in the details
"Being a lifer, I really want to put my knowledge to use. Being a TEDx speaker is a really big honor in and of itself, but to be able to actually address the Harker community was really important to me because I wanted to have an impact on the place that I've been at for 13 years," Arissa Huda ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Prescribing change
"I’ve learned discipline: practicing a lot and then knowing what your strengths are, knowing where to improve. That discipline is definitely going to stay with me. If I’m trying to get a big piece of work done in general when I'm interested in it, I'll stop at nothing to reach my goals," Linette Hoffman ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Artistry in motion
"I have this philosophy with theater. I wholeheartedly believe that my life was made for the stage, and all my make or break moments have happened there. While some people learn best through lectures or visuals, I learn best from having a spotlight on me," Zubin Khera ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Scripts to success
"One of the most important things for me about performing is its transformative power. There was one concert where we were singing this commission about gun violence, followed by a piece about climate change, a piece about the Holocaust. Watching the audience's expressions and how they reacted to the music we were singing was the first time that I was like, ‘Whoa, music has the power to change lives and engender positive change,’” Sawyer Lai ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Symphony of spirit
"It’s been fun getting to know the chefs at La Mar, their team and how different cultural influences blend together. For example, they make ceviche, which is a traditional Peruvian dish, but they infuse it with many different cultures. They have a version of their ceviche which is inspired by African tastes and spices, and they also have a Japanese form of that same ceviche dish. I think it’s interesting to watch how these fusion dishes form," Alex Lan ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Flavors of knowledge
Prakrit Jain ('22) searches for new animal species to help the environment and wildlife.
Humans of Harker: Scorpion spotter
Arnav Gupta ('22) moves a DNA construction.
Humans of Harker: Coding for a cause
“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.
Humans of Harker: Blast of creativity
"Every single person I've interviewed for Humans of Harker has said one killer quote that has stuck with me even through four years of high school, and I think I really do internalize those messages. There are nuances in every single person's experience that makes it unique to them and also makes it a good lesson for everyone else. It's just amazing to see how much wisdom every single person at Harker has, and it's fascinating to learn about those stories," Erica Cai ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: Harmony in humanity
“Something I took away from baseball is that there's always the opportunity to bounce back when things don't go particularly right. Even the best hitters only go one for three, so being able to push through that is one of the most important parts of the game. Being able to identify what goes wrong and learning from that is important to being able to find success in the future," Mark Hu ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: The perfect pitch
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
It's been obviously rough, turning on the news and seeing another death, seeing another acquittal every single time … but, ‘How much can I do?’ is the question I'm asking myself. ‘How much can I help, and what impact can I have?’” Brian Pinkston ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: For the future and the present
“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: Leading with DECA-cation
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
“I feel really good about myself when I'm relaxed and enjoying the world. There’s so much to learn about the world and so many ways to do so," Daniel Wang ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: Mapping the unknown
"I'm the person that always has a plan for everything. And then I have backups for the plan, and I have backups for the backups," Nicole Chen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Calendars for a cause
"I don’t ever intend on letting the internal love of life that I have leave me. As I grow up and I maintain my love for the random things I do, I know I’ll be happy– and hopefully people around me will be, as well," Mathew Mammen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Jack of all trades, master of fun
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
"The more serious side, people will never see. You'll never see who's behind one of these websites that people may be using," Neil Ramaswamy (12) said. "Several freshmen have approached me like, 'hey, you're the really funny guy at school meeting' and I'm like 'hey, yeah, nice to meet you' and at the same time they might be using an application that I've written not knowing that it's me. I kind of get that personal satisfaction knowing that there is a serious side to me, you just don't know about it."
Humans of Harker: Dueling with duality
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Neymika Jain finds balance in life
“A lot of the time, when I’m out at nail salons, nailers ask me if I‘m Vietnamese. I say yes, but they say that I don’t speak the language and have never been back to Vietnamese, so am I really? I always felt disconnected, like I would be Vietnamese-American but never Vietnamese. When I went to Vietnam for the first time, it brought me closer to my culture. I realized I shouldn’t view myself as a different. I have to see Vietnamese-American and Vietnamese as one and the same," Haley Tran (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Haley Tran values her cultural identity
“One time, I was hiking up this giant off-trail path, and this is going to make me sound like a complete hippy, but what I was thinking at the moment was that every single tree out there must have had some sort of backstory. Even when I was walking to Shah, there was this tree right next to the building, and I was like, ‘Maybe this tree had a lot of other tree friends, but then this building came up and they had to get cut down.’ That made me pretty sad. So, when I was coming up with backstories for trees, it reminded me of my childlike innocence of playing pretend or playing with my stuffed animals because I thought my imagination would never run as wild as it once did. But, this experience made me feel happy because it’s something that I’ve lost, and I feel like I gained some of it back," Aashish Jain (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Aashish Jain finds inspiration in painting through watching Bob Ross videos
“For me, robotics has always been a great way to learn about how to build things and how things work. Honestly, that is the reason why I love robotics. When you see everything working, you look at it and say 'I helped make this happen,' which is really really gratifying," Andrew Tierno (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Andrew Tierno reflects on his passion for robotics
“A lot of being a choreographer is about digging deep, understanding, and finding out which event leads to the next, which is basically what science is. You would take a circuit and break it apart to understand each of the components, and you would do that to a song,” Sneha Bhetanabhotla (‘17) said.
Humans of Harker: Sneha Bhetanabhotla learns to connect robotics and dance
“I can be serious, and I care a lot about a lot of things, but I also just like having fun and people feeling comfortable being their true selves,” Isabella Spradlin (12) said. “You don't have to be one-sided — you can have different sides of your personality, and different moods.”
Humans of Harker: Isabella Spradlin gleans insight from sisterhood
“This is like a melting pot of Cupertino, Lynbrook, Saratoga, some people from De Anza, so you meet all kinds of people,” Rahul Mehta (12) said. “Half the time I’m not even playing with my friends, so I’m playing with random people. You start off in the beginning a bit wary of each other, and then by end you’re playing like they’re your friends. It’s kind of gradual. Like after a really cool play, you’ll high five each other, and that’s how it all begins.”
Humans of Harker: Rahul Mehta befriends others through banter
"People are always debating, you know, ‘should I go up to a higher weight or not?’ And I’ll just yell, ‘do it, you won’t,’" Tiffany Shou (12) said. "And then, you know, it’s like that challenge, and so it always pushes them pick that higher weight, and then they can accomplish it, so it’s even more gratifying."
Humans of Harker Video: Tiffany Shou pushes her limits in the weight room
“First, I start at my house,” Sparsh Chauhan (12) said. “Then, I turn on Saratoga, and it’s always crowded with traffic and stuff. That’s when I’m setting the music, checking the tire pressure, the gas. After downtown, the road gets smooth, which is when I put the windows down. I go all the way down until there’s a dip and then I go back. Even when I have stuff to do, I drive that same route every day. I don’t have to take directions. I know all the traffic times; I know exactly where I’m going.”
Humans of Harker: Sparsh Chauhan takes pride in his work
“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”
Humans of Harker: Angel Cervantes chases his goals
“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.
Humans of Harker: Learning to fall
“You just have to go for it. You think, 'In the future, if I think back and regret it, is that how I want to end up — or would I rather just try something and see what happens?' Usually, it turns out well,” Montek Kalsi (’20) said. 
Humans of Harker: All fun and games
“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.
Humans of Harker: Leadership and love
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
“I like that [debate] allows for lot of creativity. The topics are pretty broad and you can focus on one thing and talk about that. There [are] many different styles that are acceptable [and] there [are] different types of arguments, so you can choose whatever you want to do or whatever you are good at. I like the debate community in general; I have made lot of friends from all over the U.S. That is also very cool,” Emmie Malyugina (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Emmie Malyugina finds a passion for debate

by Nisha Shankar, Reporter • February 4, 2017

Through Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate, Emmie Malyugina (12) deliberates over moral dilemmas in topics from economics to social justice. “I did not get into [debate] until this year because I used to...

“I’m really competitive and I always try my best. I’ll do whatever it takes to get what I need done. I’m really self driven, and I just really want to do well for myself. It’s just doing what makes you happy and doing what you think is right,” Jordan Thompson (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Jordan Thompson incorporates basketball into her everyday life

by Nicole Chen, Features Editor • February 2, 2017

As a middle schooler, Jordan Thompson (12) didn’t make the decision to join the basketball team: her father was the one who signed her up. After five years, her life revolves around the sport. “I...

“Foreign languages increase your scope of communication. It’s the ability to communicate with other people that are from different parts of the world that is interesting for me. I think when you want to learn about someone else’s culture, and if you’re able to do so in their language, rather than conversing in English, that makes it a lot more powerful,” Aditi Maheshwari (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Aditi Maheshwari explores different languages

by Ruhi Sayana, Winged Post Copy Editor • February 1, 2017

As the president of the Spanish National Honor Society, Aditi enjoys learning foreign languages and exploring Latin American culture. Fluent in three languages and in the process of learning a fourth,...

“It’s a lot about bringing the community together, using visual elements to bring everyone together through art, and just to give everyone the opportunity to see that there is a lot of art in life. It’s something that makes life more interesting and something that makes life more vivid," Joyce Li (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Joyce Li uses softball and art to adjust to her new environment

by Anika Rajamani, Reporter • January 31, 2017

Three years ago, Joyce Li (12) and her family moved from Taiwan to the United States, leaving her school, friends and her home behind. She attended freshman and sophomore year at Monta Vista high school...

“I feel like pride is an aspect that drives me in football. Football is just a reminder that when life hits you you get back up and you fight it. I’m pretty resilient as a football player and that ties back to pride because no matter what hits me, I’m going to get back up," Rishabh Nijhawan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Rishabh Nijhawan learns resilience on the field

by Andrew Chang, Reporter • January 30, 2017

Moving from Houston, Texas to the Bay Area was a huge shift for Rishabh Nijhawan (12). Behind his Houston house, his brother would often hold him on his shoulders so that he could watch the football games...

“I have plans to own a horse; I want a Clydesdale. I love Clydesdales—they’re the giant horses—they’re draft horses, and I want to be able to have my own mini farm. I don’t want to sell anything but I want it to be half self-sustaining and grow myself stuff and eat it. A horse could pull the plow and since it wouldn’t be a full blown farm, I wouldn’t need a tractor. I also want a Clydesdale because they also have really nice canters, but it will be tricky because Clydesdales eat a lot,” Marti Sutton (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Marti Sutton draws inspiration from horses

by Kevin Huang, TALON People Editor • January 29, 2017

Marti Sutton (12) has been fascinated by horses all her life. As a four-year-old, she fed wild mustangs at a farm where her mother grew up. As a six-year-old, she started riding horses. As a seven-year-old,...

“I feel like success is reaching all your goals, but while simultaneously being happy and maintaining a balance of being ambitious in what you want to do, while at the same time being happy with what you are doing. I feel that if you are confident in what you have done and not regretting any of it, then you are successful," Kavya Duvedi (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Kavya Duvedi appreciates music

by Eric Fang, Reporter • January 28, 2017

While many high school students find classical music to be boring and monotonous, Kavya Duvedi (12) enjoys listening to the harmonies created, whether it be two or fifty instruments playing together.  She...

“I hope to be remembered as the guy who was always in a great mood. Never really sad and just enjoying himself. I just want to be remembered as that guy whose aura was very positive and just because of him, the people around him were happy as well," Diego Figueroa (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Diego Figueroa emits positive energy

by Nina Gee, Reporter • January 27, 2017

Public speaking is something Diego Figueroa (12) innately enjoys, whether it’s talking in front of a large crowd or something as simple as presenting in front of a classroom. “I feel very in place...

“Most people think that classical music is boring, but I don’t think that’s so. I think they’re possibly listening to the wrong thing or they don’t pay as much attention to it. I guess it’s just surprising because you don’t expect what comes next as much as in pop music, because pop music is more repetitive and standard,” Crystal Jin (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Crystal Jin finds solace in classical music

by Kathy Fang, Reporter • January 26, 2017

Crystal Jin (12) describes classical music a as “close friend” whose personality she is endlessly discovering. “Most people think that classical music is boring, but I don’t think that’s so,”...

“I think that I’ve taken so many classes and I’ve been in so many performances—this year, I was in “Around the World in 80 Days” and the SDS production “The Importance of Being Earnest”—and I think that performing with my friends has been something that has really elevated my high school career. I’ve truly grown passionate about it over the years,” Brandon Stoll (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Brandon Stoll gets into character

by Tiffany Wong, News Editor • January 25, 2017

Brandon Stoll (12)’s adventurous nature often gets him into trouble. Since stumbling off—way off—a trail while visiting a tourist attraction in Germany, he’s often found himself reminiscing and...

“Ballroom is just such a unique sport that I didn’t know existed. What’s even great about it is that when you go to a studio, you see 60- or 70-year-old women dancing, and I’m like, ‘Woah, what if I continue ballroom for the next 50 years in my life? What if I’m that 70-year-old on the dance floor dancing?’ That’s just such a cool thought, and I hope I can do so," Riya Chandra (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Riya Chandra dances through life

by Trisha Dwivedi, Managing Editor • January 24, 2017

“When I get on the dance floor, it’s just a whole new world; I don’t think about school, I don’t think about any of my extracurriculars, college, nothing. It’s just a place for me to do what...

“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...

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