The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
Humans of Harker: Leading with every lesson
Humans of Harker: Leading with every lesson
“For me, discipline can only happen when I try the things that I really like. Since I like basketball and I like guitar, I'm willing to contribute to the discipline. It's not really discipline at that point — it's passion," senior Advay Monga said.
Humans of Harker: Dribble and drive
“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
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
“Life should have variation,” Karena Kong (12) said. "It's boring to live every day, day to day on the same schedule. You should always do what you really want, live by your interests and have fun instead of living by this rigid standard. There's times when you're experimenting, and it's okay to be spontaneous and make a mess. You never know what might turn out.”

Humans of Harker: Karena Kong values variety

by Julia Huang, TALON Academics Editor • October 27, 2017

One shiny steel pot. One block of cheddar cheese. A mission to create cream of broccoli soup. As Karena Kong stared down into the pot, she wondered why the cheese did not melt properly into liquid form. “We...

“I think the biggest thing I was forgetting to think about is what I truly believed in,” Eleanor Xiao (12) said. "Even though I guess I’m pretty sociable, I think that made me scared to be opinionated because I didn’t want to rub anyone the wrong way. Because I was so scared of voicing my opinion, it just turned into a point where I didn’t really have any opinions. For a while, I thought, ‘Oh, I’m just taking everyone into account,’ but eventually, I realized it was just me escaping the possibility of not being liked by everyone.”

Humans of Harker: Eleanor Xiao opens up about empathy

by Megan Cardosi, TALON Student Life Editor & Sports Managing Editor • October 26, 2017

“Hi, I’m Eleanor, and I’m from TALON yearbook.” Accompanied by a sheepish smile, Eleanor Xiao’s (12) classic yearbook announcement opening has become a running joke in the senior class. Her bubbly...

“The kids that look up to you matter the most,” Jenna Sanders (12) said. “Sometimes, they’ll just try to be your best friend. It’s important for me to be not only a friend but a teacher for them. When they had trouble reading, I [don’t] just read to them, but help them how to do it independently. It is really cool to figure out a balance between being a friend and being a teacher.”

Humans of Harker: Jenna Sanders brings heritage to next generation

by Adrian Chu, Columnist • October 25, 2017

Jenna Sanders (12) looks to the future when working with kids and looks to the past when studying her Jewish heritage. “Working with kids is really cool because they value you as someone that’s...

“People might describe me as a troll,” Kevin Xu (12) said. “I guess being lighthearted is a good characteristic to have in general. I've naturally been pretty friendly to people, and they've returned the favor to me. I just think a lot of my relationships are built off that personality—being lighthearted and empathetic.”

Humans of Harker: Kevin Xu solves nontraditional problems

by Andrew Chang, TALON Organizations Editor • October 24, 2017

Kevin Xu (12) leans over the Foosball table on Shah Patio, expertly controlling his players. A crowd of seniors gathers around the table to watch the long periods of back-and-forth as the plastic ball...

“One day I went to India and I saw a chicken's head getting chopped off and a whole line of sacrificial animals,” Aria Coalson (12) said. “I had befriended a goat in the line, and that’s when I realized that they were going to kill and eat the goat. After that, I turned hard core vegetarian.”

Humans of Harker: Aria Coalson advocates for others

by Maya Kumar, Wingspan Managing Editor • October 23, 2017

From the exterior, Aria Coalson (12) appears to be an introvert. She is quiet and values spending time alone, yet she is still keenly observant of her surroundings, always taking note of those who are...

“‘Stand tall and proud. Sink your roots into the earth. Be content with your natural beauty. Go out on a limb. Drink plenty of water. Remember your roots, and enjoy the view!’” Some of the ideas here embodying confidence and not being afraid to try new things, is something that I wanted to experience when I went into high school, and I feel like I’ve successfully done that. When I look at this poster—the reason I have it over my bed and always in my direct view—is to remember: Don’t be scared, because someone out there really believes in you,” Sumati Wadhwa (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Sumati Wadhwa reflects on the human condition

by Darren Gu, TALON Sports Editor • October 20, 2017

“Stand tall and proud. Sink your roots into the earth. Be content with your natural beauty. Go out on a limb. Drink plenty of water. Remember your roots, and enjoy the view!” Something about this redwood...

“I would describe myself to be pretty laid back, but also pretty introverted in a way,” Kevin Tzeng (12) said. “I don’t really like going out of my comfort zones at times, and making new friends is something that I really struggled with. If I get to know you better, then I get a lot more comfortable with you, but at the same time, in the initial stages I really don’t want to get to know other people. My first friend [at Harker] was Vinke [Kevin Xu (12)], because I met him in 6th grade. Having that first friend there enabled me to get to know other people because I was more relaxed around Vinke, so others would get to know me better.”

Humans of Harker: Kevin Tzeng finds escape in other worlds

by Alex Wang, Opinion Editor • October 19, 2017

Kevin Tzeng (12) has one blue earbud in as he listens to music, the other one dangling loose as he tunes into the world around him. What’s on his playlist? Most likely Day6, his current favorite K-Pop...

“I used to be the one who was bold, outgoing, brave, always wanted to be the first person in line,” Ashley Jiang (12) said. “I always spoke in class, but eventually I became that person who sat in the back row. Photography was a means of escape for me. Other than a way of practicing my creativity, I found comfort in it. It was a way of becoming more aware of the world and what’s happening around me.”

Humans of Harker: Ashley Jiang sees the world through her camera lens

by Gloria Guo, TALON Editor-in-Chief • October 18, 2017

Gripping onto the edges of the device, Ashley Jiang (12) carefully raises the camera body to her eye. Pressing her cheek onto the surface of her Canon EOS Rebel T3i, she squints and peeks through the viewfinder...

“In general, I’m really bad at planning really far into the future, because I always think about how much could change and how much will change,” Megan Cardosi (12) said. “I can’t really picture where I’m going to be in the future, so I just focus on what I can control for the next small part of my life. If you keep doing that, eventually you'll look back and realize how far you've come.”

Humans of Harker: Megan Cardosi thinks small to achieve big

by Eleanor Xiao, TALON Editor-in-Chief • October 17, 2017

Megan Cardosi’s (12) presence at school is far from unnoticed. On the volleyball court, she anchors the team as an outside hitter. Behind those reflective journalism doors, Megan attends to three publications,...

“I’m the type of person to look at the recipe, but when I actually go cook it I’ll avoid following it and just go by my own taste,” David Wen (12) said.

Humans of Harker: David Wen experiments in the kitchen

by Neil Bai, Copy Editor • October 16, 2017

Through his hours spent in the kitchen, David Wen (12) has developed his own cooking style. He tastes everything before moving to the next step, seasoning dishes gradually. He believes that a great sauce...

“I just have a different outlook on the world,” Meena Gudapati (12) said. “I’m probably not the only one who thinks this way, but I don’t really think anything is a big deal. Tests aren’t a big deal; the ACT isn’t a big deal; college isn’t a big deal. It’s all fine. The world is so big. Nothing matters. It’s all for fun, you know? I don’t really get worried about those things. They’re all just little bits and pieces, and they don’t actually ruin the world or anything.”

Humans of Harker: Meena Gudapati finds the fun in life

by Sahana Srinivasan, Winged Post and Wingspan Co-Editor-In-Chief • October 13, 2017

Meena Gudapati (12) moves with a rather distinctive gait—toes and feet angled inwards in what’s commonly referred to as the “pigeon-toed” condition. She also speaks with an accent quite unusual...

“One thing that I remember distinctly is that I was in 8th grade and I went to my dad's office,” Rishi Chopra (12) said. “And one of his coworkers asked what sports do I do. I said football, and he said that I was too small for football. This has stuck in my mind. I'll give people credit, because I guess I wasn't so menacing and big at the time. But if people hadn't told me my whole life that I couldn't play football, I probably wouldn't be playing football now.”

Humans of Harker: Rishi Chopra pushes himself

by Vijay Bharadwaj, Winged Post News Editor • October 12, 2017

Rishi Chopra (12) wakes up every morning at 5:45 a.m. A long day lies ahead of him, but first, he must contend with the one hour 30 minute commute to school, back and forth. “I go early in the morning,...

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