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

“When I watch a kind of strange TV show, its kind of like I dont want to know whats actually behind everything, but then at the same time there’s this strange, ‘You must figure out what it is, or you will be forever trapped!’ Justin Au (12) said. Even after the finale, theres still questions and there’s this pondering of how the story couldve been different or things that you still dont know.”

Humans of Harker: Justin Au uncovers truth through observation

by Arya Maheshwari, Reporter April 30, 2018

From academic pursuits to watching TV, Justin Au (12) strives to observe. Rather than trying to be in the spotlight, he sits back, smiles and watches, just paying attention to the small details and letting...

“Everyone who knows me can attest that I can easily be a stick in the mud, that Im way too uptight, but thats something I really want to learn how to work on, because when you relax and when you stop caring about how you try to comport yourself and when you stop taking yourself too seriously and just let go around a bunch of people who are pretty supportive, you start to learn a lot more about what you like and what you want to do in the future and who you want to be around, Linus Li (12) said. And I learned its a lot less about keeping up a certain image and more about knowing what a kind of a person you are and who you want to be around.”

Humans of Harker: Linus Li takes pride in the process

by Kathy Fang, Photo Editor April 29, 2018

The beats of electronic dance music blare from the speakers in the corner of the dance room as Linus Li (12), with a dozen other dancers, runs an intense hip-hop routine for the hundredth time. Towards...

“Being at Harker so long, theres been a lot of ups-and-downs,” Uttara Saha (12) said. “The first half of high school, I had this giant pre-mid-life crisis. So like, ‘what is the point of this? Do I even like school?’ Or like what I want to do, blah-blah-blah. Because I was in a bunch of hard classes, and they were just drowning me. But, I dont know, I just saw the brighter side of things, and you just have to push through it. And it helps that I got a cat, and that made things better. Now Im a little more optimistic.”

Humans of Harker: Uttara Saha crafts her multifaceted identity

by Anna Vazhaeparambil & Melissa Kwan April 28, 2018

When it’s through her earbuds or through her speakers, Uttara Saha (12) loves to blast the music. She listens to a jumble of genres, the stream of sound interrupted only by an occasional “turn down...

“It’s sometimes hard when I had three surgeries in one year and it was hard to tell myself to keep going, Elizabeth Lizzie Schick (12) said. It would have been easy if I had quit tennis. No one would have said anything to me. But my coaches told me to trust the process. Whatever happens, happens. I just have to roll with the punches. I just have to get back up and see what happens. I did figure it out, so that’s fine. I feel like everyone has a point where they can choose to stop or keep going. And if you do, you look back on it, you’re pretty happy with yourself.”

Humans of Harker: Elizabeth Schick remains unfailingly positive

by Mahika Halepete and Anna Vazhaeparambil April 27, 2018

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Schick’s (12) name often appears in Eagle Update emails, recognized for tournaments won and CCS rounds advanced. But despite being challenged with severe injuries and a choice...

I think were all drawn to life in some way or another because its organic and because its not structured and its just very honest and pure in itself, Darren Gu (12) said. That wildness — that untamed craziness, that passion — is the sublime.

Humans of Harker Video: Darren Gu revels in the sublime

by Heidi Zhang and Melissa Kwan April 26, 2018

This is the second installment of the Humans of Harker 2018 video series. Through this project, the Harker journalism program aims to tell the story of the senior class, one profile at a time.

In middle school, I was always with my friends, Vijay Bhardarwaj (12) said. I dont think I could ever stand a time when I wasnt with my friends. In high school, probably during my freshman and sophomore years, I began to realize that its okay to be alone. Being alone is a good time to reflect more on yourself and do some more thinking about the person you want to be. Being comfortable with being alone was a huge step in finding a home at Harker, because, you know, when I was okay with being alone, I knew how I could be at Harker.

Humans of Harker: Vijay Bharadwaj learns to find contentment in new environments

by Katherine Zhang, STEM Editor April 21, 2018

As a middle schooler, Vijay Bharadwaj (12) was content: content in his friendships, his interests, his community. He had built himself a home of supportive people, a safety net that he could lean on in...

Frankly, Im not a tennis star, Gary Tsai (12) said. I not nationally ranked or anything, so sometimes I feel like I dont deserve to be a coach. I often feel embarrassed when I miss a shot as I hit with students, but surprisingly, they still come back the next time and cheerfully talk to me about school, tennis, or whatever. I recently remembered that my first coach was never a pro player or anything, but he was still extremely helpful to a beginner like I was, so in a way, thats the type of coach I want to be. I sometimes wish I, myself, could actually follow through on the advice I give others, so I can improve my own gameplay on the court. But then again, as long as my students continuously get better, then Im satisfied at the end of the day.

Humans of Harker: Gary Tsai improves his game through coaching

by Alex Wang, Opinion Editor April 20, 2018

When most people go searching for a job, they go through a process involving looking for job openings, attending interviews, and a variety of other steps. However, for Gary Tsai (12), the job search was...

“I think over the past year I sort of just realized that friendships and any relationships in general just come from effort from both parties, and so its really like for the longest time I sort of expected things to come and I think thats like a major problem in thinking,” Randy Zhao (12) said. “I was always expecting friends to want to talk to me. I was expecting things to come to me without having to work for them myself and I think in any friendship or relationship in general thats like the worst thing you can think. There has to be that understanding that any relationship comes form effort from both sides, so I think that couples with my willingness to open up to more people. I’ve started putting a lot more effort into people I care about and people I want to care about me and I think that sort of manifested itself in stronger relationships with friends.”

Humans of Harker: Randy Zhao finds silver lining in brother’s accident

by Eleanor Xiao, TALON Editor-in-Chief April 19, 2018

Slouching in the passenger seat a full day of his summer AP Chemistry course, senior Randy Zhao’s entire summer quickly went into extreme shock. As his mom broke the news to him that his brother was...

Ironically enough, my entire family is descended from English professors, Anooshree Sengupta (12) said. My dad was kind of the rebel when he went into science, so Ive never seen science as something I was forced into or that I was ever out of place in. It was just something I was interested in, and my mom has so much confidence in whatever she does — like I was so shy, but my mom said, You just have to get over it.

Humans of Harker: Anooshree Sengupta embraces spontaneity inside and outside the classroom

by Kat Zhang, STEM Editor April 17, 2018

Anooshree Sengupta (12) talks about research exactly the way you'd expect someone who truly loves science to speak. She's a self-proclaimed "huge math nerd." She reminisces about attempting to explain...

“I started off in Washington State, where I was born,” Peter Connors (12) said. “Then I moved to Oregon, where Jack was born. Then I moved to Southern California, then Minnesota, then New Jersey, and then here. I feel like each time I’ve tried a different type of person. In New Jersey, I was kind of like a screw up, a screw off. I played into the dumb jock persona. I would do stupid things and say stupid things. When my parents told us we were going to move, I was kind of relieved because I could kind of tell that this was not who I was and not who I wanted to be, especially moving forward. I feel like California is the place where the trial and error has come to its highest point.”

Humans of Harker: Peter Connors stays loyal to his friends, his family and himself

by Vijay Bharadwaj, Winged Post News Editor April 16, 2018

With every cross-country move and state border crossed, Peter Connors (12) took the opportunity to redefine his identity. “I started off in Washington State, where I was born,” Peter said. “Then...

“My relationship with my siblings is really not different from others — I dont know, its just that some people think of taking care of their siblings as an onus, a chore for them to do, but I think of it as something happy,” Michael Kwan (12) said. “Like when the mom has the baby it’s like a blessing, right? I think of taking care of them as a blessing as well. And with friends its the same thing — having friends is the blessing, its not like some sort of chore where you have to drive them around and everything, just spending time with them is okay and should not be taken for granted.”

Humans of Harker: Michael Kwan embodies caring role among friends and family

by Eleanor Xiao, TALON Editor-in-Chief April 15, 2018

Michael Kwan (12) rolls up in his black Mercedes 7-seater, sunglasses on, driver’s window rolled down, ready for wherever the day takes him. Impromptu afternoon ice cream run with friends? They can ride...

Music is the most beautiful, true and genuine connection to someone’s soul, Sohenee said. Music is something that transcends all boundaries, all cultures. No matter what language a song is in, you can still feel it even if you don’t know what the words means. Music is one thing that’s been there for me. That’s so cheesy, but I’m a really cheesy person. Music is my compass, it guides me to where I want to be, and it’s so beautiful.

Humans of Harker: Sohenee Banerjee practices everyday acts of kindness

by Devanshi Mehta, TALON Seniors Editor April 14, 2018

Ever listened to the melodious covers of songs posted on Instagram? Or maybe scrolled through captions punctuated with various heart emojis? That’s Sohenee Banerjee (12).   “Sohenee is one of those...

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