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

“I play golf because I love it. I dance because, well one, it’s exercise, and two, I love it. I love music; I love dancing; I love moving; I love movement. It makes me feel good. That’s one thing that I truly believe in,” Victor Shin (12) said. “If you’re going to do something that you don’t like, and it doesn’t make you feel good, then why do it? Don’t do it. It makes me feel good; that’s why I do it.”

Humans of Harker: Victor Shin lives colorfully

by Varsha Rammohan, Reporter March 21, 2018

“Colorful, loud, spontaneous, not afraid to do anything, loud,” Victor Shin (12) said, pausing after his attempt to describe how others perceive him. “Did I say loud?” Everything from his pastel...

During summer, I had an internship in [San Francisco], and I brought my junior mentality with me, so I was trying to be perfect and I was stressed about everything, Preethi Madabusi (12) said. The manager sat me down and we had a performance review, so he was analyzing my performance and he said that I was a really hard worker but there was one thing I needed to fix, and that was that I needed to calm down. He said that I tried to be perfect and no one can be perfect. Thats when I realized if other people can notice that about me, thats something I should really change.

Humans of Harker: Preethi Madabusi opens up during conversations

by Shreya Srinivasan, Reporter March 19, 2018

Preethi Madabusi’s (12) English teacher, Mr. Christopher Hurshman characterized Preethi as a “gentle soul.” “She is very ready and eager to see other people’s perspective and to extend empathy...

“Ive been to schools that have medical detectors outside the door, and Ive been to schools where you cant wear purple because of gang affiliation. And then Ive been to schools where it was normal for your nanny to come pick you up,” Shea Tuli (12) said. “Ive seen so much in my life in the ten schools that Ive been to, and I got to experience so many different, not places, but backgrounds. Its make it so much easier to talk to a person, to relate to them, because at some point in my life, Ive probably been in the situation that theyre in. Regardless of what state, school, ethnicity, Ive had that interaction before.”

Humans of Harker: Shea Tuli’s dynamic background strengthens her connections with others

by Sara Yen, Reporter March 18, 2018

“I've been to schools that have metal detectors outside the door, and I've been to schools where you can't wear purple because of gang affiliation. And then I've been to schools where it was normal for...

“I grew up with a single mom, Vince Vu (12) said. It really shaped me to be more responsible. She’s a really good role model. Even when she’s not there, I’m thinking about what she would want me to do. My mom’s success drives me. She was a refugee. She wasn’t born here. Just seeing what she can accomplish, just her, is truly what drives me to work hard at this school and pursue a further education.”

Humans of Harker: Vinny Vu creates his personal brand

by Devanshi Mehta, TALON Seniors Editor March 17, 2018

If you spot a clean pair of shoes and an outfit crafted to fit the street style aesthetic, it’s probably Vince “Vinny” Vu (12). Often referred to by the nickname Vinny, he is most noted for his...

It’s happened a couple of times where I sang in outside of school choirs, and I didn’t know anyone there, so then I get to know those people through the music, like ‘how are you singing this part,’ or ‘are you crescendoing, what are you doing?’ Jessica Susai (12) said. With choirs, I feel really good that I can be in this group of people, and we can perform and make others feel something. It’s a feeling of making other people feel the emotions the songs convey. A lot of the time, you can’t really make people feel emotions like that except with an art form like singing.

Humans of Harker: Jessica Susai finds her place in the chorus of voices

by Anoushka Buch, Reporter March 12, 2018

Everything is silent, and spotlights slowly brighten on a semicircle of young women in matching floor-length dresses. One girl begins to sing, and gradually, others join in until the whole room is alight...

“Nowadays, a lot of the times the way female characters are interpreted or written are sort of whiney, Jessie Skinner (12) said. There’s only three things that they can be like: The fat best friend —been her, the nagging wife — been her also, or the super dumb blonde. . . These roles that are mostly portrayed as a not nice female word. [I believe in] bringing in these points of view that are ignored. You just have to find that the sliver of message in every show.”

Humans of Harker: Jessie Skinner imbues her plays with activism

by Gloria Zhang, Asst. Features Editor March 11, 2018

She may be performing in a setting of a mental asylum as a 2018 student director or dancing towards the chapel in a sparkly silver dress in the annual dance production, but Jessica “Jessie” Skinner...

My old backpack broke, and my mom was buying me a new one. She was like, ‘Oh, it’s a rainbow backpack, it’s gay like you.’ and I was like, ‘Oh, yes it is, Alix Robinson-Guy (12) said. So now I have my rainbow backpack and it’s very distinctive. I feel like I’m really straightforward, so a lot of the things that people assume about me turn out to just be right. There’s not really a lot of layers going on here. It’s all on the surface, I’m an open book.

Humans of Harker: Alix Robinson-Guy embodies the rainbow

by Anvi Banga, Aquila Asst. News Editor March 11, 2018

Outside Manzanita, Alix Robinson-Guy (12) squats on a chair while strategically eating her Skittles. Carefully tearing open the fun-sized packet, she pours them all in one hand and gently sifts through...

“I guess probably the best role model that I have, at least from Harker, is Mr. Lepler, Arindam Ghosh (12) said. He told me to ‘understand, dont memorize.’ I think thats universally applicable, no matter what youre doing. If you actually understand a concept, whether it’s biology or math or even history, you can actually understand a trend like, ‘Why are these things repeating over time?’ Youll understand the content better, and you feel a lot more accomplished at the end of the course if you learned something.”

Humans of Harker: Arindam Ghosh broadens his perspective

by Varsha Rammohan, Reporter March 9, 2018

Arindam Ghosh (12) is a familiar sight at Rancho San Antonio County Park, where he spends his weekends relaxing and soaking in the mountainous scenery. “When I was younger, my parents just took me...

“My culture is really important to me, Aman Ahluwalia said. Personally, I think that just by being or looking different, I am able to inherently be more outgoing with myself and take risks that I may have not taken if I just felt normal. I’ve used opportunities that have come up to meet new people instead of shying away from it because I’ve realized, people probably remember me easier and are probably just as curious to learn about me or to meet me as I am to meet them.

Humans of Harker: Aman Ahluwalia lives large

by Zoe Sanders, Reporter March 8, 2018

It was Mavericks, Half Moon Bay — stormy season. Adrenaline rushing, Aman surfed a 35-foot wave for the first time, eclipsing his previous record by 20 feet. “I accepted the fact that if I wiped...

“When I was younger, in sixth or seventh grade, I used to shy away from talking to other people even if they were even my own peers, Sushant Thyagaraj (12) said. I would always be the kid who goes to school, just does his thing there, and comes home. It used to be a really regular cycle, and I used to be more comfortable with my own thoughts than talking to other people. But then all of a sudden when I took my yoga teacher training course to become this yoga teacher, that’s when I actually began interacting more with my peers, which eventually led me to break down that shell that was blocking me off from the rest of the world and talking with other people.”

Humans of Harker: Sushant Thyagaraj practices yoga to stay grounded

by Nilisha Baid, Reporter March 8, 2018

Breathing, yoga poses, relaxation prayers — Sushant Thyagaraj (12) has followed a similar yoga routine ever since he was five years old. The stressors may have shifted over time, but the process remains...

“Twenty-six point two-five miles, Karen Bauschlicher (12) said. That’s an insane distance. That’s halfway between San Jose and San Francisco. I was proud of myself, and so was my dad. I couldn’t walk for two weeks, since your muscles go into shock and you can’t walk, but it was worth it.”

Humans of Harker: Karen Bauschlicher goes the distance

by Arushi Saxena, Reporter March 6, 2018

Karen Bauschlicher (12) began training for her first marathon the summer before senior year. “Over the summer, they told us to do something meaningful, and I didn’t know what meaningful was,”...

“Everyone around me needs to be constantly smiling and happy and giggling and bouncing off my energy,” Jenna Sadhu (12) said. “Otherwise, I didnt do my job for the day.”

Humans of Harker: Jenna Sadhu embraces laughing out loud

by Meena Gudapati, Editor-in-Chief March 5, 2018

Walking past the lunch tables, classrooms, or any lounge area on campus, if you catch sight of warm, smiling green eyes and hear a fruity, characteristic laugh, you've spotted Jenna Sadhu (12). When...

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