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 really like bonding with people of different mindsets, different cultures. All these different cultures around the world, theyre distant in the fact that you almost dont even know if the culture exists if you dont understand their language. Once I went to Japan and started studying the language, so many different aspects of their culture just made themselves apparent to me. It was like a whole new world,” Henry Cuningham (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Blazing his own trail

by Eric Fang, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief November 15, 2019

Wearing a black “thrasher” hoodie and navy blue sweatpants, Henry Cuningham (12) allows himself to sink back into his seat while talking about the latest anime he has begun watching. Despite his joking...

“When I was younger, whenever I wasn’t playing well, I’d let myself break down on the course, but I had to learn that it’s okay. One bad hole isn’t going to ruin the entire round. I feel like that’s really representative of real life too. One bad day isn’t going to ruin the rest of my life. [With golf], I’ve really had to learn how to bounce back from any obstacles that come in my way,” Katelyn Vo (12) said.

Humans of Harker: On par with life

by Arushi Saxena, Winged Post News Editor November 11, 2019

Amazing golfer. Warm and charismatic teammate. Resilient and focused athlete. When asked about Katelyn, these are common responses. While Katelyn’s skills on the golf course are undeniable, it’s the...

“Theres a division between your character that youre portraying on stage and who you are in real life, but its kind of not necessarily a straight-cut division. I felt the confidence I gained as a person and the energy that I had translated to my artistic work and made me a better performer and more confident and comfortable on stage, which lended myself to the charisma on stage that I had. I guess people noticed, which gave me even more confidence — I felt like I was doing something right,” Joel Morel (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Presence on and off the stage

by Emily Tan, Asst. Features Editor November 9, 2019

Clad in a spring green polo and suspender set, Joel Morel (12) bounces across the stage, raising his eyebrows and smiling from ear to ear during upper school choir Downbeat’s performance of “Na na...

“Ive definitely used [my different community perspective] in terms of my friends by exposing them to Lebanese culture. I always have them try my food, I have them come to the Lebanese festival I have every year, I teach them how to dance because a lot of what Lebanese people are known for is ‘Lebanese hospitality.’ I definitely think my family and my culture has introduced these values of generosity and compassion to me,” Grace Hajjar (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The Good Host

by Alysa Suleiman, Sports Reporter November 8, 2019

Absentmindedly twisting the thin gold jewelry adorning her fingers and neck in delicate chains and swirling roses, Grace Hajjar (12) recalls the story behind each piece: the baptism necklace from her aunt...

“The way to get game sense is just by playing the game more. Similarly, as you do more projects in computer science, you start understanding what constructs or methods or strategies you can use to solve the problems you are trying to solve. The optimal solutions are more and more visible the more similar situations you experience,” Henry Wiese (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Calling the shots

by Srinath Somasundaram, Opinion Editor November 7, 2019

Henry Wiese (12) leans forward, aligning his back parallel to the sides of his computer screen, poised to call his team’s final strategy in a game of Overwatch. A mash of keys and a flurry of mouse clicks...

For me, it’s just doing things that are stupid and mundane, and then doing them with friends makes them fun, and exciting and unique — I just like that, Mihir Sharma (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Stringing together

by Arya Maheshwari, Aquila Co-Managing Editor November 6, 2019

The neon Penn tennis ball rebounds sharply between the flat racket and the ground, its every movement guided by a rapid impulse from the vibrating Wilson strings. With his headphones on and his head swaying,...

“The universe is huge. Whatever ripple your little sand grain makes in this pond of a universe, those ripples are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Those consequences that you think are going to crush down on you arent that big when you are looking at the universes scale. And you might say, Why not just stay in bed then and do nothing because nothing I do is worth it. Well, then why not do everything then. Its kind of a way of looking at [life]. Just go crazy,” Jin Tuan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Just go crazy

by Sara Yen, Features Editor November 4, 2019

Clicks from her black Doc Martens hitting the pavement resound as Jin Tuan (12) confidently struts down the path between the RPAC and Main Office. A floral velvet button-up tucked into ripped black jeans...

I internalize a lot of things. Inside Im pretty creative, but that could be subjective. Its easier to communicate with yourself what youre thinking than with others...I feel like when you keep things to yourself, your thoughts progress more rapidly even if youre [not] getting an outside perspective, Richard Hu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Satisfaction in duality

by Anthony Xu, TALON Editor-in-Chief November 2, 2019

Every day, when you walk past the green tables outside the journalism room during the hustle and bustle of lunchtime, you may hear a sudden outburst of genuine laughter pierce the regular conversations...

I think [my organization] is important because Ive always had this sense of duty or responsibility. That was a personal thing. My parents never forced it on me. I like it when I can see what I’m going to do or have to do so I can finish things early, Katie Chang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Motivation beyond the quiet face

by Arely Sun, Co-Lifestyle Editor October 31, 2019

Perched on tall chairs in the Nichols Rotunda, Katie Chang (12) and her friends focus intently as they quiz each other on biology terms. She whispers some witty words, and the table erupts into a bout...

“When I perform, I feel liberated. I’m focused on the moment and immersed in the music. I love that feeling of being able to just focus on the music and kind of forget everything else. Whats really great to see is when people are really enjoying the music they’re feeling it, dancing, singing along. It was really extraordinary to see that,” Max Lee (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Playing for a cause

by Carter Chadwick, Humans of Harker Profiler October 25, 2019

Though the streets are packed with people moving about their day, it is hard not to miss Max Lee (12) on the piano playing with the Jazz Factor. Jazz Factor is a band that has performed at school and...

“It’s all about mindsets for me. I try to live on my own terms by doing things that make me happy, surrounding myself with people that encourage my growth and trying to find the positives out of situations. Reflecting on where I am now and how I can be the best current version of myself is something I prioritize instead of the past or the future. It’s more important to live in the moment, focusing on what to do now and how to help make an impact now because otherwise, you’re never going to get anything done in life,” Radhika Jain (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Breathe in, breathe out

by Helen Zhu, TALON Academics Editor October 24, 2019

Greeted with a “Thanks! You’re all signed in!” by the instructor scanning her membership keycard, Radhika Jain (12) heads into the locker room, takes off her chocolate-colored Rainbow flip-flops...

“[Music is] a creative and positive outlet for my free time. I could go and waste time on social media, or I can put it into something productive that I feel tangible results [from]. Thats really what music and frankly all of my projects from motorcycles to disassembling watches...are for me,” Thomas Rainow (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Going with the flow

by Mark Hu, STEM Editor October 23, 2019

Eyes focused intently on his hands and head nodding back and forth to the beat, Thomas Rainow (12) strums his guitar, enjoying the rhythm of his music. His fingers precisely slide up and down the fretboard,...

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