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

Prakrit Jain (22) searches for new animal species to help the environment and wildlife.

Humans of Harker: Scorpion spotter

by Erica Cai and Irene Yuan August 17, 2022

This is one installment of the Humans of Harker 2022 video series. Through this project, the Harker journalism program aims to tell the story of the senior class, one profile at a time.

Arnav Gupta (22) moves a DNA construction.

Humans of Harker: Coding for a cause

by Erica Cai, Selina Xu, Ella Yee, and Irene Yuan August 17, 2022

This is one installment of the Humans of Harker 2022 video series. Through this project, the Harker journalism program aims to tell the story of the senior class, one profile at a time.

“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.

Humans of Harker: Blast of creativity

by Olivia Xu, Managing Editor August 15, 2022

Most people are familiar with Nerf Blasters: the toy gun that launches small foam darts. But have you ever considered the mechanics behind the product? Or, take it a step further, built your own nerf gun...

Every single person Ive 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 persons experience that makes it unique to them and also makes it a good lesson for everyone else. Its just amazing to see how much wisdom every single person at Harker has, and its fascinating to learn about those stories, Erica Cai (22) said.

Humans of Harker: Harmony in humanity

by Olivia Xu, HoH Managing Editor July 18, 2022

A musician seeking to understand the quirks of the world. A student activist expressing herself through mediums of art. An archer developing composure and resilience. What do they have in common? They...

“Something I took away from baseball is that theres always the opportunity to bounce back when things dont 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

by Nicholas Wei, Michelle Wei, and Tiffany Chang July 17, 2022

Mark Hu (‘22) recalls the perfect game he pitched against Woodside Priory, in which not a single batter from the opposing team managed to complete a home run. It was the seventh and last inning and the...

“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.

Humans of Harker: Creating his own world

by Lakshmi Mulgund, TALON Co-Sports & Social Media Editor July 16, 2022

As he opens up the animations on his phone, Carter Chadwick ('22) begins to project a screenshot of one of his animation works. Standing in front of the projection, he begins to point to different parts...


“For both theater and ballet, you have a set of guidelines: for dance, its choreography, and for theater, thats your script. But in both, your role is to make those things feel like your own. Youre fully embodying the character and making it seem completely organic. You take your own interpretation of the piece and make small artistic decisions to make it fully what you feel is true to the character or the idea youre trying to convey, Arely Sun (22) said.

Humans of Harker: Stage magic

by Erica Cai, HoH Editor-in-Chief July 16, 2022

Arely Sun (‘22) vividly recalls her 2020 performance at the Youth America Grand Prix competition in San Francisco. Dressed in simple brown and beige as the titular character in the ballet “Giselle,”...

My favorite thing is being able to immerse yourself in [dance]. Its one thing where you can really see improvement if you put in the practice, and if you dont put in the practice you wont improve. The ability to sync into repetition and go into the same counts over and over again to see some improvement is really captivating, and always draws me back to it, Zeel Thakkar (22) said.

Humans of Harker: Connecting with culture

by Vivian Chen and Michelle Wei July 15, 2022

Six months of practice. Eight hours per day. Four hours of performance. Fourteen routines. All of this commitment culminated in Zeel Thakkar’s (‘22) debut performance as a professional dancer. Completing...

“It’s the mind bending things that I’m really passionate about, the things where youre like, ‘I have no idea why this happens, but I want to figure that out.’ It’s a genuine, ‘I don’t get it, but I want to.’ Or perhaps it’s [that] I don’t want to never understand it. I don’t want to have a topic that I dont understand and never understand it, Spencer Cha (22) said.

Humans of Harker: Mind bender, music maker

by Erica Cai, HoH Editor-in-Chief July 14, 2022

Hit any key on a piano, and a single note will sound, plain and simple. But listen a little harder, and one may hear that same pitch an octave higher. Listen just a little bit closer, and the pitch a fifth...

“I’ve found that economics stretches into every corner of how society works: the institutional level, behavioral level, the rational human being. Like game theory, it’s a really interesting way to analyze the decisions being made on multiple levels, and it also helps me not make impulsive decisions that I would be making otherwise, Catherine He (22) said.

Humans of Harker: Finding equilibrium

by Emily Tan, Winged Post Co-Editor-in-Chief July 13, 2022

Flipping through this past year’s issue of Equilibrium, the upper school’s economics magazine, Catherine He (‘22) reminisces on the production as the co-Editor-in-Chief, reflecting on the design,...

“As I learned painting more and more, I realized that everything is infinite. The more you look, the more you see, and then you can see life as more beautiful. A favorite quote of mine by Henri Matisse is, ‘There will always be flowers for those who want to see them,’ and thats one important thing painting has taught me, even though its technically you sitting out this canvas with a brush in your hand, Michelle Liu (22) said.

Humans of Harker: The art of living

by Emily Tan, Winged Post Co-Editor-in-Chief July 12, 2022

Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse, Carl Jung and Victor Askew. Besides all being prominent figures, whether in the world of art or the field of analytical psychology, they are all connected by something else:...

“I put a purpose to my reading because before it was for pleasure, and right now it still is for pleasure, but intentionally seeking out books that are by minority authors and seeing what they have to say is so special, and you get to see so many different perspectives, Irene Yuan said.

Humans of Harker: Savant of stories

by Arely Sun, Aquila Co-Managing Editor July 12, 2022

When friends describe Irene Yuan ('22), some of the most common adjectives are “organized” and “dependable.” From her color-coded Google Calendar to the scissors, tape and assorted stationery in...

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