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

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 Ive been at for 13 years, Arissa Huda (23) said.

Humans of Harker: Prescribing change

by Michelle Wei, Humans of Harker Co-Managing Editor August 17, 2023

At Arissa Huda (‘23)’s local mosque, patients sit waiting for their appointment at the free monthly health clinic. One by one, Arissa calls them in, taking their temperature and blood pressure, then...

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 Im interested in it, Ill stop at nothing to reach my goals, Linette Hoffman (23) said.

Humans of Harker: Artistry in motion

by Tiffany Zhu, Reporter August 17, 2023

As the maroon stage lights brighten, Linette Hoffman ('23) holds her beaming smile and full-out pose during the soft opening crescendo of "Telephone," the dance routine she and her partner had tirelessly...

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

by Aryana Bharali, Humans of Harker Profiler August 17, 2023

A dynamic actor and director. A spirit coordinator. A debater. An entrepreneur. Zubin Khera ('23) approaches each of these roles with ambition and audacity, always putting his community first. As his journey...

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 audiences 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

by Charlie Wang, Reporter August 17, 2023

As Sawyer Lai ('23) swishes the baton, the music of the orchestra softens, and the audience erupts in applause, the claps reverberating through the theater. The orchestra stands up, and Sawyer, with a...

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

by Jessica Hu, Reporter August 17, 2023

Life presents questions each coming day. Some are more inconsequential: “Where did I leave my phone, again?” “What should I eat for breakfast?” Others carry more significance: “How can neural...

“As an actor, Im able to say things in a way that nobody else can. If I want to convey a message, being on stage and being a character and telling this story the best way that I can is my preferred method of communicating my ideas with you. So whether that be social justice or family issues, I can really say whatever I want, by being whoever I want. I think its a really cool way to communicate with people, Lucy Feng (23) said.

Humans of Harker: Taking center stage

by Selina Xu and Sidak Sanghari August 17, 2023

Sitting in the lobby of the Rothschild Performing Arts Center (RPAC), a smile spreads across Lucy Feng’s ('23) face as she fondly recalls her first experience in an upper school theater production, playing...

Spirit is definitely one of the biggest parts of my life at Harker, especially last year on HSLT. I really like being involved in spirit because you get to interact with your classmates and just take your mind off of academics for a bit. I don’t want to sound cliche, but its high school. Enjoy it while it lasts, Ashley Ma (23) said.

Humans of Harker: From a spark to a flame

by Hima Thota, Co-Features Editor August 17, 2023

A passionate advocate for social issues, an ardent Taylor Swift fan and a spirited student leader, Ashley Ma ('23) never shied away from showing her passion for the things she loves. From her love for...

“[When] youre driving by and you find something interesting, you have to find the perspective. Even if you dont have much time, you still have to figure [it] out. There is this mixture of not having enough time, but still wanting to find something thats going to be memorable that I find really interesting,” Keesha Gondipalli (23) said.

Humans of Harker: Road of empathy

by Brandon Zau, Photo Editor August 17, 2023

As day turned into night, a worried middle school student Keesha Gondipalli ('23) sat patiently with her cabin mate, relating Harry Potter-inspired stories. She spoke calmly as she soothed her friend to...

Trying new things isn’t always something that automatically comes to me. But trying new instruments has really made me feel like if I do try something new, I can have a really good time with it while learning something interesting, Will Lee (23) said.

Humans of Harker: An instrumental transition

by Steven Jiang, Co-People Editor August 17, 2023

Glinting gold trombone in hand, Will Lee (‘23) stands under the stage lights, blending colorful melodies with jazzy notes in dazzling style. As he looks around, surrounded by his bandmates, Will slips...

“Humans are complicated. Youre going to have very good friends, but the exact feeling for each friendship is going to feel different. Its very interesting how the individual bonding element between humans can shape public lives,” Karina Chen (23) said.

Humans of Harker: Storytelling through art

by Michelle Wei, Humans of Harker Co-Managing Editor August 17, 2023

Dressed in a teal hanfu adorned with pink blossoms, Karina Chen ('23) raises her Chinese flute, its long bamboo body resting in her hands. With delicate grace, her fingers dance over the holes, ready to...

Cybersecurity is going to be one of the most important things. I have one opportunity to make the world
a better place. If I jump on that, I would have succeeded, Andrew Fox (23) said.

Humans of Harker: Chaotic coding

by Brandon Zau, Photo Editor August 17, 2023

Andrew Fox ('23) discovers the greatest reward in projects he creates for his classmates. When taking AP Computer Science A and Data Structures, Andrew felt that Javatown, a program that helped students...

At the end, my dance teacher told me that it had been one of the easier photo shoots. It meant a lot because it takes a lot of time to do, but she told me that I was made for the camera. That made me feel really good because I want to become an actress one day, because I enjoy the melodrama and impractical love stories in Indian movies, Namrata Karra (23) said.

Humans of Harker: Stepping into stardom

by Saahil Herrero, Copy Editor August 16, 2023

Namrata Karra ('23) remembers spending five hours a day training and rehearsing for her Rangapravesam, a three hour long Indian dance performance marking her graduation from Indian classical dance. Her...

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