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Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

"I used to be one of those kids who always thought it would be super embarrassing to dance in front of others and would just kind of awkwardly stand to the side with the other big kids while all the uncles and aunties and little kids would dance at the big Indian parties to which all the families I am really close with would be invited," Tanvi Singh (12) said. "But then last year, I thought to myself, 'Okay, Tanvi, this is really stupid. You know you want to dance: you’re always tapping your foot or nodding your head to the beat when you stand on the side. Just do it.' So I did, and it felt amazing just dancing with absolutely no inhibitions. Everyone was shocked. And once the party was over and everyone started leaving, almost everyone came up to me and said something along the lines of, 'You’re an amazing dancer, bheta. I didn’t know you had it in you.' And it wasn’t because I pulled off ten pirouettes in a row or did a triple backflip or anything. In fact, I’m pretty sure my moves were pretty basic. I think it’s because I brought a lot of energy to the dance floor. When the adults dance they usually just clap in a circle and move a little or half-heartedly do the standard pick-the-nose move and when the little kids dance they usually just swing their arms around. So someone dancing their non-existent tail off was pretty unprecedented.”

Humans of Harker: Tanvi Singh embraces “non-judgmentalness”

by Sydney Takemoto, Reporter April 8, 2018

“Indian parties are such wonderfully chaotic affairs,” Tanvi Singh (12) began. “The sound of pooris boiling and aunties laughing in the kitchen mixes with the screams of colorfully dressed children...

"You guys all saw me on Davis at 7:30 in the morning, practicing, because I didn’t want to make a complete fool of myself," Vignesh Panchanatham (12) said. "I was just doing different dribbling drills. I brought out the cones, and whenever the goals were out, I tried to shoot as well. I knew I wasn’t going to be better than anybody there, but I wanted to be semi-competent. And as the season went on, I could see that I was getting better and better. Traps that I would have missed out on before, I started to get them. My shot got better; I ended up scoring a goal. It was just as time went by and I kept putting in that same amount of effort, I became less of a beginner and more of someone who has a lot to work on."

Humans of Harker: Vignesh Panchanatham perspires for greatness

by Melissa Kwan, Humans of Harker Managing Editor April 6, 2018

On those 40-degree October mornings, Vignesh Panchanatham (12) might as well have been the only person on Davis Field. He’d bring a soccer ball and cleats to school every day, dribbling between the...

"I joined this ballet dance academy — it is a Russian one — in sixth grade because my mom wanted me to stand up straighter," Patrick Zhong (12) said. "My first memory of doing ballet was the teacher having her hand above my head and I had to jump and touch it. I enjoy expressing myself, but mainly, I like the performances because it is very thrilling being on stage. I kept going, and it's been seven years."

Humans of Harker: Patrick Zhong pursues computer science, ballet

by Laura Wu, TALON People Editor April 4, 2018

“We basically talk about coding a lot. Coding and memes,” Edgar Lin (12) said of his friend Patrick Zhong (12). “Most of our interactions are him and Adriano [Hernandez (12)] trying to indoctrinate...

"I started doing yoga at CorePower, and at first, I really didn’t like it because I’ve never been really coordinated," Vanessa Tyagi (12) said. "I’m really bad at dancing; flexibility: I have none. I’m kind of just this stiff pole. I walked into this yoga studio, and I was so self-conscious of myself. I went alone, and I was putting myself in this very uncomfortable situation, but I think when I started to enjoy it, that’s when I felt successful. I found happiness in it. And I’m not that bad anymore. I can actually move, and I don’t look like I’m in pain every time I’m doing a position."

Humans of Harker: Vanessa Tyagi builds purposeful habits

by Megan Cardosi, TALON Student Life and Sports Managing Editor April 2, 2018

Like many things she does, Vanessa Tyagi (12) started modeling on a whim. “It was just one of those impulsive things that I do, so I was like might as well do it — I’ve always wanted to,” she...

"I am very interested in the extremes, so either really big or really small," Nick Acero (12) said. "So like astronomy or nanoscience. I have been drawn to this idea of what we don’t know. We don’t know much about space; we don’t know much about the really small. We don’t know anything about really anything below the size of an atom itself. We don’t know what an electron looks like anything like that. We don’t even know what is going on with the sun on the other side of the spectrum. I think that’s just really interesting."

Humans of Harker: Nicolas Acero is intrigued by the extremes

by Saloni Shah, Reporter April 1, 2018

Senior Nicolas Acero finds himself drawn to the unknowns — the enormity of space, the minutia of the atom. “I am very interested in the extremes, so either really big or really small, he said. “So...

“It’s hard for me to read and write in general,” Daniel Little (12) said. “I feel [dyslexia is] going to affect me that way. I want to become something in engineering, which means lots of write-ups, which is going to be painful. But it’s on a topic that I’ll actually enjoy."

Humans of Harker: Daniel Little finds strength in numbers

by Anoushka Buch, Reporter March 31, 2018

Some students feel at ease surrounded by familiar letters and words, but Daniel Little (12) is at his happiest in the midst of numbers and mathematical operations. Daniel discovered he had dyslexia...

“I was kind of obsessed with [iPods]," Kunal Bhandarkar (12) said. "I also kept destroying the ones I had because I always left them in my pocket when they got washed. Eventually, I got interested in the code aspect and started taking classes outside of school. It’s pretty interesting how you can blend hardware and software with robotics and see it come to life just right there in front of you. The feeling you get when it works is the best feeling in the world.”

Humans of Harker: Kunal Bhandarkar values both hardware and software

by Michael Eng, Reporter March 27, 2018

“It was bulky and only held 200 songs or something like that,” Kunal Bhandarkar (12) said of his original 2005 iPod Shuffle. “But it was pretty cool.” He received his first iPod from his aunt...

 “A couple years ago, I had a blood test, and my doctor said I had to watch out for pre-diabetes," Jay Ali said. "My family has a history of having diabetes and a bunch of diseases. I’ve seen my grandma inject insulin in her body every day, and I decided I didn’t want to go down that path. I started working out every day and trying to get in shape, because I didn’t want to have diabetes for the rest of my life. I think health is really important because without health, nothing else is important in life. For example, Steve Jobs. He didn’t have such a healthy body, but he was a really special guy to everyone else. I kind of want to be that guy, but with no health issues so I can live my life to the fullest."

Humans of Harker: Jay Ali focuses on self-improvement

by Nilisha Baid, Reporter March 26, 2018

Jay Ali (12) plays the bassoon — an instrument most people don’t recognize. “At the beginning, I wasn’t that good,” he said. “I was last chair, and there were four others ahead of me. I...

Humans of Harker: Jacqueline He embraces magical realism

by Nicole Chen, Features Editor March 23, 2018

Creative writing can be a science; programming can be an art. Jacqueline He (12) resides in that intersection. “I think it’s kind of like the left brain, right brain divide,” she said when comparing...

"I've been working on a compiler for my own programming language, not related to the Harker course, just because I wanted to make my own language as a sort of challenge," Sumer Kohli (12) said. "I wanted to see if I could make something actually useful. So far it's called Sumer code, but I'll come up with a better name, I promise."

Humans of Harker: Sumer Kohli programs with a purpose

by Saloni Shah, Reporter March 22, 2018

Some start with Python; others with Scratch. Some start with robotics, others with online courses and camps. But Sumer Kohli’s (12) programming start came with “The Bros,” the fifth-grade friend...

“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. That's when I realized if other people can notice that about me, that's 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...

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