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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

“Most of the shelter dogs have been hurt so much, whether physically or emotionally by previous owners, or they've had to bear very bad conditions if they were strays on the streets. But as a foster carer, within a few hours, dogs will learn to trust you and give you all of their love," Pooja Kini (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Pooja Kini fosters dogs in need of homes

by Lavinia Ding, TALON Organizations Editor March 28, 2017

Anytime a dog walks by, Pooja Kini’s (12) face lights up with joy regardless of the situation. A dog lover her entire life, she decided to help out the canine community in seventh grade and began volunteering...

 “Social issues and stuff like that inspires me to draw. I feel that art speaks a lot more than words sometimes and I like using art as a platform to showcase my thoughts about society,” Maya Rai (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Maya Rai finds inspiration in art

by Laura Wu, TALON Business Manager March 26, 2017

Since she was young, Maya Rai (12) has always been interested in art and has been drawing for as long as she can remember. As a child, her father taught her how to draw.  “I like using Microns, a...

“The way I look at hip-hop and music in general is that I really want to learn something when I listen to it, whether that be ‘Wow, they used really cool word play or that rhyme was really cool or that was really complex” or it can be “Wow, their upbringing was difficult” and that made me reflect on the way that I live," Srivatsav Pyda (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Srivatsav Pyda learns to love hip-hop

by Laura Wu, TALON Business Manager March 25, 2017

To Srivatsav Pyda (12), hip-hop is more than just a mean of entertainment as it combines the sounding good aspect of music with learning something new. “The way that I think about hip-hop music in...

"Sure, it's nice to have results and your final shiny paper, even if it takes so many hours of just struggling and terror, but really, I love [research] because of the monotony of it in very specific moments, where I'm sitting on a plane for like ten hours and I happen to be stuck there just working with my computer. It's a very important, kind of determined feeling that you get when you're really in the zone and working on something that you've been working on for so long and you will continue to work on for so long. I like that monotony,” Antony Sagayaraj (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Antony Sagayaraj finds unexpected passions while trying new things

by Tiffany Wong, Aquila News Editor March 24, 2017

For Antony Sagayaraj (12), learning is a never-ending adventure. Currently an active member of the Harker science scene and a participant in Synopsys, Siemens and a variety of other research competitions,...

“I had a lot of nervousness over the performance, but once I was actually in the moment, it was a lot simpler than I expected it to be. I was freaking out a lot about it, but once I got half way into the performance, it was so good I could just relax," Kathryn Cole (12).

Humans of Harker: Kathryn Cole plays the rhythm to her own life

by Adrian Chu, Opinion Editor March 23, 2017

First playing saxophone in fifth grade when she signed up for a band which needed an instrumentalist, Kathryn Cole (12) played in concert band but transitioned to jazz band freshman year. “Music...

“I always want to keep singing in my life because that’s always been my number one passion. I perform to make other people happy and to keep myself happy.  It has always been one of those things that gives me happier moments in life...In high school, I started taking voice lessons and getting more serious about what I loved. From there, I just grew and grew, and I think that every single audition and every single experience helped shape who I am,” Sara Pachauri (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Sara Pachauri finds a passion for performing arts

by Maya Valluru, News Editor March 22, 2017

From her introduction to singing as a performing art when visiting her family members in Connecticut to listening to artists during car rides, Sara Pachauri’s (12) love for music can be characterized...

“My work ethic speaks a lot about my personality. They’re pretty connected honestly in that a work ethic is a very personal thing. You don’t necessarily need to broadcast it. It’s just the idea of staying in your own lane, doing your own thing, getting your work done. Both my personality and work ethic are very much independent: staying focused on the task at hand and doing the best you can and, after that, just having fun," Shekar Ramaswamy (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Shekar Ramaswamy blazes his own trail

by Alex Youn, TALON Editor-in-Chief March 21, 2017

Amidst the inundation of various responsibilities, Shekar Ramaswamy (12) worked, often behind-the-scenes, to keep himself afloat—optimistically paddling through “just another day in paradise.” “My...

“Every evening when I go to the corner of my living room and sing, I kind of feel an unexplainable joy. It’s something where I’m trying to find the depth and soul of the music and express it in my own way, in a way that really can’t be said in numbers or words. It’s utterly irrational, but I think that if the world were rational, we probably wouldn’t need music, because it expresses something that nothing else can convey," Arjun Subramaniam (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Arjun Subramaniam pursues Indian classical singing and research

by Derek Yen, STEM Editor March 20, 2017

Arjun Subramaniam (12) sings, but not in the traditional sense — or perhaps more precisely, not in the untraditional sense. Since the age of six, Arjun has practiced Indian classical singing. Indian...

“[Acting] is just storytelling. Everyone loves telling stories. We tell each other stories at in the lunchroom. We tell each other stories in the classroom. Everywhere we go we are telling stories. This is just a bigger way to tell stories," Nikhil Manglik (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Nikhil Manglik shines as a performer

by Neal Sidhu, Reporter March 19, 2017

The lights dim and a hush falls over the crowd. Nikhil Manglik (12) remembers what he’s prepared and gets ready to present. Some may get nervous in front of crowds, but not he. Whether it be acting...

“I like to volunteer. It’s fun to spend time with them because their lives are so different but they still have such a positive outlook on life. We see people who are so privileged, but then they get upset about seemingly inconsequential things,” Uma Rao (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Uma Rao benefits her community by volunteering

by Helen Yang, Reporter March 18, 2017

Uma Rao (12) has always loved to help people, whether in California or all the way across the world. “I like to volunteer. It’s fun to spend time with them because their lives are so different but...

“I always wonder what I would be like if English was my first language, because nothing shapes the way you see the world more than language. I remember from a young age, being told to say please and thank you, but the expression always baffled me because languages like Georgian don't even have a word for please. The idioms and expressions we use convey very specific cultural values; I get that there's a saying that actions speak louder than words, but in some places that may not necessarily be true. We don't often think about it, but these little things can have such a big impact in making us into who we are,” Misha Tseitlin (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Misha Tseitlin sees four dimensions to his personality

by Alex Wang, Sports Editor March 17, 2017

When asked about his personality, Misha Tseitlin (12) grouped it into four categories: “independence, politics, language and backgammon.” Independence. This answer is understandable, as Misha has...

 “Then again, there are a couple of programming puzzles that I like to play around with. There was one about a honeycomb. If you were a bee, and you know the locations of all other bees, so it’s an infinite honeycomb. You have a starting and end location, and you have to solve the optimal path to your destination. I just like that problem, and I’ve been trying to solve it. I haven’t solved it yet. When I’m bored, I just try to figure it out. That’s what I do with my productive free-time,” Albert Xu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Albert Xu learns to love problem solving through robotics

by Anthony Xu, Reporter March 16, 2017

Over the years in the robotics club, Albert Xu (12) has solved countless problems and worked on a multitude of different projects, from autonomous cars to robotic arms. “I joined the robotics club...

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