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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

“What motivates me is the feeling that there is always more to accomplish in life. What I have achieved thus far is just a milestone, there is much more that I can do in the future,” Aman Navani (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Aman Navani’s passion for squash positively impacts him

by Justin Su, Reporter March 15, 2017

One of the biggest parts of senior Aman Navani’s life is squash, as he is a nationally competitive player. “It's not a very popular sport in the Bay Area; it’s an indoor sport, and I go to national...

“I always like to try new things. That's not something a lot of people know. Every time that I'm put in a role, I always make sure to always try something new and try to go out of my comfort zone and see if I can discover a new way or a way that I've never tried before to connect with the character. There's just something really exhilarating about doing something you've never done before, and that's something I love to do," Kayvon Solaimanpour (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Kayvon Solaimanpour’s adventurous personality compliments his hobbies

by Eleanor Xiao, TALON Student Life Editor March 14, 2017

Senior Kayvon Solaimanpour is known for his presence on stage as both an actor and singer, yet his unique impulse to pursue adventure has affected his outlook in both in the spotlight and other interests. “I...

“Music is one of those things where it’s a universal language that crosses boundaries of age and race and gender, and there aren’t many things in the world like that,” May Gao (12) said.

Humans of Harker: May Gao strives for interdisciplinary impact in her life and others’

by Trisha Dwivedi, Managing Editor March 13, 2017

As a second grader, May Gao (12) indulged in researching the heart in her elementary school science fair, playing knee surgery games and watching slideshows of live surgeries. Now, 10 years later, as a...

“Both art and music started out as such a chore, but I really started to enjoy it, and it became a way for me to relieve stress instead of creating more stress. It’s just really helpful, and there are some times when painting and playing music have helped me so much, and I don’t know what I would have done without them,” Joyce Zhao (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Joyce Zhao learns to love art and music

by Katherine Zhang, Asst. STEM Editor March 8, 2017

As an artist, Joyce Zhao (12) has painted everything from flowers to animals to buildings, using a brushes, paints and paper to bring various scenes to life. And of all the things that she has painted,...

“Times in high school feel difficult now, and you feel like you’ll remember all the highest points and lowest points of your experience, but in reality, the most mundane ones, or seemingly mundane ones will stand out to you most in the future, and those moments aren’t made up of your biggest failures or your highest grade you got in the toughest class. It’s really about who you surround yourself with, and the experiences you chose to have,” Maya Valluru (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Maya Valluru learns of the importance of friendship

by Devanshi Mehta, TALON Business Manager March 7, 2017

Ever since Maya Valluru (12) reached for the same name tag as Maya Rai (12) during freshman orientation, they became the best of friends. Maya Valluru met Illana Goldberg (12) in fourth grade at Challenger...

“Trombone is a male-dominated instrument, and sometimes it is easy to be overlooked. When I went to the audition, I played an orchestral excerpt for [the judges]. They said, ‘Could you play that again, dear?’ I felt really conscious being a woman playing the trombone. I knew that they wouldn't call anybody else in the audition, dear. It reinforced that I always have to be confident and mature, when I'm playing trombone because it was patronizing to be called 'dear' in an audition against people who I knew wouldn't be called 'dear,’” Melinda Wisdom (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Melinda Wisdom finds confidence in playing the trombone

by Gloria Zhang, Reporter March 6, 2017

Oblivious about her future major, Melinda Wisdom (12) picked up the trombone in eighth grade for fun. Though she only played a few months, Melinda introduced trombone to Harker orchestra, when she joined...

“Music is literally my closest friend. I can play anything. When I’m sad, I can play sad pieces. It's a way of expressing myself and it's also a way for me to understand myself. I can see how bad my mood is from piano,” Tina Li (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Tina Li explores living internationally

by Anika Rajamani, Reporter March 5, 2017

Tina Li (12) grew up in Canada and studied in China prior to moving to the United States and joining Harker for her junior year. Living in three different environments has allowed Tina to better appreciate...

“Storytelling is a huge part of our society. I don't think our society could function without telling stories. I think actors sort of take everything that people don’t want to talk about bring it to the light. That's one of the main reasons I started acting. There's always something that I can tie to my own life, which is really cool and especially cool when the audience reacts. Becoming a different person is definitely a distraction from everyday stresses and issues, which is very helpful to me,” Zahra Budhwani (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Zahra Budhwani loves storytelling

by Vijay Bharadwaj, Opinion Editor March 3, 2017

Zahra Budhwani (12) reclines on the bench. She opens her scrapbook and carefully draws a sketch of her character for the next show. Ever since she was five, Zahra had a special place for visual arts in...

“One of the reasons I decided to teach was to give back and share my excitement and passion, and hopefully they will also get excited and grow as dancers, and I hope to share my knowledge and my enthusiasm," Priyanka Chilukuri (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Priyanka Chilukuri follows her passion for performing arts

by Nerine Uyanik, Reporter March 2, 2017

Priyanka Chilukuri (12) first stepped into the dance studio when she was four years old, earlier than most of her peers. “I’ve always had a passion for performing and dancing,” she said. “I...

"Right now, I have three options that I’m really strongly considering but they’re all so different from each other, like one is becoming a doctor and that’s something I’ve wanted since I was little and something that my parents want, and the other is becoming a software engineer, which is what my brother is doing, and I think that what he’s doing is very cool, but then I also want to become a professional graphic designer. I’m worried that if I go one way, I’ll regret not choosing the others, and it’s a lot to think about," Angela Kim (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Angela Kim explores her interest in graphics

by Sahana Srinivasan, Winged Post Managing Editor March 1, 2017

Angela Kim (12) owns a large, black, bound sketchbook filled with everything from calligraphy practice to logo design drafts. She flips through it carefully, pausing at certain designs longer than others...

“My personal philosophy is now about being open to new experiences. Harker is a really good place, providing you with a lot of support and encouragement along the way. But as we go off to college, a lot of the support, may not be there anymore, because we may not be in such a warm and embracing environment like Harker is. I’m always trying to look for new experiences and new opportunities to grow and thrive," Raymond Xu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Raymond Xu ponders philosophy

by Adrian Chu, Opinion Editor February 27, 2017

Ever since 8th grade, Raymond Xu (12) has analyzed the world through the lens of philosophy. “Philosophy in general has broadened my views for how I can interpret the world and the things going on...

“J Cole said this during an interview with a radio broadcast host, ‘In life we are always trying to set the expectation or be successful, and we’re always in a place where we have to do better to get this and that seems like the main goal in life.’ I’ve got this dream of becoming a something and I want to be successful and I’m just going to keep going toward that dream, but in reality even though that makes you happy, in the end you gotta realize that there are people in your life… In life, I do have my own dreams and goals of success, but you can only get to those points in your life through family, friends and mentors in your life," Will Park said.

Humans of Harker: Will Park redefines success through his life experiences

by Justin Su, Reporter February 26, 2017

Through his life experiences, Will Park (12) has come to certain realizations and developed his own ideology on how to approach life. “Leave no regrets,” Will said. “For me, in life for the past...

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