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

Take every chance that you get, because in life you can take some chances and they could end up taking you much further than you expected. Its a learning experience; if you can, and you dont have much to lose, just do it, Nikela Hulton (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Swimming to success

by Smrithi Sambamurthy, TALON People & Seniors Editor November 8, 2021

Nikela Hulton (12) recalls the experience of competing at the Central Coast Section (CCS) swimming tournament in her freshman year. Energetic music blasts in the background as Nikela enters the pool, her...

“Im thankful for jazz because it brought me back to the violin in a roundabout way. Everything youre singing, if youre truly in the moment, its coming out of your music and what you think is right in that moment, and no one can take that away [from] you and no one can be the best at it technically. So that reminded me that I might not be technically the best [at] the violin, but Im the best at my interpretation of music,” Malar Bala (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Getting in tune

by Isha Moorjani, News Editor November 7, 2021

Malar Bala’s (12) eyes light up with joy as she recounts interviewing Leland Blue, an alternative rock band, for an episode of her music podcast, Getting in Tune Pod, which she hosts with close friend...

“[In] freshman year, making new connections and meeting new people was not a priority for me. I’ve realized now that if you actually reach out to people and make the effort to get to know them, [the different perspectives] make every activity worth it. It sucks to do things on your own, Anya Warrier (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Meet me on stage

by Katie Wang, Co-Photo Editor November 6, 2021

Studio cameras, Adobe Bridge, Photoshop. A Canon shutter snaps shut in a fragment of a second. GarageBand, PremierPro, iMovie. Evening hours spent combing through edits of film and podcasts. This is the...

“Dedication is really just self motivation and not making excuses. If you dont like how something is going, you have to be the one who puts in the effort to change it. Whether thats academics or sports, try to not blame others or find other reasons for why youre not doing something when you could be focusing your time on trying to improve it yourself, Cindy Su (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Queen of the court

by Sabrina Zhu, STEM Editor November 5, 2021

Cindy Su (12) chuckles as she recalls an after school basketball practice session. A mess of stools and mismatched cushions build a makeshift fort, and laughter bounces off of the concrete walls of the...

Always go one day at a time. Rather than thinking about hypotheticals and things that are going to happen, think about whats there on your plate right in front of you and handle that. Dont bother thinking [that] crazy things are going to happen, and handle the things you have got to do right now, and everythings going to be just fine, Pranav Varmaraja (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Back on the field, “one day at a time”

by Sally Zhu, A&E and Lifestyle Editor November 4, 2021

One of an athlete’s worst nightmares is suffering an injury that prevents them from playing. Another of an athlete’s worst nightmares is missing an entire season due to unforeseen circumstances. Both...

“Pretty much anyone, given the right circumstance, has the ability to learn, but the willingness and openness to learn and discuss new things and change their views on something [is what I value], Catherine Feng (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Connecting through conversation

by Tiffany Chang, TALON Academics Editor November 3, 2021

Around campus, you might find Catherine Feng (12) engrossed in a History Board editors meeting, designing and editing pages for their publication. Or you might find her in upper school English teacher...

Trusting yourself and confidence are one and the same. If you’re not confident in what you’re supposed to do, how are you supposed to trust yourself? Sometimes if I don’t know what to do, I’ll come up with something and roll with the first thing that pops into my head. You move on and believe that you made the right choice at that time,” Kai Due (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Bringing the beat

by Lavanya Subramanian, TALON Student Life Editor October 29, 2021

As the bright September sun shines down on him, Kai Due (12) recalls the day that he stepped onto the amphitheater stage during his first Harker Picnic performance as a member of upper school dance troupe...

Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par

Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor August 2, 2021

This is the first installment of the Humans of Harker 2021 video series. Through this project, the Harker journalism program aims to tell the story of the senior class, one profile at a time.

Its been obviously rough, turning on the news and seeing another death, seeing another acquittal every single time … but, ‘How much can I do?’ is the question Im asking myself. ‘How much can I help, and what impact can I have?’” Brian Pinkston (21) said.

Humans of Harker: For the future and the present

by Erica Cai and Esha Gohil July 27, 2021

Walking up to a bookshelf populated by dozens of novels ranging from Ray Bradbury to Langston Hughes, Brian Pinkston (‘21) runs his fingers along the titles until finally settling upon a copy of the...

“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and its played such a major role in who Ive become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something Im [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala (21) said.

Humans of Harker: Leading with DECA-cation

by Saloni Shah and Erica Cai July 26, 2021

Imagine a leader. Do they infuse confidence in others? Go out of their way to help their peers? Ensure that, before a competition, their teammates feel well-prepared? Personally organize meetings and study...

Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three

Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three

by Erica Cai and Esha Gohil July 6, 2021

Due to the unprecedented circumstances surrounding COVID-19, our seniors cannot experience their spring semester and graduation in its traditional format. Yet, we want to honor the Class of 2021 and celebrate...

“I feel really good about myself when Im relaxed and enjoying the world. There’s so much to learn about the world and so many ways to do so, Daniel Wang (21) said.

Humans of Harker: Mapping the unknown

by Anmol Velagapudi and Esha Gohil July 6, 2021

From a young age, Daniel (‘21) was interested in geography and the outdoors, exploring hidden trails around California while hiking with his family. His keen memory and creative mind latched onto every...

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