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

“[Volleyball has] been a huge part of my high school experience … I [now] view myself as a stronger person, as opposed to going into high school, [when] I was shy and timid and not really sure of my place. But after playing especially school volleyball, my views on how I interact with people and on myself have changed for the better,” Michelle Ning (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The beauty of unity

by Claire Su and Jessica Tang April 9, 2021

Awaiting the opponent’s serve, Michelle Ning (12) stands on the volleyball court. The moment the ball floats over the net, Michelle’s stance shifts by instinct, preparing to set the ball. Shouts and...

“If you hit a bad shot, dont let that get in the way of your next point, because you always play each point point by point. You forget the mistake you made. Learn from that, and do only what you can control. Apply that in tennis and dont let that ruin your match,” Kelcie Fan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: From candle light to flame

by Anika Maji and Brittany Tsui April 8, 2021

Outgoing. Warm. Kind. Patient. Loyal. Leader. When describing Kelcie Fan (12), these are some common responses, and for good reason—her likability, caring nature and ability to bond with others are prevalent...

Dont lose the parts of yourself that make you, you. You dont have to let go of the things you love to be successful in the future. If anything, thats what makes you special when you move on later in your life, Katerina Fenner (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The value of music

by Claire Bauschlicher and Tanya Karpinchyk April 7, 2021

A young Katerina Fenner (12) enters the stage, greeted by a round of applause. Sitting down in front of the grand piano in the middle of the stage, she begins to play Haydn’s “Sonata in D Major,”...

“The main lesson I learned was to keep doing what I wanted to do whether or not people really have anything else to say. Ive stuck with squash because I enjoyed it, not really because I was that amazing at it or that I was some prodigy. It was about how fun I really found the sport and continuing to do what I liked,” Aditya Roy (12) said.

Humans of Harker: From courts to computers

by Nicholas Wei, Humans of Harker Profiler April 7, 2021

Picture playing tennis with a friend on a sunny court. Then, imagine that you’re playing with a rubber ball instead, smaller and much faster than a tennis ball. Next, visualize four walls around the...

“Being friendly and approachable … are things that I value a lot. As a person, Id like to be remembered as someone who would be there for you if you needed it and lend a helping hand,” Katie Li (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Resilience and resolve

by Sania Gupta and Maggie Yan April 7, 2021

Golden leaves coating the sidewalk, Katie Li (12) strolls through her neighborhood, water bottle in hand. Petrichor fills the air as she admires her surroundings on her walk, missing her pre-quarantine...

I want to be remembered for being a person whos always there for people to talk to, and I want to be that person who people can come to whenever they have a problem or if they want to talk or if they have good news or bad news, and they want to share it, Ankita Kundu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Your daily dose of compassion

by Arjun Barrett and Aastha Mangla April 7, 2021

Fingers twirling around a black pen, Ankita Kundu (12) hums lightly as she scribbles down the next sentences to decorate her letter. The words come quick as she remembers who she’s writing to, words...

“The universe is so big. There are stars out there that will live for 10 trillion years, and the universe is only 14 billion years old. Putting that into human terms, these stars have only lived for a few days of their life. There’s so much to learn, and science is always changing as we discover new things. That’s what I love about that field of science,” Kimi Butte (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Cosmic creativity

by Shinjan Ghosh, TALON Co-Student Life Editor March 22, 2021

Pressing the handle of her glue gun, Kimi Butte (12) attaches one last part to her newest project. She had just completed the last leaf of a tree made of toothpicks, a piece she was working on for her...

“Spirit is worth it because you can touch so many people and affect so many people’s emotions and lives. And that’s really what I like to do. I like to make people happy through anything that I do,” Arjun Virmani (12) said.

Humans of Harker: All for one and one for all

by Varsha Rammohan and Alysa Suleiman March 22, 2021

Side-stepping an opponent and weaving through the throng of players, Arjun Virmani (12) positions his arms towards the hoop, flicks his wrist and watches the orange basketball make the most satisfying...

“There is real power in art. You see so many students, especially in this community, doing really incredible research in biology, doing research that is truly life saving … You need to make life worthwhile and I think art and culture is a really important part of that, connecting people beyond just words,” Anika Fuloria (12) said.

Humans of Harker: A musical adventure

by Jasleen Hansra, TALON Co-People Editor March 22, 2021

Anika Fuloria (12) approaches the desk at which a celebrity engineer sits, signing and selling copies of the book he had just lectured about. Her own copy of the book lays in her hands, sticky notes poking...

“My goal is to bring a positive light to everyone. Ive always been the kind of person that if you need a shoulder to cry on, Ill be that person for you, and even if its people I’m not super close to, my doors always open,” Sofia Fernandez (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Beyond the spotlight

by Margaret Cartee and Olivia Xu March 19, 2021

At the age of 3, Sofia Fernandez (12) was first introduced to ballet when she watched the Nutcracker and was amazed by the skill and grace of the dancers on stage. She decided at that moment that she wanted...

“It’s satisfying to have an experience where I put a lot of work in and it finally paid off. All the countless workout sessions, all the countless running, all the countless throwing the ball, it all paid off. And I realized that anything I set my mind to I can do. [Football] is something I had to spend time developing to do, which was new to me and different to me,” Vijay Vyas (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Tackling life with positivity and humor

by Dilsher Dhaliwal and Ella Yee March 19, 2021

The Eagles are down 34 to 0 with 49 seconds left in the third quarter: they are in need of a big play to start their comeback. Vijay Vyas (12) settles in the pocket on 1st and 10, unrattled by the pressure...

“Even though Ive been doing [programming] for so long, theres still so much more for me to learn. And its such a fascinating field, because there are 1,000 different ways to accomplish something. And as you get more experienced, you tend to figure out which of those ways would be better,” Ally Tiritoglu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Cracking the code

by Michelle Liu, Winged Post Design Editor March 19, 2021

At 8 a.m., Ally Tiritoglu (12) wakes up, eats breakfast, turns on “The Office” in the background and sits down in front of her waiting computer. As the dialogue of the TV show blends into a low rung...

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