The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
Humans of Harker: Leading with every lesson
Humans of Harker: Leading with every lesson
“For me, discipline can only happen when I try the things that I really like. Since I like basketball and I like guitar, I'm willing to contribute to the discipline. It's not really discipline at that point — it's passion," senior Advay Monga said.
Humans of Harker: Dribble and drive
“Working on Roobi has taught me how to bounce back from failures, and that problems need to be addressed one bit at a time because you can't just tackle huge goals. I learned to not be afraid of failure because every failure is a step towards success. I try not to look back and wish I could change something because I can't. It's the past. Instead, I look forward," senior Daniel Dorfman said.
Humans of Harker: Steeped for success
“With volleyball and Medical Club, I love working with people. I get to work with people who aren't necessarily in my classes or aren't my friends specifically, but we get to work hard and work together towards a common goal. That collaboration aspect is really important to me," senior Navya Samuel said.
Humans of Harker: Cooperation through competition
“Human connection is very important to staying grounded and stable. The people around me are one of the reasons that I'm not fully burnt out, so I really prioritize keeping a good schedule for myself. Being able to prioritize the things in life that give me internal satisfaction is important to me because that's what allows me to have the drive to do good with the rest of my time. Talking to people is a way for me to replenish," senior Kashish Priyam said.
Humans of Harker: Pep in every step
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
Humans of Harker: Cooking with creativity
“There's a lot of value in every moment and everyone around you. I appreciate people who just appreciate the little things. For me, I feel like everyone you meet can teach you a little bit, and that's something that I've really internalized over the years. I think that's part of why I like being around people and different communities so much. Because in each of these communities, you can learn so many different things from everyone," Olivia Xu ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Purpose towards progress
“I get to choose how much effort and detail I put in, and that’s what you’re going to see in the end. I love that you can see the truth on paper. A lot of my work is in black and white, so I can’t rely on color to cover it up or make it more interesting — I can only rely on my skill and willingness to go into the studio and add to my piece," Katelyn Zhao ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Envisioning the everyday
"I used to think that I have to keep doing dance just because it's what I’m known for. But now I’ve realized there’s beauty behind all the madness that happens. And it’s now a part of me, so not doing dance or not having Legos is like I’m losing a part of my identity," Luke Mehta ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: Building with style
“Why not? So many things are very foreign or unknown to us, but there’s not much to lose by just trying things. I initially wasn’t very comfortable with DECA, especially with impromptu, but the community really helped me grow out of that. And DECA is now one of my top high school memories. Just giving things a try is really worth it, and if it fails, the worst thing that can happen is you just try something else," Claire Luo ('24) said.
Humans of Harker: It’s all in the details
"Being a lifer, I really want to put my knowledge to use. Being a TEDx speaker is a really big honor in and of itself, but to be able to actually address the Harker community was really important to me because I wanted to have an impact on the place that I've been at for 13 years," Arissa Huda ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Prescribing change
"I’ve learned discipline: practicing a lot and then knowing what your strengths are, knowing where to improve. That discipline is definitely going to stay with me. If I’m trying to get a big piece of work done in general when I'm interested in it, I'll stop at nothing to reach my goals," Linette Hoffman ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Artistry in motion
"I have this philosophy with theater. I wholeheartedly believe that my life was made for the stage, and all my make or break moments have happened there. While some people learn best through lectures or visuals, I learn best from having a spotlight on me," Zubin Khera ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Scripts to success
"One of the most important things for me about performing is its transformative power. There was one concert where we were singing this commission about gun violence, followed by a piece about climate change, a piece about the Holocaust. Watching the audience's expressions and how they reacted to the music we were singing was the first time that I was like, ‘Whoa, music has the power to change lives and engender positive change,’” Sawyer Lai ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Symphony of spirit
"It’s been fun getting to know the chefs at La Mar, their team and how different cultural influences blend together. For example, they make ceviche, which is a traditional Peruvian dish, but they infuse it with many different cultures. They have a version of their ceviche which is inspired by African tastes and spices, and they also have a Japanese form of that same ceviche dish. I think it’s interesting to watch how these fusion dishes form," Alex Lan ('23) said.
Humans of Harker: Flavors of knowledge
Prakrit Jain ('22) searches for new animal species to help the environment and wildlife.
Humans of Harker: Scorpion spotter
Arnav Gupta ('22) moves a DNA construction.
Humans of Harker: Coding for a cause
“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.
Humans of Harker: Blast of creativity
"Every single person I've interviewed for Humans of Harker has said one killer quote that has stuck with me even through four years of high school, and I think I really do internalize those messages. There are nuances in every single person's experience that makes it unique to them and also makes it a good lesson for everyone else. It's just amazing to see how much wisdom every single person at Harker has, and it's fascinating to learn about those stories," Erica Cai ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: Harmony in humanity
“Something I took away from baseball is that there's always the opportunity to bounce back when things don't go particularly right. Even the best hitters only go one for three, so being able to push through that is one of the most important parts of the game. Being able to identify what goes wrong and learning from that is important to being able to find success in the future," Mark Hu ('22) said.
Humans of Harker: The perfect pitch
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
Humans of Harker: Perseverance on par
It's 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 I'm 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
“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 it's played such a major role in who I've 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 I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.
Humans of Harker: Leading with DECA-cation
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
Class of 2021: Humans of Harker compilation, part three
“I feel really good about myself when I'm 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
"I'm the person that always has a plan for everything. And then I have backups for the plan, and I have backups for the backups," Nicole Chen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Calendars for a cause
"I don’t ever intend on letting the internal love of life that I have leave me. As I grow up and I maintain my love for the random things I do, I know I’ll be happy– and hopefully people around me will be, as well," Mathew Mammen ('19) said.
Humans of Harker: Jack of all trades, master of fun
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
Humans of Harker: To dance, to feel
"The more serious side, people will never see. You'll never see who's behind one of these websites that people may be using," Neil Ramaswamy (12) said. "Several freshmen have approached me like, 'hey, you're the really funny guy at school meeting' and I'm like 'hey, yeah, nice to meet you' and at the same time they might be using an application that I've written not knowing that it's me. I kind of get that personal satisfaction knowing that there is a serious side to me, you just don't know about it."
Humans of Harker: Dueling with duality
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art
“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Neymika Jain finds balance in life
“A lot of the time, when I’m out at nail salons, nailers ask me if I‘m Vietnamese. I say yes, but they say that I don’t speak the language and have never been back to Vietnamese, so am I really? I always felt disconnected, like I would be Vietnamese-American but never Vietnamese. When I went to Vietnam for the first time, it brought me closer to my culture. I realized I shouldn’t view myself as a different. I have to see Vietnamese-American and Vietnamese as one and the same," Haley Tran (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Haley Tran values her cultural identity
“One time, I was hiking up this giant off-trail path, and this is going to make me sound like a complete hippy, but what I was thinking at the moment was that every single tree out there must have had some sort of backstory. Even when I was walking to Shah, there was this tree right next to the building, and I was like, ‘Maybe this tree had a lot of other tree friends, but then this building came up and they had to get cut down.’ That made me pretty sad. So, when I was coming up with backstories for trees, it reminded me of my childlike innocence of playing pretend or playing with my stuffed animals because I thought my imagination would never run as wild as it once did. But, this experience made me feel happy because it’s something that I’ve lost, and I feel like I gained some of it back," Aashish Jain (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Aashish Jain finds inspiration in painting through watching Bob Ross videos
“For me, robotics has always been a great way to learn about how to build things and how things work. Honestly, that is the reason why I love robotics. When you see everything working, you look at it and say 'I helped make this happen,' which is really really gratifying," Andrew Tierno (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Andrew Tierno reflects on his passion for robotics
“A lot of being a choreographer is about digging deep, understanding, and finding out which event leads to the next, which is basically what science is. You would take a circuit and break it apart to understand each of the components, and you would do that to a song,” Sneha Bhetanabhotla (‘17) said.
Humans of Harker: Sneha Bhetanabhotla learns to connect robotics and dance
“I can be serious, and I care a lot about a lot of things, but I also just like having fun and people feeling comfortable being their true selves,” Isabella Spradlin (12) said. “You don't have to be one-sided — you can have different sides of your personality, and different moods.”
Humans of Harker: Isabella Spradlin gleans insight from sisterhood
“This is like a melting pot of Cupertino, Lynbrook, Saratoga, some people from De Anza, so you meet all kinds of people,” Rahul Mehta (12) said. “Half the time I’m not even playing with my friends, so I’m playing with random people. You start off in the beginning a bit wary of each other, and then by end you’re playing like they’re your friends. It’s kind of gradual. Like after a really cool play, you’ll high five each other, and that’s how it all begins.”
Humans of Harker: Rahul Mehta befriends others through banter
"People are always debating, you know, ‘should I go up to a higher weight or not?’ And I’ll just yell, ‘do it, you won’t,’" Tiffany Shou (12) said. "And then, you know, it’s like that challenge, and so it always pushes them pick that higher weight, and then they can accomplish it, so it’s even more gratifying."
Humans of Harker Video: Tiffany Shou pushes her limits in the weight room
“First, I start at my house,” Sparsh Chauhan (12) said. “Then, I turn on Saratoga, and it’s always crowded with traffic and stuff. That’s when I’m setting the music, checking the tire pressure, the gas. After downtown, the road gets smooth, which is when I put the windows down. I go all the way down until there’s a dip and then I go back. Even when I have stuff to do, I drive that same route every day. I don’t have to take directions. I know all the traffic times; I know exactly where I’m going.”
Humans of Harker: Sparsh Chauhan takes pride in his work
“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”
Humans of Harker: Angel Cervantes chases his goals
“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.
Humans of Harker: Learning to fall
“You just have to go for it. You think, 'In the future, if I think back and regret it, is that how I want to end up — or would I rather just try something and see what happens?' Usually, it turns out well,” Montek Kalsi (’20) said. 
Humans of Harker: All fun and games
“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.
Humans of Harker: Leadership and love
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Grit and grind
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
Humans of Harker: Artistic nonconformity
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
Community Profiles
Mala Raghavan appreciates the chemistry behind traditional recipes, blending the two together to achieve her cooking goals. "Students often bring in complicated formulas to determine limiting reagents, but the limiting reactant is simply the ingredient that runs out first and limits how much product you can make — just like in a recipe," Dr. Raghavan said.
Meet your staff: Finding chemistry in traditional recipes
by Sam Li and William Jiang
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Whether through theater, technical production, teaching or cooking, Larsen remains committed to storytelling and actively engaging curious minds. "By staying very connected to and focused on the kids that are coming through the program, it continues to be exciting because different people bring different skill sets," Larsen said.
Meet your staff: Bringing stories to life
by Tiffany Zhu and Minal Jalil
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As a history teacher, Callahan brings her interest in cinema to the classroom setting, whether through the movie posters that decorate her classroom walls or the historical films that are incorporated into her history lessons. Her interest in exploring history through elements of multimedia first blossomed when she studied art history, a major that intersects the two fields.
Meet your staff: Creative connoisseur
by Charlize Wang and Heather Wang
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Dr. Brown savors card games for their focus on critical thinking, connecting his passion for teaching with Magic: The Gathering. "What I love about teaching is that it gives a lot of food for thought," Dr. Brown said. "There's a lot to chew on and try to improve and iterate upon, and those card games feature that too."
Meet your staff: Mastering magic cards
by Chelsea Xie, Assistant News Editor
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Spenner relishes the thrill of competition in disc golf, but finds greater fulfillment in the environment. “Disc golf is a way for me to be in a different community and a different physical space—a natural space that feeds my soul," Spenner said.
Meet your staff: Disc-overing beauty of nature
by Emma Milner and Caden Ruan
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Social Justice
Trump's administration aims to decrease funding to the Department of Education. “If funding for county offices is cut, it's our students who are the most vulnerable," Santa Clara County Board of Education member Tara Sreekrishnan said.
Pulse of the People: Debate and doubt over the Department of Education
by Elizabeth Zhang, Assistant Features Editor • March 21, 2025

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education on Thursday. Although Trump can’t lawfully dismantle...

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Pulse of the People: Concentrated control over media
Pulse of the People: Concentrated control over media
by Mendy Mao and Lily Shi
Green Team members hold up signs during an on-campus demonstration to bring awareness to the growing climate crisis. Over half of Generation Z has participated in protests at some point in time.
Pulse of the People: Generation Z trailblazes in civic engagement
by Aishani Singh and Hima Thota
As new restrictions on abortion medications arise after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, women grapple with losing the ability to make decisions about their own bodies. The abortion debate arose in the 1800s and continues to shape political and social divides in our country.
Pulse of the People: Reaching for the right of choice
by Vika Gautham and Hima Thota
While popular culture associates Gen Z with short attention spans and addiction to technology, Stanford research shows that Gen Z strives to address current issues and solve them, whether through protests, activism, and more. “It’s our collective responsibility to ensure that we hear a variety of distinct and diverse perspectives in order to produce the most holistic and effective policy,” Gordon Chen (12) said.
Pulse of the People: ‘Our collective responsibility’
by Vika Gautham and Desiree Luo
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Spots on Campus
A bee collects the nectar from apricot flowers in the orchard. The flowers have bloomed and insects have flocked to them in the past few weeks.
Campus Compass: Fresh blooms signal spring
by Alison Yang and Isabella Lo • March 25, 2025

From the apricot flowers in the orchard to the ferns in Graduate’s Grove, Harker’s campus blooms with fresh spring. New growths are sprouting...

In the past, groups on campus have also hosted campus-wide ping pong tournaments. Beyond school-wide events, the ping pong tables also serve as a hangout spot for friend groups on campus.
Campus Compass: Ping pong provides platform for competition and conversation
by Victor Gong, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief
Seniors add finishing touches to their Disney-themed eagle on Sep. 26. With solid-colored backgrounds of pink, green and black, the sides feature Ariel and Snow White, Ursula and the Evil Queen and Tinker Bell flying over the Disney castle.
Campus Compass: Painted eagles fly high with spirit
by Elizabeth Zhang and Claire Zhao
The new full video scoreboard displays information about the football game and play during the varsity football team's season opener on Sept. 5. The scoreboard replaced the fixed-digit LED scoreboard from previous years with customizable and dynamic features.
Campus Compass: Custom video scoreboard inspires engagement beyond athletics
by Claire Zhao and Emma Li
Tucked between Nichols and Dobbins, the giant chessboard is a hotspot for both experienced and amateur chess enthusiasts alike, serving as a bonding activity for students or a battleground for friendly competition.
Campus Compass: Giant chessboard
by Victor Gong and Charlie Wang
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Seniors of the Witschorik advisory Khanhlinh Tran and Aarav Borthakur play make-shift ping pong during advisory. They call this tradition "Chuck Pong" after their advisor's name. Mala Raghavan appreciates the chemistry behind traditional recipes, blending the two together to achieve her cooking goals. "Students often bring in complicated formulas to determine limiting reagents, but the limiting reactant is simply the ingredient that runs out first and limits how much product you can make — just like in a recipe," Dr. Raghavan said.Lanzl lays on the ground next to a group of meerkats. Lanzl has traveled to Africa several times to visit with SAFE Worldwide’s partner groups and aid in conservation efforts.A bee collects the nectar from apricot flowers in the orchard. The flowers have bloomed and insects have flocked to them in the past few weeks.Trump's administration aims to decrease funding to the Department of Education. “If funding for county offices is cut, it's our students who are the most vulnerable," Santa Clara County Board of Education member Tara Sreekrishnan said.
So you wanna be a wildlife conservationist?

by Chelsea Xie, Assistant News Editor

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Ofrendas, or altars, are a recognizable hallmark in modern celebrations of the holiday that act as a tribute for deceased loved ones. At Harker, Spanish teacher Diana Moss collaborated with the Office of DEI to set up altars in Main Hall in honor of Día de Los Muertos.
Spooky style: Students and staff parade their Halloween attires
Senior Rei Binkley paints a diya on Friday. Those who celebrate Diwali typically light diyas to commemorate the holiday of lights.
Sophomore Megha Unny smiles at Head of Upper School Paul Barsky's reaction to her answer to his question. She told him that her current favorite book was "Fake Dates and Moon Cakes" by Sher Lee.
Meet your staff: Musicality meets mathematics
Contrary to popular belief, ADHD is not a product of poor behavior or habits and is rather rooted in the brain’s chemistry. The condition is largely driven by differences in neurotransmitter activity, particularly dopamine, which controls motivation and reward processing.
Co-Editor-in-Chief of Eucalyptus lit Iris Cai (12) peruses her literary magazine's website. “Our team is not only working together to help spread other voices, but we’re also helping each other grow and improve as well," Iris said.
To find inspiration, she surrounds her desk with bright colors, thriller books, old movies and song lyrics. By working in a space that reflects her own interests, she develops ideas for choreography more naturally. 
Aanya Sharma (10) plays a card game with her friends during a break in English class. English teacher Beth Wahl's class also holds legos and a mini basketball hoop for students to use.
Breaking down basics of spirit
Palo Alto High School hosts JEA NorCal Media Day this year. Over 600 attendees across the Bay Area attended sessions ranging from election coverage to features writing and heard from distinguished speakers.
Theater technician specialist Natti Pierce-Thomson works the light board in the Patil Theater. Pierce-Thomson joined the Harker tech crew over 20 years ago, designing and operating the stage light systems.
Film appreciation president Gabe Sachse (12) sketches the layout of film club's poster. Officers met during Friday office hours to discuss the poster's design.
Upper school history teacher Byron Stevens unpacks a box in his classroom in preparation for the new school year. "The most fun is just the anticipation and the excitement as [the start] gets closer, and I have the greatest job in the world because it could start over every August," Stevens said.
Shlurp has not only made its way to customers, but also taken home a top prize of $5,000 at the INCubatoredu National Pitch Competition. After submitting a video pitch, Shlurp was one of five finalists selected from across the nation to fly to Chicago, where they pitched their company to a panel of judges in July.
Harker welcomes several new faculty and staff members to the upper school this year. Many of the new faculty and staff expressed their excitement to step into their new positions.
Meet your staff: Dialogue on diversity
A former English teacher, Vaughan treasures the impact of teachers inside and outside the classroom, citing it as “real magic going on.” She values them as the community's foundation, facilitating student learning and growth. 
Departing staff reflect on their years of service
Talk Around Campus: Mother's Day
Meet your staff: Spreading smiles through song
Aquila's guide to preparing for AP Exams
Arnav Swaroop (12) dances with his friends on the patio floor. This year's prom took place at the Winchester Mystery House, a national historic venue that is often booked for weddings and parties.
Meet your staff: Teachings of a thespian
Rae Ann Prado stretches skyward during her dance. She co-founded Aztec dance group Calpulli Ocelocihuatl in 2023. (Provided by Rae Ann Prado)
Throughout comedy’s history, humor has been used as a way to reinforce power dynamics, with women usually being the target of sexist jokes. Despite strides in gender equality in the entertainment industry, the belief that “men are funnier than women” persists, solidifying comedy as a male-dominated field where women struggle to gain visibility.
A customer at Postman Books buys a book at the cash register. With a large range of books available for purchase, the store prides itself on having something for everyone.
A worker at Tacos Numero Uno hands a customer their food. They offered various Mexican street-style selections.
Om Nom is the protagonist of the Cut the Rope video game produced by Zeptolab, but it also has connections to the Harker community. Om Nom has recently become more prevalent at Harker, appearing throughout campus.
Consumerism may favor some but harms all
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