The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
“I like having to face challenges and then being able to overcome the challenges. I like it when there's a technical difficulty or there is a task that seems impossible, such as getting the robots to do monkey bars, but then as you work with a group of people and you think about it, you find a solution that seems feasible," Akul Goyal ('25) said.
Humans of Harker: The light in the circuit
“Being part of water polo has made me more disciplined. Part of it is for personal gain, but I also get more joy from helping others than helping myself. Water polo has a major team component that drives me to work harder to both benefit myself and also the team members I’ve known for so long," Oskar Baumgarte ('25) said.
Humans of Harker: Making waves
Humans of Harker: From theorems to tools
Humans of Harker: From theorems to tools
Humans of Harker: Singing with sincerity
Humans of Harker: Singing with sincerity
Humans of Harker: Kinetic connections
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
Spring Sports
Senior libero Jacob Smith gives outside hitter Topaz Lee (11) a hug to celebrate a point. Topaz made multiple kills throughout the game, scoring many points for the team.
Varsity boys volleyball suffers 2-3 loss against Clovis East in Norcal semifinal
by Janam Chahal, Aquila Managing Editor
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Middle blocker Rahu Yalla jumps up for a swing. The Eagles lagged behind Mitty at the beginning of the game but came back to win the set at a close 26-24.
Varsity boys volleyball succumbs to Mitty in CCS semifinals 2-3
by Disha Gupta, Emma Li, Mendy Mao, and Samuel Tong
Opposite hitter Liam Jeffers (12) and middle blocker Rahul Yalla (12) block an incoming ball. Along with defending balls, Rahul played offense by executing many hits.
Varsity boys volleyball vanquishes Homestead in three sets in CCS quarterfinal
by Ella Guo, Cynthia Xie, and Leah Krupnik
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Fall Sports
Winter Sports
Sports Slideshows
Isabella Lo (11) drives downhill, looking for an open teammate in the Harker varsity girls basketball's Central Coast Section semifinal game. Isabella often handled the ball at the point guard position.
2023-2024 recap: Winter sports highlights
by Brandon Zau and Kevin Zhang
Recent Scores
May 16 Varsity Boys Tennis Harker vs. Menlo 1-6 L
May 15 Varsity Boys Volleyball Harker vs. Archbishop Mitty 2-3 L
May 15 Varsity Baseball Harker vs. Crystal Springs Uplands 0-1 L
May 14 Varsity Boys Tennis Harker vs. Saratoga 5-2 W
May 13 Varsity Boys Volleyball Harker vs. Homestead 3-0 W
Athletes on the Rise
Varsity baseball player Shaurya Jain (10) winds up for a pitch. “When you’re pitching, you’re the person with the ball who initiates the whole game," Shaurya said. "You get to control the tempo, and I found that really appealing.”
APEX: All-around ace
by Tiffany Zhu and Lily Peng

Two outs, up by one run at the bottom of the seventh inning. Sophomore Shaurya Jain steadies himself on the mound, ready to pitch as the opposing...

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APEX: Riding the rush
APEX: Riding the rush
by Sam Li, Assistant Sports Editor
Sophomore Xianyao He trains his gaze on the ball as he prepares to swing the paddle. Representing Team USA at a variety of international competitions, Xianyao was ranked fifth place nationwide by US Table Tennis 2024.
APEX: Mastering the mental game
by Victoria Li, Humans of Harker Profiler
Hanz draws back an arrow, preparing to fire. "Archery changed from something really simplistic to a place where I can relax and look forward to a new day,” Hanz said.
APEX: Aiming arrows toward aspirations
by Young Min and Lily Peng
“You just need to trust the process,” Zoe said. “After the first game, I fell in love. I thought, ‘This is where I can express myself. I just want to work hard to score goals and be happy.’”
APEX: Power in polo, pride in protecting
by Charlize Wang and Sam Li
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Sports Features
David Kelly (10) controls the spikeball, setting up a spike for his teammate Yash Belani (10). Since spikeball is a fast-paced game, players must transition quickly from defense to offense.
Serving up spikes on Davis Field
by Victor Gong and Sam Li

Four players in teams of two stand over a small circular net as onlookers wait in line for their turn on Davis Field. The tiny court, just a...

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When parental involvement crosses from encouragement to overcontrolling, the athlete’s love for their sport often shifts to showing signs of dread. “During the start of the season, I liked it, but over time, he really increased expectations on me, and it definitely hurt my enjoyment of the game," an anonymous basketball player said.
Parental pressure dampens sports passions
by Tiffany Zhu, Wenjie Zou, and Claire Xu
Junior Sophia Ou competes in the long jump event at the Saint Francis Invitational. She set a season record of 4.63 meters.
Tracking strengths, fielding talents
by Tiffany Zhu and Sam Li
Junior varsity boys soccer player Luca Barchietto (10) competes in a pickup league on the weekends. Pickup sports allow athletes to experiment with new techniques that they would otherwise not be able to implement in more high stakes environments.
No pressure, all play
by Sam Li and Chelsea Xie
I’ve loved playing with a team, undergoing all the ups and downs of a long season together. Those shared secret smiles after running mountains or the heartbreak of losing in CCS are moments taken together.
Last buzzer on a lifetime of memories
by Isabella Lo, Aquila Managing Editor
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Ryan Miao (10) prepares to return a hit during his singles match. He prevailed in straight sets 7-6(3), 6-1.Sophmore Mason Brooks throws the ball as Jefferson attempts to steal a base. Mason's pitching, boasting nine strikeouts, contributed to the flawless defense from Harker.Co-captain outside hitter Aaron Guo (12) returns a serve by the Mustangs. He worked with libero Luke Wu (11) and outside hitter Jacob Smith (12) in defense.Co-captain Rahul Yalla (12) swings out of the middle. Quick "one" sets were a staple play for the Eagles during the game against Los Gatos. David Kelly (10) controls the spikeball, setting up a spike for his teammate Yash Belani (10). Since spikeball is a fast-paced game, players must transition quickly from defense to offense.
Varsity boys soccer player Ryder Hewitt (11) leads a team cheer before a match on Davis Field. Playing on their home turf provides the team an advantage as they are more accustomed to the environment.
Executive order "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" allows agencies to require federally funded institutions to define athletes’ genders by their birth-assigned sex. The order threatens to impact high school and college athletes, and states decide whether to follow the president’s directions.
Whereas most WNBA players play outside of the United States during the offseason, Unrivaled offers them the opportunity to showcase their skills at home. Beyond remaining within the country, players can also earn sponsorships and gain visibility through playing in the league.
Game Talk with Gabe: Downfall of a franchise
Jack Yang ('24) speaks about his commitment to Pomona Pitzer at the college athletics signing ceremony in May 2024. Jack played both club and varsity high school soccer.
Point guard Kayvion Cruz (9) passes the ball for an open corner three-pointer after driving into the paint. Kayvion facilitated the Eagles offense throughout the match with multiple assists.
Point guard Gary Jin (12) powers past a defender on a drive toward the hoop. The Eagles held their lead through the first quarter.
Guard Isabella Lo (12) receives posters, flowers and plushies during varsity girls basketball senior night. After the game against Eastside concluded, the seniors took photos with their friends to celebrate their last home game of their high school careers.
Varsity girls soccer draws Notre Dame San Jose 0-0 on senior night
Varsity boys basketball players Lucas Huang (9) and Nolan Chen (12) take a photo together. “All my teammates around me, the energy that they had and the crowd had in the game was great,” Nolan said.
Seniors Ian Gerstner, Steven Jiang and Nikhil Pesati boast posters during the ceremony. Although Senior Daniel Chen was unable to attend, Ian and Steven carried his posters for him.
Varsity boys basketball captains Vyom Vidyarthi, Advay Monga and Bowen Xia (12) lead a team huddle. The captains frequently take on the responsibility of motivating the team to improve on-court morale and performance.
Varsity girls soccer player Audrey Yang (11) looks out into the bleachers while sitting on Davis Field. After close losses, athletes often feel the sting of their supposed failure, but reset routines help mitigate pressure.(Illustration by Elizabeth Zhang, Photo by Tiffany Zhu)
From sports courts to controversy
Varsity girls basketball player Finley Ho (10) leans over the seat to talk to captain Emily Mitnick (12). On the bus ride to games, teammates share snacks and trade stories, taking the opportunity to grow closer off the court.
Varsity girls basketball decimates Castilleja 53-35
Left midfielder Eva Cheng (11) steals the ball from the other team. She sustained a kick to the leg in the second half but continued to control the midfield after as well.
Talk Around Campus: Students and staff share Super Bowl predictions
Junior varsity is not second place
Ohio State University and Notre Dame face off in National Championship on Monday. A nationwide spectacle, the National Championship caps off four months of intense and deeply entrenched rivalries and brings families and communities together.
Eric Liu ('06) looks ahead in the driver seat of his Porsche Cayman race car. Liu attended his first track day after a fellow automobile enthusiast invited him.
Harker Dance Company co-captain Serena Lau (11) stretches her muscles out in a lunge position. "Stretching and getting the muscles loosened up is really important for your full body range," Serena said. (Illustration by Eva Cheng, Photo by Tiffany Zhu)
Midfielder Eva Cheng (11) keeps the ball away from defenders. The girls won the game and brought their league record up to 5-2 overall.
Central midfielder Alexander Maxim (9) races to steal the ball from a Priory player. The Eagles defeated the Panthers 4-3 on Friday.
MacEnzie Blue (11) dribbles the ball past two Westmont High School players. The Eagles currently hold a 4-2 season record.
Forward Ryder Hewitt (11) dribbles the ball away from an Eastside defender in the middle of the field. The Eagles dominated offensively, scoring a goal within the first ten minutes of the match.
Forward Gemma Chan (12) dribbles the ball past Notre Dame players. While the Eagles made many defensive rebounds, they struggled to counter the Regents' strong offense.
Guard Rishaan Thoppay (11) prepares for a layup on a fast break. Harker had 16 steals against the Bruins, which they efficiently converted to baskets.
Guard Isabella Lo (12) drives the ball. The varsity girls basketball team currently holds an overall 10-1 record.
18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest ever world chess champion upon winning the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship. Many analysts favored Gukesh, who had entered the tournament off prior victories, to win the match against reigning champion Ding Liren.
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