The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
Humans of Harker: Multi-disciplined, multi-dimensional
Humans of Harker: Multi-disciplined, multi-dimensional
Humans of Harker: Continuous and differentiable
Humans of Harker: Continuous and differentiable
Humans of Harker: Power in profiles
Humans of Harker: Power in profiles
Humans of Harker: Widening the aperture
Humans of Harker: Widening the aperture
Humans of Harker: Sharing stories, striking serves
Humans of Harker: Sharing stories, striking serves
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
Fall Sports
Winter Sports
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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Sports Slideshows
Running back Pedro Castro III clings to the football as Cougar defenders drag him down during the season opener match. The Eagles went 5-3 in the Pacific Coast Athletic League.
2024 recap: Fall sports highlights
by Eva Cheng and Tiffany Zhu
Recent Scores
Oct 4 Varsity Girls Volleyball Harker vs. Branham 3-1 W
Oct 4 Varsity Girls Water Polo Harker vs. Cupertino 12-3 W
Oct 4 Varsity Boys Water Polo Harker vs. Pioneer 15-10 W
Oct 3 Varsity Girls Tennis Harker vs. Menlo 4-3 W
Oct 2 Varsity Girls Water Polo Harker vs. Los Gatos 6-5 W
Athletes on the Rise
Sai Kaneshiro (10) warms up her swinging technique during a practice. “I try to not think about [the pressure] too much and just take it one day at a time, one tournament at a time,” Sai said.
APEX: Consistency on course
by Wenjie Zou and Emma Lee

Arriving two hours early to every golf tournament, sophomore Sai Kaneshiro warms up and practices swinging, chipping and putting to prepare both...

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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
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
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Sports Features
The UEFA Champions League pits top clubs from across Europe against each other in an annual tournament. This year, Inter Milan faces off Paris Saint-Germain in the final on Saturday.
UEFA Champions League matches set stage for thrilling conclusion
by Sam Li, Features Editor

Millions worldwide tuned in as the UEFA Champions League semifinals drew to a close on May 7. After an intense set of matches, the stage is set...

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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
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
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Driver David Tang (11) surges out of the water for a powerful shot. David was a key piece in the Eagles' offense, scoring two of their goals and setting up several plays with his passing.First singles player Pavith Khara (12) swings at the ball. She suffered from a back injury, so she was unable to play a second match.Harker teachers cheer on the eagles from the sidelines. The eagles won the game in two sets, 26-24 25-22.The girls varsity volleyball team runs out flanked by the cheerleaders. Smoke billowed behind them and the crowd went wild as they exited from the locker rooms a few minutes before the starting whistle.The varsity girls volleyball team celebrates a point scored in their last match against Branham High School on Aug. 28. The two teams will face off again on Davis Field this Saturday in lieu of the homecoming football game.
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.
Edmund Wang (9) jumps off the diving block while spectating swimmers from Harker cheer him on. Edmund swam the 200 IM event.
Junior varsity boys volleyball loses to Lynbrook 0-2
Co-captains Rahul Yalla (12) and Aaron Guo (12) block an incoming ball. Harker eagles beat the Lynbrook vikings in a three-set match on April 30.
Senior Saahil Herrero takes a swing. In the sixth inning, Saahil hits a ball towards second base and nearly makes it to first base before being tagged out by a Priory outfielder.
The varsity softball team poses for a group photo during their senior night. Senior Olivia Guo was the only senior on the team this year.
The varsity boys tennis team laugh as the watch a video honoring the seniors. Each non-senior recorded a 30-second segment expressing their grattitude.
Frosh Emma Wang rounds the curve in the girls 200-meter dash. She competed in the 100 and 200 and also contributed to a top three finish in the girls 4x400 relay.
Outside hitter Aaron Guo (12) leaps into the air for a kill during the first set. The Eagles dominated Lynbrook to sweep all three sets.
Outside hitter Ethan Gu leaps into the air for a kill. “In the first set, everything was flowing well, Ethan said. “Even though we got caught up on some serves, we still managed to side out in a timely fashion and get our lead back."
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.
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
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