The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
“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
“It's very important to make sure the people in your life know they're important to you. Whether that's doing small acts of kindness or just being there whenever they need you, having a really strong support system is what gets you through life, and it's a really valuable life skill to have," Sofie Marino (12) said.
Humans of Harker: Pillar of support
“My karate teachers emphasize that as black belts, we should be living up to the standard of our rank and acting as an example for the students who are lower-ranked.' When I’m helping out and someone messes up, I don't necessarily say, ‘You did this wrong, try to do this.’ I take a more relaxed approach and act out what they did a little comically. It's finding the balance between being strict and being more playful with the students," senior Claire Perng said.
Humans of Harker: Playing with purpose
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
Alison Yang

Alison Yang, Aquila Editor-in-Chief

Alison Yang (12) is an Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to bonding with everyone on staff and encouraging creative concepts. In her free time, she enjoys eating shaved ice and hanging out with her cat, Schrodinger.

All content by Alison Yang
Jonas Parra (10) and Shivraj Panja (11) tackle a Griffin. The Griffins dropped a pass, resulting in a 2nd and 10.

A Gryphon tackles Jackson Powell (10). The Gryphons scored a touchdown, bringing the score to 6-8.

Rayan Arya (11) prepares to throw the football in an early play by the Eagles. Arya completed his pass, gaining five yards.

Veyd Patil (12) holds a poster for football member Ryan Barth (12). Audience members often hold posters for their friends with catchy phrases and puns.

Members of the senior class cheer on the Harker football team. Spectators dressed in black to celebrate the senior class color with the theme “Blackout.”

The Harker football team runs through the banner onto Davis Field for the 2023 Homecoming Football Game. The game took place on Saturday at the end of Harker Day.

Live coverage: Harker faces Crystal Springs Uplands for Homecoming game

by Alena Suleiman, Katerina Matta, Desiree Luo, Brandon Zau, Selina Xu, Medha Yarlagadda, Kevin Zhang, Katelyn Zhao, Ariana Goetting, Felix Chen, Vika Gautham, Anwen Hao, Sidak Sanghari, Aishani Singh, Hima Thota, Jessica Wang, Alison Yang, Jeremy Peng, Mihir Kotbagi, Claire Yu, and Tiffany Zhu
October 7, 2023
Chelsea Xie (9) dances during the frosh's "Mamma Mia" lip sync in the spirit rally. “We really owe it to the leaders of this grade for the lip sync,” frosh lip sync and cheer performer Jessica Chen (9) said. “They spent a really long time putting it together."

Homecoming Week Day 4: Grades spar in Spirit Rally, Juniors take lead in points

by Margaret Cartee, Ananya Sriram, Felix Chen, and Shareen Chahal
October 5, 2023
Iris Fu (12) performs the emergency room scene for "The Laramie Project." This year's fall play will perform from Oct. 26 to 28.

Conservatory kicks off new year with audition action

by Alison Yang and Claire Yu
October 5, 2023
The presence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) looms over students at Harker. Students often use AI technology to generate ideas, to complete homework assignments or even to write sections of essays.

ChatGPT can’t fix everything

by Isabella Lo, Co-Opinions Editor
September 27, 2023
Students gather in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center (RPAC) back room during the lockdown at around 3:30 pm. Around 50 students waited in the room, dismissed thirty minutes later.

Upper school campus enters lockdown, campus all-clear

by Felix Chen, Desiree Luo, Kinnera Mulam, Gabe Sachse, and Alison Yang
September 13, 2023

Photo Slideshow Sept. 8

by Alena Suleiman, Alison Yang, Alvira Agarwal, Angelina Burrows, Ashley Mo, Brandon Zau, Claire Yu, Connie Xu, Desiree Luo, Ella Yee, Emma Gao, Emma Milner, Eva Cheng, Gemma Chan, Grant Yang, Janam Chahal, Jeremy Peng, Katelyn Zhao, Kevin Zhang, Lindsey Tuckey, Margaret Cartee, Mendy Mao, Mirabelle Feng, Ram Batchu, Selina Xu, Sidak Sanghari, Steven Jiang, Tiffany Zhu, Vivian Chen, Yifan Li, and Young Min
September 9, 2023
Travis Scott's fourth full-length album "UTOPIA" features disconnected songs and thinly-veiled attempts at virality. While the album may offer moments of brilliance, it leaves listeners yearning for the depth and authenticity found in his earlier works.

Not quite utopia

by Edward Huang, Winged Post Co-Managing Editor
August 30, 2023
Meet our new teachers: Upper school welcomes six faculty members

Meet our new teachers: Upper school welcomes six faculty members

by Vika Gautham and Alison Yang
August 28, 2023
Conservatory members Jason Shim (11), Luke Mehta (12), Shareen Chahal (12), Sam Parupudi (11) and Iris Cai (11) announce the Conservatory Kickoff during the school meeting on Tuesday. "I will be giving you your fresh, funky musical theater and theater news along with my colleague Shareen!" Jason said.

School meeting recap 8/22/23: Athletics, Conservatory Kickoff and “Guess the song”

by Isabella Lo and Alison Yang
August 28, 2023
Music Monday is a new installation featuring a different category of songs on a weekly basis.

Music Monday: Back to school with Aquila

by Alison Yang, Co-A&E and Lifestyle Editor
August 21, 2023
"My parents told me, 'You can’t change anything about yourself.' Despite how good it feels when people enjoy what I make, I don’t want to trap myself in the mindset of depending on others for validation. I have to accept who I am," Sonya He (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Coloring in the gaps

by Alison Yang, Co-A&E Editor
May 15, 2023
Winter brings a particular type of temporary eccentricity to the world. Against the backdrop of sparkling frost and naked trees, the shimmer of light in cold air and all the small things typically ignored shine. Yet, spring brings along the beauty of nature.

Perspectives: Winter vs. spring

by Alison Yang and Jessica Wang
May 12, 2023
Students dance and mingle as strobing lights illuminate the room. This year’s prom was held at the Blanco Urban Venue in downtown San Jose.

The year’s most prom-inent event

by Felix Chen, Jonathan Xue, and Alison Yang
May 8, 2023
Hannah Streeper (10) finishes her recording session during Harker Conservatory’s Rap Composition Workshop led by guest artist Justin Smith on April 14. “My favorite part of the process is watching students come in for the first time, how they react to hearing themselves and [gain] confidence,” Smith said.

Lyricism and learning: Conservatory hosts first rap composition workshop

by Alison Yang, Co-Arts & Entertainment Editor
April 27, 2023
rapcomp_recording_hannah streeper (10), shiv deokar (10), albert yao (9), justin smith 2

Shareen Chahal (11) as Leaf Coneybear. The eccentric homeschooled speller becomes an underdog of the bee.

Conservatory brings pandemonium with Spring Musical

by Alison Yang, Jonathan Xue, and Young Min
April 12, 2023
Harker Dance Company perform "Control," their second dance of the show. The contemporary routine contrasted with "Trumpets," their hip hop number.

Annual “Just Dance” celebrates student skills

by Jessica Wang and Alison Yang
April 11, 2023
All the groups rush out onstage for “I’m Good (Blue),” the finale. Upper school dance teacher Rachelle Haun's Dance Composition class choreographed the routine.

HDC member Claire Cheng (10) in "Control." The group had also performed earlier that day during the Spring Spirit Rally.

Middle schoolers in Just Dance rehearsal. In the dressing rooms backstage, dancers of all ages traded stories and formed bonds.

HDC in "Trumpets," a hiphop number. "We might be more confident [doing contemporary dance], but my favorite is [Trumpets]," HDC member Claire Cheng (10) said. "Especially at the [spirit rally] it was a lot of fun, seeing the energy in the audience."

Faye Gu (6) in Just Dance Rehearsal. "[Just Dance] makes me proud of the Harker K-12 dance program,” Dance Director Gail Palmer said. “If dance is where your passion is, there’s a nice through line [for the students].

Music Monday is a new installation featuring a different category of songs on a weekly basis.

Music Monday: Live, laugh, Lana with Aquila

by Alison Yang, Assistant A&E Editor
March 20, 2023
Downbeat performers pose for a photo at the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) on March 10. Downbeat placed fourth in the quarter finals against seven other a cappella groups from California.

Downbeat places fourth at ICHSA quarter finals

by Young Min and Alison Yang
March 20, 2023
The varsity boys volleyball team gathers for a huddle and a chant before the game against Menlo-Atherton on Tuesday. The team won in three sets, 25-13, 25-14, 25-20.

Varsity boys volleyball decimates Menlo-Atherton in three straight sets

by Jessica Wang, Margaret Cartee, and Alison Yang
March 13, 2023
Music Monday is a new installation featuring a different category of songs on a weekly basis.

Music Monday: Spring sentimentality with Aquila

by Alison Yang, Assistant A&E Editor
March 13, 2023
The poster at the entrance of Nichols Atrium. 3-D and 2-D work occupied the majority of the downstairs floor and walls and 2-D work resided in the upstairs walls.

AP Art Exhibitions showcase works by 22 students

by Alison Yang and Alena Suleiman
March 13, 2023
Harmonics poses at the end of "Lullaby of Birdland." The middle school show choir performed with white hats, dancing across the stage and weaving through formations.

United Voices strike a chord

by Alison Yang, Assistant A&E Editor
March 8, 2023
“You can learn from the past but you can't change it so there's no point in worrying about it. The thing is making time for yourself. It's the ‘work hard play hard’ idea. During the times where you have to work, you have to put 100% of your focus into it, and when you've completed whatever you need to do, you can actually relax,” Eddie Sun (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Euphonic edification

by Alison Yang, Asst. A&E and Lifestyle Editor
March 5, 2023
AP Art History recreates Georges Seurat's 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.' The AP art history tableau is a beloved Hoscars tradition.

Trip down memory lane: Nostalgia-themed Hoscars return for fifth annual run

by Jessica Wang
February 21, 2023
Black Garlic Tonkatsu Ramen and the Kurobuta Kakuni bowl at Hoshinoya. Both were recommendations of the waiter and arrived quickly.

Out of the nest: A day in Japantown, San Francisco

by Katerina Matta and Alison Yang
February 18, 2023
Yasmin Sudarsanam (10), Eileen Ma (12) and Maya Affaki (10) dance to "Peer Pressure." Eileen choreographed the dance by translating her favorite moments from the song to dance movements.

Growing “Better 2Gether”: Students perform in annual Dance Production

by Young Min and Alison Yang
February 19, 2023
"I don't have it all boiled down to a motto. I don't really go with the flow. One of my favorite things about myself is how much time I take to consider things. I like being very intentional and thoughtful. I stay focused on what I can control, which is the present and the future," Aneesha Asthana (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Intentionality in identity

by Alison Yang, Asst. A&E and Lifestyle Editor
February 14, 2023

Photo Slideshow Jan. 24

by Tiffany Chang, Steven Jiang, Andrew Liang, Heidi Lu, Desiree Luo, Kinnera Mulam, Lavanya Subramanian, Jessica Tang, Katie Wang, Selina Xu, Alison Yang, Grant Yang, Medha Yarlagadda, Kevin Zhang, and Sally Zhu
February 9, 2023

Photo Slideshow Jan. 18

by Charlie Folk, Victor Gong, Jasleen Hansra, Angelina Hu, Edward Huang, Yifan Li, Isha Moorjani, Olivia Xu, Selina Xu, Alison Yang, Brandon Zau, Claire Zhao, Sabrina Zhu, Sally Zhu, and Jessica Tang
February 9, 2023

Sports Photo Slideshow Jan. 11

by Aryana Bharali, Margaret Cartee, Emma Gao, Isabella Lo, Jessica Tang, Alison Yang, and Brandon Zau
February 9, 2023

Performers unveil work in the arts during Student Directed Showcase productions

by Sidak Sanghari, Hima Thota, Alison Yang, and Sally Zhu
January 18, 2023
Performers gather on stage to close out the Big Assembly Day show. Upper school students watched Harker’s annual holiday concert Big Assembly Day (BAD) on Dec. 9, where ensembles from the lower, middle and upper schools performed various acts across all campuses.

Annual Big Assembly Day performing arts concert kindles festive spirit at all campuses

by Alison Yang, Vika Gautham, and Alena Suleiman
December 23, 2022
Load More Stories