![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates," Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[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.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasn't making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable," Carter Chadwick ('22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“[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.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“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.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
![“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.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“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.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
- October 22TEDxHarkerSchool brings in new perspectives with “unfiltered”-themed event
- October 21What can be burdened by what has been
- October 21Music Monday: Fall into Olivia Rodrigo October with Aquila
- October 21Varsity girls tennis annihilates Crystal Springs Uplands 6-1
- October 21Aquila Weekly Wrap-Up: Oct. 12-18
- October 21Meta announces Teen Accounts, emphasizes social media safety
- October 20Remakes and sequels send mixed messages to movie enthusiasts
- October 18Varsity girls tennis suffers 3-4 loss to Menlo
- October 18Friday Five: Bingsu
- October 17Self-driving car company Waymo builds safer future for the road
![Harker alum Rishab Parthasarathy (‘22), along with seven other students, represented the United States at the 19th annual International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) from July 25 to 29, 2022, on the Isle of Man. “Every day is a new experience: meeting new people and being exposed to a really new culture,” Parthasarathy said. “I never knew that the Isle of Man had such a specific and vibrant culture, including multiple dialects of the same language within 20 miles of each other. It was really cool to be exposed to a culture that I hadn’t learned about before [and] see people who think about language.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/RishabHoHPhoto-900x598.jpeg)
![Upper school English teacher Charles Shuttleworth poses with his recent book titled “Desolation Peak: Collected Writings," a collection of Beat Generation poet Jack Kerouac’s writings. “I did some good investigation, and it was really fun,” Shuttleworth said. “I love [Kerouac's] writing, I really respect it, so to be able to transcribe it just for myself was worth it. Overall, I felt I got to know and understand him better than I ever had.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/DSC_0081-e1676602304182-900x653.jpg)
![The Pearl Post adviser Adriana Chavira speaks to student journalists at the Journalism Education Association (JEA) NorCal Media Day at Palo Alto High School today. “There’s a section of the Ed Code 48907 that protects advisers from retaliation,” Chavira said. “That was added about 15 years ago. The Ed Code 48907 was actually added back in the late 70s, and [it’s] the first such law for student journalists in the country. We're lucky we have this: it’s giving you First Amendment protections.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Keynote1_SallyZhu-900x600.jpg)
![“I've experienced a lot of disappointing moments, but the ratio of good to bad moments is so stark that [it] makes the good moments so good, because they stand out more. Piano has taught me how to go through struggle, how to persevere and that it's okay to not be a perfectionist," Yejin Song ('22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/YejinSongHoH_AlysaSuleiman-900x599.jpeg)
![Students from the classes of 2022 and 2023 listen as Cantilena performs an arrangement of "You're My Best Friend" by John Deacon during baccalaureate on Davis Field. “[Performing at baccalaureate] is definitely a very bittersweet occasion,” Cantilena leader Teresa Cai (‘22) said. “I’ll definitely miss being at high school and the people I'm with, but I'm excited to go off and make the people here proud.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/baccalaureate_OX3-900x596.jpg)
![“I feel like [my diverse extracurriculars has] shaped me as a person. It allowed me to connect [with] a lot of different people [and] meet a lot of new communities. This whole aspect of connection is really important. I value meeting new people and learning about people's cultures and backgrounds," Camilla Lindh (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CamillaLindh_EshaGohil-582x900.jpeg)
![“Supporting yourself in your endeavors and achievements is a big part of the feminist movement. Being the president [of FEM Club] is something I've had to grapple with. People ask me questions about certain topics that I don’t know, and it's okay if I don’t know. Whatever position you are [in], you’re always learning new things, and that's my favorite aspect of FEM club," Simone Merani (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/SimoneMeraniHoH_MedhaYarlagadda-900x596.jpeg)
![“Golf takes a lot of methodical thinking and calculations. Various factors, like the slope of a hill or the green or the wind or your current lie [angle], everything plays a factor in golf. You have to think about all those factors as you take that shot. That’s something that resonates with me; I like to think things through before I do [them]," Raj Patel (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/rajpatelhoh_eshagohil-703x900.jpeg)
!["Instead of trying to cling on to my routine during the pandemic, I was like, ‘I can't live like this for the rest of my life.’ That's when I started to try and change things a little bit, [and] that made me proud of myself: being able to recognize that and [change] my mindset," Emma Cabral-Gurleroglu (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/EmmaGurlerogluHoH_OliviaXu-900x730.jpeg)
![“[My motto is] shoot for the moon, and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. There's unexpected benefits in everything that you do. Whether it's skating or science research or life in general, [when] I'm not so successful, I would like to remember that there's always still hope and if I keep trying, I'll be able to get to a better place," Alice Feng (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/alicefenghoh_oliviaxu-e1639553706962-596x900.jpeg)
