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

Anthony Xu , Reporter

Anthony Xu is a freshman and reporter for TALON Yearbook. This is Anthony’s first year on staff. In his free time, Anthony enjoys drawing, playing soccer, and reading.

All content by Anthony Xu
"[Interning] was a really eye-opening experience for me because before when I thought of San Jose, I thought of skyscrapers and tech firms and big companies, but working with my councilman, I realized that it’s a lot more than what it pretends to be. I realized that people are struggling even in my own community, and that was one of my blind spots. I hope that with community service and political activism, I can change that," Eric Fang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Seeking the story

by Anthony Xu, TALON Co-Editor-in-Chief
May 2, 2020
“I think people are pretty universally similar. Even though my school in Thailand was a relatively different environment to Harker, we are stressed about the same things, we enjoy the same things, we have the same exact teenage struggles. And it's awesome. I really wish these different friend groups I made in high school somehow came together because it's like everyone would get along really well and it would be a super enjoyable experience,” Brandon Lin (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Finding unity in diversity

by Anthony Xu, TALON Co-Editor-in-Chief
April 28, 2020
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. The 450 foot-long Inscription Wall features 14 quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches, sermons and writings, honoring justice, democracy, hope and love.

Awake at night: D.C. monuments honor nation’s history

by Tiffany Chang, Lakshmi Mulgund, Smrithi Sambamurthy, Pelin Unsal, Anna Vazhaeparambil, and Helen Zhu
November 23, 2019
Legislative Assistant Eric Henshall (‘12) speaks to Harker Journalism reporters about his experience working in the office of U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo in the House Cannon Building in Washington, D.C. Eshoo represents California’s 18th Congressional District and is currently running for re-election against Saratoga Councilman Rishi Kumar.

From San Jose to Capitol Hill: Upper school alumnus gives back to his home district as congressional staffer

by Eric Fang and Anthony Xu
November 23, 2019
Subways on the red line of the D.C. Metro streak across after the latest stop at the Dupont Circle station. Each metro station consists of the same architectural structure: a wide arch filled with uniform square indentations.

Hustle and bustle: Capturing the street life in Washington, D.C.

by Helen Zhu, Emma Gurleroglu, and Anna Vazhaeparambil
November 23, 2019
"I internalize a lot of things. Inside I'm pretty creative, but that could be subjective. It's easier to communicate with yourself what you're thinking than with others...I feel like when you keep things to yourself, your thoughts progress more rapidly even if you're [not] getting an outside perspective," Richard Hu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Satisfaction in duality

by Anthony Xu, TALON Editor-in-Chief
November 2, 2019
Olivia Guo (11) watches on after hitting the ball in the varsity girls golf team's match against Sacred Heart Prep.

Harker awarded CalHi D4 School of the Year

by Aditya Singhvi, Aquila Co-Sports Editor
August 30, 2019
Spanish teacher Diana Moss presents her opening argument in the life raft debate, held in Nichols Auditorium on Jan. 29. The debate, organized by juniors Grant Miner and Evan Cheng, asked five teachers from five different subjects to persuade audience members that their respective discipline is the most practical in a life-or-death situation.

First life raft debate puts five teachers’ fields of study to the test

by Kathy Fang, Managing Editor
January 29, 2019
London City Hall is the headquarters for the mayor, Sadiq Khan, and the city’s 25 assembly members, who represent the Greater London Authority (GLA). The building was principally designed by Norman Foster and is located on the River Thames in the London borough of Southwark.

The liberal conservative: In conversation with London Assembly Member Andrew Boff

by Eric Fang and Anthony Xu
June 18, 2019
An astronomical clock sits on the right windowsill the house’s living room. It has the ability to tell the time and date and show the location of the planets in the solar system. Because photos were not permitted in the Sir John Soanes Museum, students were invited to sketch the various features of the house.

Step into history: Sir John Soane’s Museum lends insight into life in the early 19th century

by Arely Sun, Co-Lifestyle Editor
June 18, 2019
"I think there is an element of personality in music. If you give people the same melody or the same sample or idea, they're going to come up with different things based on this given input because of the differences in their own worldview experiences and styles. Personally, I like the romantic styles a lot. Romantic is when people started experimenting with chords and focusing more on the feeling of the music. I think those pieces are really pretty because of that," Annabelle Perng (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Not so quiet after all

by Anthony Xu, TALON Editor-In-Chief
May 22, 2019
“For me, performing is absolutely magical. It makes me happy beyond anything else, and if you find something like that, and if that’s performing for you, it doesn't matter if you are going to get a lead or you're going to have a show-stopping number or something. If it makes you feel that way, then it's 100 percent worth doing because there's so much room to grow in every aspect of life and I guess that's kind of how I approach life. It's that there's so many possibilities and there's so much out there that we haven’t even touched," Neha Premkumar (12) said.

Humans of Harker: More than just an act

by Anthony Xu, TALON Co-Academics Editor
March 14, 2019
Olivia Guo (10) watches on after hitting the ball in a match against Sacred Heart Prep, which the Eagles won 196-261. Girls golf won the WBAL championship by an unprecedented margin of 44 strokes.

As fall sports end, winter sports take flight

by Kushal Shah and Saloni Shah
December 7, 2018
“My teacher, Dr. Nelson, said, 'If you study astronomy, you're going to be doing your own research, and eventually you're going to a point when you will know something that nobody else has ever known in the history of humanity.' I was like, 'That's freaking awesome. I want to do that with my life.' So that's what decided it for me. It doesn't need to be a big thing, just something," Ishani Cheshire (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Poems and pulsars

by Anthony Xu, TALON Co-Academics Editor
November 14, 2018
Olivia Guo (10) watches on after hitting the ball. Led by captain Katelyn Vo (11), the girls won a convincing 196-261 victory. Freshman Sophie Zhang Murphy shot par at 36, Katelyn followed with a 39 and Natalie Vo (10) and Olivia both shot 40.

Varsity Girls Golf wins against Sacred Heart Prep, maintains streak

by Anthony Xu, TALON Co-Academics Editor
October 1, 2018
"I like messing with computers," Sunny Jayam (12) said. "I started with taking stuff apart and then I started actually learning what the things did on the computer because they're so complex. They're small, you know, compared to big machinery and stuff and I started learning about how these would work. Then in freshman year, I built one and it was a big learning experience, and I learned that there's a whole community that lives and breathes computers. I just remember like just going into my dad's office over the weekends to try and figure out how I get this game to work on my father's computer. I took like a solid week, just trying to make it work. I finally got it. It was fun."

Humans of Harker: Sunny Jayam solves problems in the robotics lab

by Anthony Xu, Reporter
May 6, 2018
Students view art and writing on display at the Artstravaganza today during long lunch. The event included a performance by Jazz Band, the unveiling of this year's issue of HELM magazine and readings by selected authors.

Artstravaganza showcases student artwork, literature in Nichols reception

by Anthony Xu, Reporter
April 18, 2018
Sophomores Jeffrey Yang, Sejal Krishnan, Anna Miner, Allie Lee and Rani Sheth dance to the Spanish hip hop song “Dura” by Daddy Yankee. “I was really nervous at first but after the first few moments I was able to relax and it became super fun,” Rani said. “I would tell [the people that have never been to cultural night] that they should definitely come. The food is great, the performances are great, and anyone is bound to have a good time regardless of ho advanced their speaking skills are.”

Spanish Cultural Night brings celebration of Spanish culture to Harker community

by Anthony Xu, Reporter
March 14, 2018
Heidi Zhang (11) scoops up the ball while keeping it away from Salinas High School players. The girls won their first home game 9-5.

Varsity girls lacrosse beats Salinas High School 9-5

by Anthony Xu, Reporter
March 7, 2018
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Apple’s HomePod continues smart speaker trend

by Anthony Xu, Reporter
March 5, 2018
“I personally try to separate golf from me, because I know at times I think to myself, ‘If you take away golf from me, what do I have left?’” Daulet Tuleubayev (12) said. “So the one thing I do want to be remembered for is just that I was a good guy and a good friend, and I'd always be nice to you, hear you out, and support you. At the end of the day, despite what I've achieved or what anyone else has achieved, I just want to be remembered as a good friend. Not just in high school, but even in life. I wouldn't mind if I'm not remembered just as a golfer but a friendly and nice person.”

Humans of Harker: Daulet Tuleubayev strategizes his way to victory

by Anthony Xu, Reporter
January 9, 2018
BVarsityWaterPolo10.17.17_AnthonyXu

Photo Frenzy 10/23/17

November 1, 2017
Co-captain Hannah Sobczyn (9) serves the ball to Sacred Heart Prep. During the match, the team only missed one serve.

Freshman and sophomore and JV girls volleyball teams play Sacred Heart Preparatory

by Emily Chen and Anthony Xu
October 11, 2017
Jarett Anderson (10) prepares to hit the ball against blockers. The boys varsity volleyball team lost to Homestead in five sets.

Varsity boys volleyball loses to Homestead High School in five sets

by Anthony Xu, TALON Reporter
April 18, 2017
“Then again, there are a couple of programming puzzles that I like to play around with. There was one about a honeycomb. If you were a bee, and you know the locations of all other bees, so it’s an infinite honeycomb. You have a starting and end location, and you have to solve the optimal path to your destination. I just like that problem, and I’ve been trying to solve it. I haven’t solved it yet. When I’m bored, I just try to figure it out. That’s what I do with my productive free-time,” Albert Xu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Albert Xu learns to love problem solving through robotics

by Anthony Xu, Reporter
March 16, 2017
“I think changing my last name made it easier in life. Not like school, because I don’t really care; I’m cool with all kinds of jokes in that sort of sense. But it’s easier, because if you grow up with the last name ‘Hussein,’ then it’s harder [in] airports and whatever; that was the case for my dad, so basically as a kid I was like: ‘I don’t want to be like that,’ so that’s why I changed my last name," Emaad Raghib (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Emaad Raghib finds the humor in situations

by Nicole Chen and Anthony Xu
January 9, 2017
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