The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
“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
“I have the ability to convey my opinions and ideas through art, which in my opinion, is the most powerful tool I have because not everyone has it. It requires me to, first of all, have an opinion or thought, and second of all, be able to convey it with this medium. Together, that is the strongest calling for an artist," senior Eva Li said.
Humans of Harker: Artistry in abstraction
"I like challenging myself to really, really high expectations and then surprisingly, somehow it works, and I think I have the most fun doing that. Rather than making a beginner thing, I wanna be the best .I wanna do the craziest thing first," senior Gabe Li said.
Humans of Harker: B-roll to your beat
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

Heidi Zhang, TALON Asst. Photo Editor

Heidi Zhang is a sophomore and Assistant Photo Editor for TALON Yearbook. This is her second year on staff. Outside of journalism, Heidi enjoys painting, going out with friends, and taking photos.

All content by Heidi Zhang
Humans of Harker: Humanity in art

Humans of Harker: Humanity in art

by Heidi Zhang, TALON Editor-In-Chief
June 1, 2019
“When I make art, the best pieces I make are the ones that made me happy to make. It’s an escape of reality for me—when I’m making art, I don’t think about all the superficial problems I have. I might fail a test and be super upset, but when I start art, I completely forget about it. I’m like, it’s nothing right now, because art is the only thing I’m focusing on. After I finish a piece, it's not what it looks like that relieves me, it’s more of the work I put into it. The process of making the piece is more important to me than the product," Elizabeth Yang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Process over product

by Heidi Zhang, TALON Editor-In-Chief
May 28, 2019
“Being able to hold your own and have your own conversation with everyone no matter who it is, being okay in any social situation, not feeling scared, being okay with interacting with anyone around them is really important,” Zachary Hoffman (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Spirit to spirit

by Alysa Suleiman, Reporter
May 15, 2019
“Not anything is given to you. You know, you got to take it and you have to earn it. Hard work pays off."

Humans of Harker: Touchdowns and life lessons

by Shreya Srinivasan, TALON Organizations and Co-Sports Editor
March 21, 2019
“One thing I’ve always believed in is the power of communication and just being honest and truthful in all respects. Communication, to me, is more than language in a traditional sense: it also includes communication in a nontraditional sense like body movement or painting or programming. The power of communication is inexplicable. I want to bring that love and apply it to a greater world purpose,” said Devanshi Mehta (12).

Humans of Harker: Steps and strokes

by Varsha Rammohan, Copy Editor
March 15, 2019
The seasonal Winter Pasta, consists of penne pasta, spicy sausage, mushrooms and tomatoes sauteed in a garlic butter sauce. It has a zesty taste with a light hint of pepper.

Tomatina brings modern twist on traditional Italian Cuisine

by Heidi Zhang, TALON Editor-in-Chief
January 26, 2019
“A really big part of the Armenian community is there's no such thing as I owe you one, you owe me one. It’s more like, 'We should be supporting each other. I’m doing this for you because I know that if I ever need help, you would do the same for me. Even though I may never need that help, I know that should I ever need it, you will be there. So I will be there for you now,'" Andrea Simonian (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Giving back

by Heidi Zhang, TALON Editor-in-chief
January 24, 2019
“In the end, it's really gratifying to see what comes out of the work I try to put into everything, from track to football. I really try to bond with my teammates and be the person they can go to for information or anything they need. I’ve had to keep a good mindset especially this year because I’m senior. I remember when I was a freshman, I'd look up to seniors because they always listened to coach and did everything right on the field. I look at myself in that position now. Seeing people improve and succeed is what makes it worth it," Mitchell Granados (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Mind over matter

by Heidi Zhang, TALON Editor-in-chief
January 9, 2019
Matthew Hajjar (12) reaches for the ball, playing defense against a Cupertino player in a game the Eagles won 15-6 during their senior night. The boys water polo team had an overall record of 17-10 for the season and was headed by coach Ted Ujifusa.

As fall sports end, winter sports take flight

by Kushal Shah and Saloni Shah
December 7, 2018
Matthew Hajjar (12) reaches for the ball, playing defense against a Cupertino player. The first half finished 6-3 in favor of the Eagles, with Harker goals scored by Bobby and Matthew.

Varsity boys water polo defeats Cupertino during senior night

by Heidi Zhang, TALON Editor-in-Chief
October 18, 2018
A white, unpainted eagle is one of four standing outside Manzanita Hall this week. Before painting their eagles to correspond with their spirit themes for the homecoming rally, each class needed to remove the paint from previous years.

Weekend recap 9/15/18

by Ryan Guan, Executive News Editor
September 14, 2018
Matriculation and class trips welcome students back to school

Matriculation and class trips welcome students back to school

by Nicole Chen, Ryan Guan, Kathy Fang, Irina Malyugina, Heidi Zhang, and Michael Eng
August 26, 2018
“Playing tuba in orchestra is not always the most rewarding experience. Most of the time I sit in the back and do my homework or sleep because I have that much rest," Meghana Karinthi (12) said. "You’re definitely not the most featured person in the group. At the same time, when I see the group do well and I know that I took a part in that, it gives me a lot more satisfaction than me having a whole bunch of solos.”

Humans of Harker: Meghana Karinthi makes the difference behind the scenes

by Nina Gee, Reporter
May 20, 2018
"I'm this five foot tall girl playing tuba, but after a while, it gets kind of lonely because I'm the only one in the back row sitting in the corner, and Mr. Florio is talking about how hard this piece we're playing is, and I don't even play in it, and I'm just like, 'cannot relate,'" Meghana Karinthi (12) said. "I've had my moments where I've had solos, and obviously I love being featured, but even the moments where I feel lonely or annoyed that I'm not playing are all really small compared to when we finish a piece, and I stand up and I'm like, 'Wow, the whole orchestra was good.' I've always thought about it as I'm making the orchestra better, and not so much as like this is a concert just for me."

A student signs the banner that will be sent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as a sign of support in the aftermath of a Feb. 14 shooting that left 17 students and faculty dead. The Florida Senate responded to the shooting by passing a bill that raises the minimum age to purchase firearms, bans bump stocks and allows sheriffs to appoint and arm “school guardians.”

Through the years: A history of gun legislation in the U.S.

by Anvi Banga, Kathy Fang, and Tiffany Wong
March 15, 2018
During a scrimmage against Santa Clara High School, Selin Sayiner (12) dribbles the ball while avoiding an opposing defender. The girls team qualified for CCS in their preseason.

Varsity girls basketball team develops throughout season

by Prameela Kottapalli, Winged Post Features Editor
March 4, 2018
“Different colors make me feel different ways,” Alisa Su (12) said. “The combination of it and going through that process makes me really happy. Mixing colors is one of the most beautiful processes of art to me. I absolutely hate it when people take the tube and straight up start using the color.”

Humans of Harker: Alisa Su thinks through her designs

by Heidi Zhang, Humans of Harker Videographer
February 27, 2018
Rithi Jayam (11) tries to steal the ball from her opponent. The varsity girls team won against Notre Dame San Jose High School 2-1 on Wednesday.

Girls soccer beats Notre Dame San Jose 2-1

by Heidi Zhang, Videographer
January 18, 2018
“[Education is] just lagging right now," Ellen Minkin (12) said. "Sexual education, or just learning about the world. We live in a progressive era, but even we aren't being informed of a lot of things. We live in ignorance. I was put on this earth, and I feel like if I don't do anything, it’s just such a waste of a life. I actually want to make an impact, or else my life is pointless. I'm just a snowflake in a huge storm, and I want to make a change.”

Humans of Harker: Ellen Minkin campaigns for change, one conversation at a time

by Heidi Zhang, Humans of Harker Videographer
November 27, 2017
Freshman Dylan Williams dribbles down the court while evading a Santa Clara High School player. This is the girls basketball team's second scrimmage of the season.

Varsity girls basketball team faces Santa Clara High School in scrimmage

by Heidi Zhang, Humans of Harker Videographer
November 24, 2017
“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

by Anvi Banga, Reporter
June 6, 2017
“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

by Vijay Bharadwaj, Opinion Editor
June 2, 2017
In golf, when you're making a shot you can either take a risk and go over an obstacle or you can play it safe and go around it but take an extra stroke. For me, I always risk it. If I have something in my way I'll go for it. Sometimes the outcome is unexpected, but my life motto is "If there's a tree, get over it. Just go for it,” Vienna Wang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Vienna Wang discovers golf and a new outlook on life

by Heidi Zhang, TALON Asst. Photo Editor
April 23, 2017
Journalism students attend national convention in Seattle

Journalism students attend national convention in Seattle

by Jenna Sadhu, Cameron Zell, Heidi Zhang, and Tiffany Wong
April 13, 2017
Screen Shot 2017-01-05 at 6.54.02 PM

Humans of Harker: Kathy Duan reveals her personality through her clothing choices

by Meilan Steimle, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief
January 5, 2017
“When we do dramatic exercises in acting, there are moments where all my friends and I literally just sit in a circle and cry together. It's absolutely amazing, the way we all have power and control over our emotions and how we can make ourselves feel a certain way. I think it's absolutely beautiful," Tamlyn Doll said.

Humans of Harker: Tamlyn Doll uses acting to channel her emotions

by Heidi Zhang, TALON Asst. Photo Editor
December 1, 2016
“In four years, I hope I’m still in college,” he said. “I hope I’ve started to get my life together and maybe get a few gigs here and there, but I'll still definitely be taking weekly lessons. I want to go to graduate school after that, maybe at a conservatory, and then who knows? Just hopefully playing whatever, however that is, whether it’s an orchestra or a salsa band or whatever. As long as I’m playing, it’ll be fine," Jack Farnham (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Jack Farnham pursues career as trumpet player

by Nina Gee, Reporter
November 30, 2016
Election Watch: Harker Aquila and Winged Post staff members turn to watch the TV monitors on the walls of the journalism room as polling results roll in. On Nov. 9, Donald J. Trump was named the President-Elect of the United States of America.

Trump wins election

by Michael Sikand, Tiffany Wong, and Katherine Zhang
November 16, 2016
Both teams line up before the start of a play. The football team won the match against St. Francis Watsonville 49-27.

A week in football: 10/17/16

by Justin Su, Sports Editor
October 28, 2016
San Francisco Giants clinch postseason wild card

San Francisco Giants clinch postseason wild card

by Brandie Van Londen and Heidi Zhang
October 5, 2016
Shania Wang (9), Darren Gu (10) and Srivatsav Pyda (11) will be student council members for their respective grades. Students voted in the journalism room on Thursday during both lunches.

Getting to know your student council members

by Heidi Zhang, Reporter
May 3, 2016
DECA officers hand out bowls of ice cream at last year's ice cream social. DECA month will continue throughout November.

Upper school DECA chapter hosts club month

by Heidi Zhang, Reporter
November 4, 2015
Load More Stories