The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

I think that’s one of the most beautiful parts of dance—that you can be vulnerable internally and share that with a large number of people. You’re never alone, plus you’re showing that to an audience full of maybe a thousand people, and I think that speaks to how both external and internal dance is, Natasha Maniar (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Dancing through academia

by Gloria Zhu, Reporter January 31, 2019

Natasha Maniar (12) is no stranger to science. She is the co-founder of Harker’s artificial intelligence club, bringing neural nets and periodic speaker events to the community. Her research with AI...

“I always tended to be an empathetic person. Even when someones texting style changes, I can always tell if theyre angry or sad. That sort of started when I started becoming better with my mental health. I started realizing when people around me are stressed. I wanted to cull that. I think everyone needs of extra support, and if I can be there for someone, then I should. I don’t think of it as a responsibility. I feel like its something as a person you should consider doing for others, Raphael Sanche (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Life without borders

by Gloria Zhang, Features Editor January 29, 2019

When Raphael Sanche (12) was four or five years old, he joined the little kids swim class in New York. His first challenge was jumping down from the first diving podium. Enumerated by either fear of his...

“I like learning weird stuff about Shintoism and communism. No one is going to test me on that ever, but I still do it just because its cool to know, its fun to know, and currently I havent explored myself enough to really know why I think its fun. Im not sure if I will [ever know], partially because Ive stopped caring that that question is important. Ive recognized that my love of China or East Asia and my interest in academia is just something ingrained in my person, and I dont think its necessary to explore why that is because I know that it just is,” Logan Bhamidipaty (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Expectations and ideologies

by Sara Yen, Asst. Features Editor January 28, 2019

What makes a leaf a leaf? How can you be sure that a green, organic structure hanging from a plant is indeed a leaf? On a rainy Friday afternoon in Dobbins, Logan Bhamidipaty (12) answers these questions...

“Everyone has goodness in them and happiness inside them but sometimes people don’t really see it, or the current stress and load of things that are bothering them is kind of blocking them from accessing that happiness. I think it’s important for people to realize in the midst of all this craziness there is a way for people to be happy, and once you are happy, you’re going to be more productive and more motivated, Nastya Sushkova (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Positivity from within

by Shreya Srinivasan, TALON Organizations and Co-Sports Editor January 26, 2019

Sounds of uncontrollable laughter fill the air as Anastasiya “Nastya” Sushkova (12) chats with her friends while walking to her next class, using hand gestures to further give meaning to her stories....

“A really big part of the Armenian community is theres 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

Dangling by a silver chain, a forget-me-not pendant—five violet petals decorated with yellow accents—adorns Andrea Simonian’s (12) neck. At first glance, the necklace may seem like just another accessory,...

“You can’t solve everything with STEM. I’m not going to save the world with STEM...You are not supposed to fight global warming by making an engineered device that will get rid of all the pollution or get rid of any chemical waste. You are supposed to pass policy, change the philosophy of the big companies that are causing all the pollution...That’s not something that science is going to fix. That’s humanities; it is humans,” Timothy Chang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Creativity meets structure

by Saloni Shah, Asst. Humans of Harker Editor January 23, 2019

Wearing formal business attire, Timothy “Timmy” Chang (12) stands confidently behind the podium. His eyes narrow with determination as he looks intently at a note passed by one of his teammates. One...

“Whenever we visited Iran, I had to wear a hejab to cover my hair, [and] as a kid, I never understood why. I realized, through reading and asking my parents questions, that it was a symbol of repression of women. I wanted to represent that [repression] in art, because it was so prevalent in my family. I did collages to shed light on the negative impacts [of the culture], Aryana Far (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Watercoloring the past

by Anoushka Buch, TALON Co-People and Seniors Editor January 18, 2019

A brush makes an organic, watery magenta stroke on thick paper, the first line on an otherwise pristine sheet. As time goes on and the color dries, the brush retraces its strokes on the paper and creates...

“I want to end up reaching a wide range of people rather than have some sort of abstract concept define who I am. I want to mean different things to different people whether that is just love for my family or community service for the people I help. Even if it’s not necessarily something I’m good at or something I have one foot in, I want to be able to reach people, Esha Deokar (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Step up, reach out

by Olivia Guo, TALON Reporter January 16, 2019

Moving across the stage, Esha Deokar (12) projects her voice through the auditorium, her face glowing under the stage lights. Every expression and line flows freely as she embodies Si Crowell, her character...

“I look to music to kind of explain things about myself that I can’t explain with thoughts or words, just these kind of questions that I have about life. When I listen to music, those things become clear to me, not in a logical sense -- but you can kind of feel why life is worth living, Alex Rule (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Feeling the vibe

by Arya Maheshwari, STEM Editor January 15, 2019

“I’ll make it easy — my passion is music.” As he gets comfortable sitting in a creaky wooden chair in the dimly lit Manzanita Hall, Alex Rule (12) smiles gently and warmly, with a faint sigh...

“Every single athlete who comes in with a problem is helping me in a way because it allows me to see all this stuff and get experience, even just every single time I tape an ankle. In return, [I want to be] someone who helped out or made their days better, even if it’s just in a little way, Katrina Ipser (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Beyond the training room

by Anna Vazhaeparambil, Reporter January 15, 2019

If you’ve ever been to the athletic training room in the gymnasium, you’ve probably seen Katrina Ipser (12) sitting on the tall black treatment tables, swinging her legs back and forth and leaning...

“My brother’s thing happened to him and it affected my life, but when my alopecia happened, there was just something different about having it happen to me. There’s so much that needs to be done in the medical field. We’ve barely scratched the surface of what medicine can do. It can help so many people. Everyone in my family could be helped by something in this field,” Ally Wang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Translating struggle into hope

by Anoushka Buch, TALON Co-People and Seniors Editor January 11, 2019

What happens when you feel like someone you’re not? Though it isn’t always intentional, there are often people who feel as if they are constantly hiding, simply because they never got the chance to...

“Frankly, if I’m not doing anything and I’m bored, it just doesn’t work for me. I always have to be doing something with a purpose, whether it’s exercising, eating or doing math problems. I always want to lead an active life. Honestly, doing board games or spending time with my family is a good way to stay busy while simultaneously relaxing,” Sukrit Ganesh (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Ingenuity and engineering

by Devanshi Mehta, TALON Editor-in-Chief January 10, 2019

Sukrit Ganesh (12) is known around campus as Harker’s resident car, politics and astrophysics enthusiast. With his characteristic accent and a purposeful gait, Sukrit’s presence never goes unnoticed. Like...

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