The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
“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
“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
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
Zheng poses in front her map “How to Make a Golden State.” This map charts the labor of the Asian farmworkers who played a crucial role in shaping California’s agricultural infrastructure.
Artist in Residence: Mapping the world through art and seeds of hope
Character.AI simulates connection by offering affirmations and remembering details from past conversations. Users start relying on chatbots instead of real people, and that level of dependency can be very risky.
Character AI exploits vulnerability, endangers users with false companionship
“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
“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
“At Harker this is a little less apparent, but there are still a lot of components in debate that limit the potential of girls or non-male identifying people to succeed. People at Harker often don’t recognize the problems that exist outside of our community, so debate has really opened my eyes by teaching me about critical theory and things like race, gender and class,” Madison Huynh (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Stepping up and speaking out

by Sabrina Takemoto, TALON Seniors Editor • April 26, 2020

As she presses the start button on her timer, which is clipped to the very edge of her laptop, Madison “Maddie” Huynh (12) rapidly speaks about the topic of nuclear warfare in front of her opponent...

“When I'm doing something nice, randomly, it doesn't seem like a huge thing for me. It's a small thing for me, but it makes a difference and has a positive influence on someone else,” Neal Sidhu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Arms wide open

by Jasleen Hansra, TALON Reporter • April 26, 2020

Gathered around the single picnic table in the orchard in front of the RPAC, Neal Sidhu (12), dressed in a gray Harker water polo sweatshirt and black pants, cracks a joke that causes his entire group...

“What people don’t realize is that there are a lot more similarities between cultures than people may think, and getting to access those similarities and getting other people to see those similarities for themselves is my personal mission,” Tiffany Zhao (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Curiosity for culture and communication

by Shinjan Ghosh, TALON Reporter • April 25, 2020

Opening the door to her car after an exhausting ride, Tiffany Zhao (12) was welcomed by the cheerful voices of children singing in unison. As the refreshing breeze blows through her hair, she steps down...

"I really just live. I love to the fullest. I do everything, and I enjoy everything because you never really know what’s going to happen," Simren Gupta (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Embracing empathy

by Varsha Rammohan, Co-Managing Editor • April 24, 2020

Smack! The small, black ball makes contact with the wall as Simren Gupta (12) extends her racket outward and lunges forward with her right leg. The ball hurdles back toward her with an alarming velocity,...

“Tragic things can happen so it's important to enjoy the time you have here, now, and bond with the people you are close with, to live a good life while you can,” Jaimin Bhagat (12) said. 

Humans of Harker: Life in perspective

by Sarah Mohammed, Reporter • April 24, 2020

Laughing with his friends on a couch in Shah Hall, Jaimin Bhagat (12) presents his “standard” demeanor: a playful, lazy smile on his face, his sparkling eyes carefree as he describes the moment he...

“You know when you love something it immediately clicks? That’s what happened for me when I started singing. Singing to me is therapeutic: when I’m not in the right mindset, I hum a tune or bop out to a song to motivate me. This feeling is amplified when I sing in a group; with our combined voices, I bring smiles to more faces than just mine,” Alex Shing (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Go green or go home

by Tiffany Chang, TALON Reporter • April 22, 2020

Picture yourself sitting by a creek overshadowed with a lush canopy of leaves. Take a moment to soak in your surroundings. Close your eyes and listen to the slow trickle of the stream and the fervent fluttering...

“I want to save lives, and I think that's the base requirement for anyone who wants to go into medicine. But I also do love the sciences – I love the art of the diagnosis, how medicine is just a mixing pot of ideas. You need to take so many aspects of life, you need to understand so many parts of the human experience, of the human body to try to diagnose and try to treat a patient. Medicine is the care of people, not diseases,” Simar Bajaj (12) said.

Humans of Harker: To help, to heal

by Erica Cai, Humans of Harker Profiler • April 21, 2020

You may know him as the creator of the renowned study guide compilations that, with over twenty courses, encompass four years’ worth of high school knowledge and help hundreds of students on a regular...

“I’d never expected to play volleyball at the collegiate level [or] to be on the club volleyball team that I’m on now, because when I was younger, whenever we played this team, we’d get nervous and think, ‘Wow, that’s Vision! That’s the top team!’ But now I’m playing with these girls, this is my team, and it’s so surreal,” Ashley Jazbec (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Get ahead in the game

by Lucy Ge, Winged Post Asst. News Editor • April 20, 2020

A wave of quiet washes over the crowd as Ashley Jazbec (12) tosses the ball lightly in the air. Her open palm makes contact with the ball with a satisfying smack and sails over the net, wobbling slightly...

“Nothing I do is really about external approval anymore. When I do something, I do it because it makes me happy and because I genuinely enjoy doing it. When I put more effort into something, I’m more inclined to want to try harder at it in the future and then that will keep perpetuating itself and making me happy,” Sachin Shah (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Dedicated to happiness

by Aditya Singhvi, Co-Sports Editor • April 20, 2020

“Dedication.” That’s how upper school debate coach Greg Achten would describe senior Sachin Shah, echoing the sentiments of his friends and teammates.  “He’s the first kid to sign up for...

“My mom always says, ‘don’t shortchange yourself’, [since] I feel like within Harker, there’s always the idea of not being good enough ... I think my mom does a really good job of encouraging me, because ... sometimes I get swamped in with the Harker culture. She tells me to focus and do what I can do, and that it’s going to be okay,” Amanda Cheung (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Contending with a purpose

by Lavanya Subramanian, TALON Reporter • April 17, 2020

Amanda Cheung (12), surrounded by her sixth and seventh-grade mentees in the Introduction to Speech and Debate class, eagerly guides them through outlining a successful debate. They vigorously type their...

“It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up. Whether it's football, you know, no matter what happens, stuff is going to go wrong, but you just got to keep persisting through and reach your goal, or at the restaurant, when things go wrong, you just got to figure a way around it,” Devin Keller (12) said. 

Humans of Harker: Fostering lasting bonds

by Isha Moorjani, Reporter • April 16, 2020

He stands on the field, his green jersey blurring as he speeds forward to deftly catch the football, his eyes narrowing onto his goal. Upon catching it, he streaks across the field, dodging and evading...

“I want to broaden my horizons and get in touch more with the humanistic aspects of STEM because you can be the best programmer, best scientist, but at the end of the day, if you want to create change in the world, you're going to have to communicate your ideas and figure out how they fit into the mosaic of society,” Eileen Li (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Taking the leap

by Saloni Shah, Humans of Harker Editor-in-Chief • April 15, 2020

Right leg in front of left. Left leg in front of right. As the chilling breeze whistles through and blows her hair past her face, she pumps her arms and breathes heavily. In. Out. In. Out. Stopping to...

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