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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 want to be remembered as someone who helped my friends and people I know in the grades below to be able to appreciate all of our experiences together. I find it very inspiring to watch all my friends mature over time and want to help this community grow," senior Max Zhai said.

Humans of Harker: Mentoring the next generation

by Nathan Yee, News Editor May 1, 2025

All eyes on senior Max Zhai, he presents his engineering youth club with its next adventure: a green rectangle covered in intricate metal pathways. This is a circuit board. Current, voltage, resistance...

Humans of Harker: Bonds and bullseyes

Humans of Harker: Bonds and bullseyes

by Charlize Wang, Aquila Managing Editor May 1, 2025

As shots ring out across the indoor range, senior Young Min reaches for the cold steel handle of her Pardini air pistol, her magazine loaded and vision locked on the bullseye in front of her.  One...

Humans of Harker Editor-in-Chief Disha Gupta presents the “Humans of [Your School] workshop. Presenters highlighted HoH project’s mission and went over the process of building a senior’s profile.

Harker Journalism leads workshops at JEA convention

by Suhani Gupta and Leah Krupnik April 30, 2025

Journalism staff editors led four workshops — “Humans of [Your School]," “Rethink Repeaters,” “It's the Little Things” and “ChaRIZZmatic Communication” — at the Journalism Education Association...

Humans of Harker: Piecing together a narrative

Humans of Harker: Piecing together a narrative

by Steven Jiang, TALON Conservatory Editor April 29, 2025

As senior Neil Krishnan stands before children at the Sacred Heart Community Center, he takes a deep breath and holds up his carefully crafted wooden puzzle, a smile spreading across his face. The...

“When I was a VP, I had this urge to think, ‘I was a director last year. I know exactly what to do. I'm gonna do it myself, and then the directors can watch and take it on for the next year.' But then I had to realize that it's important to delegate and let them go through the hardship that it took me the year before. Even if they don't understand it, it's also important for them to go through that experience so that they can get to the point where I am now," senior Sanaa Bhorkar said.

Humans of Harker: Directing effort, coordinating action

by Lily Peng, Sports Editor and Photo Editor April 29, 2025

Day one of high school. A new frosh steps foot on campus. A figurative map of infinite possibilities unfolds in front of her, shouting for attention, pressuring her to try new things. What to choose?...

“My hobbies are a lot of trial and error. With cooking and photography, it takes a lot of patience and messing up, and I kind of love that. I love growing and just getting better at something. There are just some creative outlets that I think are fun ways to spend time," senior Haden Andrews said.

Humans of Harker: Camaraderie, creativity and cooking

by Wenjie Zou, Sports Editor April 29, 2025

With the different obligations prevalent in high school, it is often difficult for students to find outlets to express themselves. Despite this, senior Haden Andrews continually delves deeper into...

Humans of Harker: Biotech and bows

Humans of Harker: Biotech and bows

by Claire Tian, STEM Editor April 29, 2025

“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.”  — Ralph Waldo Emerson For senior Varun Thvar, Emerson’s words resonate deeply. Authenticity lies at the heart of his...

“I find value in what I do because it makes people feel happy when they see us perform. It makes them feel encouraged. It brings spirit to people, and it brings our team together in the community. Dance — it's a community thing, not just moving," senior Zachary Soraire said.

Humans of Harker: Dancing in the spotlight

by Emma Lee, TALON Student Life Editor April 25, 2025

Butterflies fluttering in his stomach, senior Zachary Soraire nervously watches the previous act behind the curtain. The dancers strike their ending poses, applause erupts in the auditorium and the...

Humans of Harker: Crossing the finish line

Humans of Harker: Crossing the finish line

by Alvira Agarwal, TALON Managing Editor April 25, 2025

Sweat beading on her head, senior Hannah Levanon sprints ahead, the sweltering heat making this cross country race a particularly challenging one. Having run close to three miles already, now all that...

“I want to be known as someone that’s able to do my own thing, so goal-determined that I don’t let the failures stop me: someone who can take the situation and turn around to look at it from an optimistic view. I’ll just keep getting back up again and again and again," senior Rushil Jaiswal said.

Humans of Harker: Going the extra mile

by Chelsea Xie, A&E/Lifestyle Editor April 24, 2025

“Runners, take your marks.” Inhale. Exhale. Eyes closed, nervous smile. “Set.” Heart pounding, muscles ready. Eyes locked on the lane. “Go.” Adrenaline rushes. Left arm swings, right leg...

“A lot of team members at Addax Games had more experience than me, so there is a lot of stuff that I don’t know as well as they do about those games. In general that would be bad, but when it comes to playtesting, that can be quite useful because not everyone who plays the game will be super experienced with board games," senior Saahil Herrero said.

Humans of Harker: Player to playtester

by Anwen Hao, Reporter April 23, 2025

Amid the shuffle of game pieces and the quiet intensity of strategic decisions, senior Saahil Herrero finds more than just entertainment — through playing tabletop games, he discovered a passion...

Humans of Harker: Charging through challenges

Humans of Harker: Charging through challenges

by Ella Guo, Humans of Harker Editor-in-Chief April 23, 2025

People decked out in face paint. Cheers filling the night air. Stands fully crowded with high school students and eager parents. As the football team enters Davis Field for the 2023 Homecoming Game,...

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