The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
Humans of Harker: Leading with every lesson
Humans of Harker: Leading with every lesson
“For me, discipline can only happen when I try the things that I really like. Since I like basketball and I like guitar, I'm willing to contribute to the discipline. It's not really discipline at that point — it's passion," senior Advay Monga said.
Humans of Harker: Dribble and drive
“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
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
“I like how [the retirement community residents] are regulars. You don't get new people often. If I'm able to find a grouchy person and be empathetic and extra nice to them, and have them like me after, It makes my heart very happy," Alyssa Tomberg (12) said.

Humans of Harker: “Our best moments together”

by Sarah Mohammed, Features Editor • March 22, 2022

Alyssa Tomberg (12) adores her family car. Being in her family’s ownership since 2004, the small, royal blue Subaru is the same age as her. It finds comfort in the same home. Its engine revs up like...

“[Art is] a really good way to let out all your emotions. For someone like me, who is not very good at communicating their emotions very well, art is a really good place to dump all your feelings into if you don't like saying it by word of mouth. You can do anything with art. There's honestly no right or wrong way to do art, so whatever you want to do, you can do," Ray Ka (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Details in design

by Margaret Cartee, Assistant Opinions Editor • March 22, 2022

In a life dominated by social media, small details can blend into an endless chain of images. Ray Ka (12) relishes the nuances of her designs, which she posts on Instagram, reflecting on the process of...

“I like to see someone else fall in love with something that I care about too. [It’s] that feeling of giving back with what I know. And then, I grow as a violin player, I grow as a tennis player, I grow as a person, so I'm getting a lot back in return," Kavita Murthy (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Music and mentorship

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor • March 21, 2022

Kavita Murthy (12) recalls the first time she helped out with the lower school orchestra in 2015. Rehearsal had already started, so Kavita, wearing her middle school uniform, entered the room and sat in...

“School is kind of procedural — everything has a set schedule. But when you’re hiking, backpacking, you can do what you want to do, and use your own skills or knowledge to make that happen," Alex Zhang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Challenges for the mind, expeditions in the outdoors

by Julie Shi, Reporter • March 21, 2022

Alex Zhang (12) smiles as he recalls the semester-long Study of Organic Chemistry course he had taken the previous semester, especially the rewarding experience of translating lecture notes into hands-on...

“Throughout the years I've really found myself and found who I am. And I'd like to say that I found myself with silent confidence. I'm a pretty quiet person. But I think that I do have a very silent confidence and that's something that not many high schoolers have," Kalyn Su (12) said.

Humans of Harker: A silent confidence

by Heidi Lu and Olivia Xu • March 20, 2022

Following the fall of Saigon in 1975, over 125,000 Vietnamese refugees poured through the doors of the United States, settling in the country. Over the next 25 years, the deluge of Vietnamese refugees...

“On one hand, I really enjoy everything I do, but that's not the only reason it's worth it to me. In my Boy Scout troop and when teaching at Mathnasium, I really feel like it's worth it because, thinking of all the people in my Boy Scout troop who helped me along that journey and helped me become who I am today, I really want to give back to them," Tristan Goodwin (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Giving back, “one step at a time”

by Anika Maji, Reporter • March 19, 2022

Mount Baldy, New Mexico. Standing a daunting 12,441 feet tall, the mountain represented the pinnacle of the 70-mile long backpacking trip Tristan Goodwin (12) took in the summer of 2019 with the Boy Scouts....

“To me, [creating music] is freedom to do what I want. Because I used to play, of course, like everyone else, [music] from the 1700s. It was almost like you weren't playing what you wanted to play, and even if you played it with your own touch, someone's telling you that you're wrong. So now, I do what I want to do, and I control every step from beginning to end," Arnav Dani (12) said.

Humans of Harker: De-beats and debates

by Alena Suleiman, Assistant A&E Editor • March 18, 2022

Immersed in his computer, Arnav Dani (12) rearranges and layers melodies from a variety of instruments on top of a vocal sample, his newest song in the process of gestation. He then focuses on the drums...

“What is more important [to me] now is enjoying yourself and doing the technical stuff if you have the patience for it but not forgetting what music actually is. I accepted music as a hobby and not something you have to compete with other people for," April Zhang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The technique behind the art

by Rachel Ning, TALON Organizations Editor • March 17, 2022

As she recalls her first experiences and exposure to music, senior April Zhang’s eyes light up with hints of reminiscence and appreciation of the lessons it has taught her. She reflects back on her maturation...

“At the end of the day, you're communicating something to your audience. You need to play for your audience, you need to play for other people, so don't keep the sound contained in the case of piano. If you're performing for the sake of performing well or performing for yourself, your audience is not going to enjoy it; they'll be able to tell," Daniel Wu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Performing with a purpose

by Emma Gao, Copy Editor • March 16, 2022

Moments after taking a seat in front of the piano, Daniel Wu (12) launches into a song, his fingers flying across the keys with surety and skill. Eyes closed, he moves in tune with the swooping cadence...

“I want to leave an impact where I can show that it's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to stumble as long as you pick yourself back up and learn from what you've done, and it's possible to continue growing as a musician no matter what," Anoushka Khatri (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Upbeat off stage, Downbeat on stage

by Sally Zhu, A&E and Lifestyle Editor • March 15, 2022

A bright smile, jazzy dancing feet. A twirling golden dress, curly brown hair in a cozy black scarf. A lit-up stage, further illuminated by the joyful spirits and lively singing of upper school show choir...

“[My favorite moments] in some sense are those general feelings of conversation. They open your mind just as much as those competitions where you're really studying or working hard. In every facet of your life, you're trying to find ways to broaden your way of thinking," William Zhao (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Expanding new horizons

by Margaret Cartee, Assistant Opinions Editor • March 14, 2022

Leaning attentively over a navy blue desk as he listens to a Science Bowl question, William Zhao (12) grasps his pen in his right hand with intent, ready to start writing at any moment, and holds his buzzer...

“The golden rule is important — treat others the way you want to be treated. But [we] also need to understand that sometimes, people act out of anger. People have things going on in their own lives that they don’t talk about. [We] all deserve to be respected the same way and all need to respect other people in the same way,” Saumi Mehta (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Taking center and back stage

by Desiree Luo, Assistant Sports Editor • March 13, 2022

She walks onto the stage with elegance and aplomb, dressed in a shimmering magenta dress sprinkled with specks of gold. Her hair is tied into a graceful knot, and earrings dangle next to her expressive...

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