The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila
At Harker, where the majority of the student body identifies as Asian — East Asian, Southeast Asian, Central Asian, South Asian or Pacific Islander descent or ancestry, casual racism is especially relevant.
Editorial: Casual racism is rebranded racism
Students respond to unsatisfactory spirit results by blaming lack of spirit transparency or biased judging. This mindset can create tension between students and leadership.
Editorial: Rethinking the spirit of spirit
When assignments become more about learning to prompt an AI tool than mastering material, we must ask if they truly help students learn. AI could be beneficial for students who want to review concepts and spot where they have gaps in their understanding, but that purpose needs to stay in students’ minds.
Editorial: Classroom AI integration calls for clearer direction
Because certain teachers favor different teaching methods, students can experience inconsistencies in information reception and engagement between classes.
Editorial: Learning experience should not depend on the teacher
Eventually, we start to drown out the cookie-cutter suggestions that we always hear — sleep more, stop participating in so many extracurriculars, be productive and stay off social media.
Students benefit from intentional scheduling
“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.
Humans of Harker: Laws of life
“Everyone finds meaning in their own life. For me, that meaning comes from my family, my music and helping others. Doing music is not just something to win competitions or to look good on my college applications. It’s just an amazing tool in general for servicing others,” George Yang ('26) said.
Humans of Harker: Value in violin
“Community and connecting with people are my core values. Whether it's at school with our class or at practice with my teammates, being able to participate in things that allow me to give back to communities that gave me so much is an experience I'm eternally grateful for,” Janam Chahal (’26) said.
Humans of Harker: Swimming with spirit
“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.
Humans of Harker: Persistence in play
“The main legacy I hope to leave at Harker is to inspire the next generation of performers and to inspire other dual STEM and theater kids who want to do both to a really high level. It's not an ‘either or.’ It's not a ‘because you're this, you can't do that’ type of thing,” Daniel Miao ('26) said.
Humans of Harker: Building community through performance
Humans of Harker: Multi-disciplined, multi-dimensional
Humans of Harker: Multi-disciplined, multi-dimensional
Humans of Harker: Continuous and differentiable
Humans of Harker: Continuous and differentiable
Humans of Harker: Power in profiles
Humans of Harker: Power in profiles
Humans of Harker: Widening the aperture
Humans of Harker: Widening the aperture
Humans of Harker: Sharing stories, striking serves
Humans of Harker: Sharing stories, striking serves
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
“Because all my work is team-oriented, I’m inspired to want to get my part of the work done because I see everyone else trying so hard. I want to get my work done, so it's easier on them. I want to be remembered as the type of person who tried to get to know everyone and get everyone involved," senior Alvira Agarwal said.

Humans of Harker: Sparks and stories built together

by Emma Lee, TALON Editor-in-Chief • April 27, 2026

Sparks fly and machines roar in the robotics lab as students shout over each other, asking for tools like crimpers and tape. At TALON Yearbook’s deadline night, the air buzzes in a different way;...

“You have to push yourself into unfamiliar territory. Trying something new will help you gain perseverance and a willingness to try and fail. Setting a goal really helps, as you give yourself something to aim for,” senior Sophia Ou said.

Humans of Harker: Strength in strides

by Saria Lum, STEM Editor • April 27, 2026

Beneath the sweltering heat, a team of athletes all dressed in green and white dot the track, their spikes thudding against the lanes as coaches call out times. When her teammates stretch and regroup...

“What even is purpose? This umbrella’s purpose is to shield you from the rain. This water bottle’s purpose is to carry around water. But humans think that we have a lot of different purposes. The closest analogy to that might be books, because what really is the purpose of a story? It depends on the story. If we are like books, then there isn’t really a single purpose for us. It’s defined by what we are and what we can do,” senior Timothy Deng said.

Humans of Harker: Life lived in plural

by William Jiang, Aquila Managing Editor • April 25, 2026

“If you ask me to remember something about me from more than two weeks ago, I will not be able to.” This statement seems ironic coming from an International History Olympiad seventh place finisher...

“Even the simplest things can have the biggest impacts. We don't need crazy solutions to make big results, but we just need determination to follow through with them. This has really driven me to explore all my interests to the fullest capacity and try to find unique ways to create those meaningful experiences for myself,” senior Pavith Khara said.

Humans of Harker: Determination in action

by Liana Barooah, Sports Editor • April 24, 2026

The sun beats down on the court as Pavith Khara lunges for another shot, her wrist throbbing and legs cramping. She misses as the ball skims past her racket, and the scoreboard confirms that she’s lost...

“Storytellers don’t just tell stories — they also share encapsulated emotions. When any composer writes a piece of music down, they’re doing the same thing as writing a story, but it’s a story that also encapsulates emotions down onto paper. It’s an honor to have the technical capability to bridge the audience of today with the encapsulating emotions of the past,” senior Kairui Sun said.

Humans of Harker: Back to the keys

by Tiffany Zhu, Reporter • April 24, 2026

In a world of uncertainties and path shifts, senior Kairui Sun has one steadfast certainty: piano playing will remain his lifelong passion. The instrument that first captivated him 12 years ago represents...

“Fashion is a way to express yourself because there are so many different styles, and being able to choose and put together outfits and show people them in itself is a form of individualization. In business, too, you can do whatever you want. If you have a vision and you're able to bring it to life, it's based on the effort you put in. If you're willing to put in the time, you're gonna be able to do it," senior Sammie Liu said.

Humans of Harker: Expression through enterprise

by Cynthia Xie, Aquila Editor-in-Chief • April 24, 2026

Bright lights flicker on, illuminating every corner of the Hilton San Francisco Grand Ballroom. Standing onstage, senior Sammie Liu gazes out at the audience of hundreds of people, each waiting to...

“There have definitely been moments when I really wanted to stop doing math and physics because I didn't think I could get anywhere. I thought, ‘These other people are so smart and I’m trying so hard.’ But I know now that I wanted to study physics because there's a lot of good if I keep doing it. We all have the freedom to decide what we want to do with our own lives, and I’m excited by everything physics enables,” senior Eric Dong said.

Humans of Harker: Astronomical approach

by Mihir Kotbagi, Aquila Managing Editor • April 24, 2026

When asked how stargazing helps people on Earth, senior Eric Dong explains that the lofty principles of physics he explores through the lens of his telescope apply equally to clean energy production and...

“It’s fine to make mistakes. You always learn from your mistakes, especially in origami. I’ve made lots of mistakes either designing or making origami. Sometimes mistakes are also inspiration. When I do a fold and it doesn’t work, I can see something else that can also come out of it. Mistakes are always part of the process,” senior Caden Ruan said.

Humans of Harker: Rhythm of life

by Wenjie Zou, Reporter • April 23, 2026

500 regular jumps. 100 double jumps. 5 straight minutes of jump rope freestyling. On any given day, senior Caden Ruan goes through his jump rope routine in his backyard. This regimen is just one example...

“Perseverance is one of my core tenants. Perseverance is needed in whatever field you go into because you're always going to face challenges, and you need the tools to conquer those challenges. I want to be remembered as someone who perseveres through all the challenges in my life. I want them to see that no matter which challenges I'm faced with, I'm ready to confront them,” senior Chloee Yang said.

Humans of Harker: Painting with sound

by Aileen Jang, News Editor • April 22, 2026

Under the hands of senior Chloee Yang, what appears as a row of 88 monotone black and white keys bursts into a palette of endless colors. Each note becomes a brushstroke of emotion across the canvas...

Humans of Harker: Drawing the path to success

Humans of Harker: Drawing the path to success

by Grace Wu, A&E/Lifestyle Editor • April 21, 2026

Hands sweating, heart thumping, legs sore and cramping, senior Maryanne Davies powers through the pain and sprints down the second leg of the 4 by 400 meter relay at the 2023 WBAL League Championships....

“Art is the pinnacle of manifesting my thoughts and ideas into the real world, and I want my work to encourage people to reflect and see things in a new way. I hope to leave a legacy of creativity and visual design through my art and inspire more people to embrace visual art as a medium themselves,” senior Charlie Wang said.

Humans of Harker: Culture on canvas

by Jonathan Szeto, Winged Post Managing Editor • April 21, 2026

A muscular human figure lies face down on a surface patterned like the American flag, his body slack with exhaustion and pierced by arrows. Perched atop him, a bald eagle spreads its wings, its talons...

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