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 come from a family of teachers. While growing up, I admired the way [my relatives] were able to approach new subjects and convey that knowledge to their students. I’ve taken on that role of teaching, not in conventional ways, but by embracing leadership roles in volleyball and journalism. Whether it’s taking reporters under my wing or leading underclassmen by example, I’ve mentor[ed] others by sharing what I’ve learned through my own experiences, Vishnu Kannan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Taking flight

by Muthu Panchanatham, Opinions Editor June 3, 2022

The ball flies through the air, perfectly aimed towards the setter’s position. Even before the set is passed, the outside hitter makes his approach. As the ball begins to descend just over the net, he...

“​​​​There are so many people that you dont ever interact with or ever think about, but every single person has so much behind what they show to other people. Journalism is a great way of getting behind that portion of ourselves that we always present to the outside world, Emily Tan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: A storyteller’s craft

by Michelle Liu, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief June 2, 2022

As the sun sets outside the journalism room, rows and rows of newspaper page drafts slowly materialize onto the wall as the staff frantically prepares to send the paper into production. Emily Tan (12)...

“When you’re hiking, you can meet complete strangers, and youre both super tired, but you’re headed for the same goal, and you get to share stories. Hiking really taught me that its not about the destination; it’s about the journey. Every experience is better when it’s shared, Elvis Han (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The peaks of life

by Nicholas Wei, HoH Managing Editor May 14, 2022

Elvis Han (12) remembers feeling a rush of independent pride as he stood upon the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in the summer before his sophomore year. Billowing clouds draped the surrounding landscape...

“Compared to taking a test at school, cellos are difficult to quantify. If you get a good grade at school, then thats that good grade. But if youre playing the cello, you cant give yourself a number grade, so theres always things that you can work on and youre always hearing different things that you can change, Lucas Chen (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Bows, bridges and boba

by Gemma Chan and Erica Cai May 14, 2022

Clasping the bow of his cello, Lucas Chen (12) recalls bowing the instrument’s strings gently and beginning to perform his worries away, note after note. Every note is a worry gone, a stress gone, a...

“Most people think space is just a bunch of floating matter, but theres actually a lot of different physics and concepts involved with everything, especially in terms of how we research all those objects because theyre so far away. You would think it would be impossible, but its not, Angelina Yuzifovich (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The space between languages

by Heidi Lu, Reporter May 13, 2022

Flipping through the pages of her astronomy book, Angelina Yuzifovich (12) stops at the section on black holes. Her eyes light up with interest at the clear, attention-drawing photos of the colorful universe...

“Apart from the technical skills, one of the main things I took away from research was the fact that you could take a question you had and run with it. For my sophomore to junior year project, I took a question I had from biology class and thought, ‘What if I read a paper about it? What if I pursued it more?’ The fact that I was able to do that was revelatory to me, Aaron Tran (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Truth seeker

by Tiffany Chang, TALON Academics Editor May 13, 2022

As the bell signaling the start of office hours chimes, students flood out of buildings and congregate in clusters with their friends, taking a break from academics to give each other updates on their...

“I feel like [my diverse extracurriculars has] shaped me as a person. It allowed me to connect [with] a lot of different people [and] meet a lot of new communities. This whole aspect of connection is really important. I value meeting new people and learning about peoples cultures and backgrounds, Camilla Lindh (12) said.

Humans of Harker: From saxophones to saddles

by Carey Chang and Olivia Xu May 12, 2022

Camilla Lindh (12) recalls hearing “Careless Whisper” by George Michael play on the radio the May of her eighth grade. The smooth melody and the romantic lyrics entranced her, and Camilla, determined...

“A lot of hobbies you do or you get into, there’s people behind it who also enjoy that. So it helps you network. For example, I have a lot of friends that don’t go to Harker, but I still consider them close friends because of it. It helps you meet new people. Trying stuff isnt just for the thing itself, but for the people, Will Yashar (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Flying higher into the sky

by Charlie Folk and Ananya Sriram May 11, 2022

The risk taker who flies built-from-scratch drones that go 120 miles per hour. The entrepreneur who owns a 3D printing company as a side business and bought Tesla stocks just to test out the market. The...

“I dont know exactly what it was. Maybe it was the view, maybe it was the feeling, maybe it was the whole fascination of, ‘Were now 20,000 feet above the earth flying in a tin can, [and] were not dead yet.’ Maybe thats it, Connor Wilcox (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Ready for takeoff

by Anika Maji, Reporter May 10, 2022

The rat-a-tat of gunfire sounds as fighter planes whiz across a simulated blue sky. A narrator delivers background information and history of the planes depicted on screen before the show’s theme, a...

“Community involvement is a huge part of what I do now. It did help me become more outspoken, but more than that, what its done for me is made me feel fulfilled. Seeing the tangible things I can do in my community and seeing the effects that I can have is so incredible to me. Knowing that I can mentor reporters or host a toiletries drive for homeless shelters, it makes me feel really fulfilled, Lucy Ge (12) said.

Humans of Harker: A driving force

by Isha Moorjani, News Editor May 10, 2022

The gray wheels of a cream white penny board lightly roll along the smooth pavement. Rays of sunlight dance as they reflect through the swaying leaves, casting a blanket of golden light on the world below....

“One of the best things about what I do is the benefit to others. Its very exciting to provide something for a group of people and make them enjoy a specific activity that you helped contribute to. In an environment where it can be really stressful sometimes, its good to get a smile or two, Arvin Nidadavolu (12) said.

Humans of Harker: A stroke of brilliance

by Arjun Barrett, Asst. STEM Editor May 9, 2022

Brilliant, golden sunlight shimmers on Davis Field. Arvin Nidavdavolu (12) lines up his iron for a shot towards the white Harker logo. After a few practice swings, he steadies the club and places it just...

“When I’m most successful, I feel great, but when its bad, I try to look back and see what I did wrong and not ground myself because of everything that I learned. Every single dollar that I put towards investing, I have no emotional attachment to it. Only when I take it back out is it my money again, so Ive gotten good at mastering that emotional maturity, Evan Zau (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Making cents together

by Kaleb Goldin and Olivia Xu May 9, 2022

In late 2020, news about Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines began appearing in headlines. While many looked at the announcements with hope of protection and security, Evan Zau (12) found a second hope...

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