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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

“Something I try to think about whenever I do things is helping other people. It might seem cliche, but I’ve realized that everything I’ve been really passionate about revolves around helping others.”

Humans of Harker: Growth of a star

by Katie Reed, Reporter January 12, 2022

Thresia Vazhaeparambil (12) perches on a gnarled tree in her backyard, a peaceful expression adorning her face. A sweet-scented garden of vegetables, flowers and various shrubbery surrounds her — a subtle...

“The way I choreograph tends to be listening to music a whole lot, and not even necessarily dancing to it, just listening to music, knowing the music. Then, it's freestyling and whatnot, and freestyling is where most of the creativity comes out," Brandon said.

Humans of Harker: Free flow

by Julie Shi, Reporter January 11, 2022

"Roses" by The Chainsmokers blasts through loudspeakers on the makeshift stage in the quad as Brandon Park (12) and his dance partner Kai Due (12) perform their self-choreographed hip hop piece for Harker’s...

"Sometimes I feel like it's inevitable for everyone to think in some way they're inferior to everyone else, but for me, success is more like being satisfied with what I've done and what I have accomplished to get to where I am at that moment and overall being happy and joyful. I don't know when that time will come, but when it does, I feel like I’ll know that I've achieved some kind of success," Emily Zhou (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Wisdom in WiSTEM

by Angelina Hu, Reporter January 10, 2022

Gesturing with her hands, Emily Zhou’s (12) eyes light up as she raves about the boundless beauties and mysteries of outer space with animated passion. Occasionally studying something in the distance...

“[Investing] allows me to think a lot more through my decisions, and it's given me a lot of restraint in decision making. [In investing,] you can't be too emotional about your decisions: you have to look through things very analytically. That transfers to my everyday life, where I try to think things through very thoroughly,” Ethan Huang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Investing towards more

by Emma Gao, Reporter January 7, 2022

For many high school students, the daunting and complex finance world of stocks and investments seems light years away, an issue to tackle as adults. But Ethan Huang (12) has immersed himself in this world...

“In football, every single play you've got to run full speed, you’re hitting guys, you’re making a play on the ball, all sorts of stuff is going on. It’s pretty crazy. It’s pretty fun," Adheet Ganesh (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Tackling the game with tenacity

by Julie Shi, Reporter January 6, 2022

The crowd in the bleachers holds in a collective breath of excitement and anticipation as Adheet Ganesh (12), co-captain of the varsity football team, races towards the end zone, football soaring through...

"You have to be able to take those [equations] and develop your own mindset and your own perspective, and be able to take those in ways that other people might not expect, because that's what makes you unique. That's what creativity is," Rishab Parthasarathy (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Curiosity, creation and community

by Sabrina Zhu, STEM Editor January 5, 2022

harkeraquila · Aquila Audible of "Humans of Harker: Curiosity, creation and community" Dozens of smooth, cream-colored tiles spill onto the bare floor, and a pair of young hands frantically...

“[Gardening] gives me a little bit of control over something. Sometimes I feel like I can do all this studying, but I still can’t control the grade or know the questions. But I can take this weed out. I will beat this crabgrass, and then I can listen to music or relax," Ann Ryan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Purposeful planting

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor January 4, 2022

With a small, lightweight backpack slung over her shoulders, Ann Ryan (12) strides across the empty parking lot of her elementary school, heading purposefully for the metal gate of the school’s garden....

“[Golf] has taught me how to overcome challenges and how to perform under pressure. When you’ve played for an hour or an hour and a half, and you get out of the moment, you’re just like, 'Huh?' because it feels like it goes by in just a moment,” Sophie Zhang-Murphy (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Putt-ing in the effort

by Kinnera Mulam, Reporter December 16, 2021

Sophie Zhang-Murphy (12) remembers the numerous times she and her family drove to a driving range to play golf when she was 6 years old. At the time, she aimed to simply hit the ball with her golf club,...

“Being able to see both sides of an argument for debate really helped to expand my worldview. Being able to analyze, even if I don’t agree with one side, how I would think about it from [that] perspective gave me more nuanced thinking. This is helpful even in interpersonal situations: being able to recognize what other people are thinking and see things from other people’s perspectives," Arnav Jain (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Power in perspective

by Ella Yee, Reporter December 15, 2021

Arnav Jain (12) laughs as he recalls the joy he felt after realizing he had won a round at an Arizona State University debate tournament last year. Though winning any round would already come as good news,...

“‘You['ve got to] step into the daylight and let it go’ is a line that I really like because I didn't realize how much I’ve been holding in me until hearing it. When I was young, I remember knowing [Taylor Swift] was the kind of person I wanted to be in the future. How she can bring smiles to everyone — in some way, I want to be able to do that as a dentist," Trinity Chan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Leaving a blank space

by Trisha Iyer, Reporter December 15, 2021

Whenever she has a free seventh period, Trinity Chan (12) heads over to a Spanish-tiled building surrounded by green trees in Cupertino: the dentist’s office. Don’t worry about her teeth, though —...

“[My motto is] shoot for the moon, and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. There's unexpected benefits in everything that you do. Whether it's skating or science research or life in general, [when] I'm not so successful, I would like to remember that there's always still hope and if I keep trying, I'll be able to get to a better place," Alice Feng (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Spinning with positivity

by Olivia Xu, Reporter December 14, 2021

In a video of her routine for the U.S. Figure Skating Central Pacific Regional Championship in October of 2018, Alice Feng (12), dressed in a sky blue costume adorned with silver embroidery, glides backward...

"[My passion for music] was playing with others and being a part of a group, simply making music together. Those things are the main reasons why I enjoy playing in orchestra, mainly because I really like playing the music I listen to and then trying to recreate it,” Austin Wang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Beats and bats

by Carter Chadwick, TALON Co-Photo Editor December 14, 2021

Recalling one of his favorite memories in baseball, Austin Wang (12) describes his experience during Central Coast Sections (CCS) Championships last year, where the varsity baseball team made a comeback...

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