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 want to be someone who has always wanted to discover more about other people and advocate for people who are not in the same position as me. I look at history like that, where I'm telling the stories of people who were unable to have their stories be told when they were alive. It is self-serving in some aspects, especially the ways I get to explore my own identity, but at the same time, I know I've made a big impact on the communities I'm in,” Anoushka Chakravarty (’26) said.
Humans of Harker: Uncovering stories
“I really put in a lot of effort, and people recognize that. A lot of my friends have been at Harker for a while, so they know that I play basketball and I practice even more outside. I want to be remembered for my effort,” Rishaan Thoppay (’26) said.
Humans of Harker: Dribbling with drive
“I really strive to put a lot of thought and care into whatever I do. Through my experiences, I've seen the meaningful impact you can make on other people when you genuinely listen and try to use your own skills to serve others. I hope to continue to use my writing or to use clinical research or to use service, to continue serving others,” Aashvi Ravi (’26) said.
Humans of Harker: Supporting patients, solving problems
“Art brings whimsy and joy into my life because it has given me the habit of noticing the world around me. Sometimes when I go for a walk, I start noticing things like two interesting colors together or a pretty lighting situation. Being an artist has allowed me to be more in touch with the world and enjoy what life has to offer,” Emma Li (’26) said.
Humans of Harker: Coloring in Confidence
“We have to simplify and narrate everything that we say because we cannot communicate concepts directly. What I want to communicate is generally just showing kindness to people whose society is not kind to — radical kindness and empathy,” Rosemary Landivar (’26) said.
Humans of Harker: Pages and perspectives
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
TOP STORIES
Frosh Shannon Li writes her signature in the Matriculation Book. Traditions like student leader videos and the Matriculation Book signing introduced frosh to upper school life and Harker’s core values, including the Honor Code.
“Community of spirit” takes flight at Matriculation ceremony
by Chelsea Xie, Aileen Jang, and Charlene Li
Students and staff commenced the 2026-27 school year by welcoming the students and faculty back to campus at the annual Matriculation ceremony on Friday in the Zhang Gymnasium.
Bay Area embraces East, South Asian cultures
by Tiffany Zhu, Lily Shi, Cynthia Xie, and Risa Chokhawala
Just a few years ago, ordering a boba drink at U.S.-founded chains like Teaspoon or Boba Guys was the norm. Yet in recent years, a new generation of chains is bringing more traditional Asian flavors to the forefront.
Meet your new teachers for the 2026-27 school year
Meet your new teachers for the 2026-27 school year
by Cynthia Xie, Lily Peng, Dyuthi Vallamsetty, and Shreyas Karnam • August 28, 2026
Harker welcomed 12 new faculty members this year across several departments including English, chemistry and history. Coming from a range of backgrounds and former schools, they discussed their love for their subjects as well as their excitement for the upcoming school year.
NEWS
School Meeting 8/25: Conservatory trips, Harker journalism, robotics and HarkerDev
August 30, 2026
Aquila Weekly-Wrap Up: August 17-23
August 28, 2026
Class of 2030 dives into Harker with orientation activities
August 26, 2026
Class of 2029 reaches new heights at ropes course class trip
August 25, 2026
Juniors embark on Angel Island adventure for annual class trip
August 25, 2026
Seniors attend “whimsical” workshops, alumni panel at Senior Retreat
August 24, 2026
Trending Stories
1
Senior Nicholas Knauer strikes a pose during an icebreaker game. CLC committees planned for the school year, especially for Frosh Week.

Campus Leadership Coalition kicks off plans for 2026-27 school year at annual retreat • 114 Views

2
Frosh Shannon Li writes her signature in the Matriculation Book. Traditions like student leader videos and the Matriculation Book signing introduced frosh to upper school life and Harker’s core values, including the Honor Code.

“Community of spirit” takes flight at Matriculation ceremony • 79 Views

3
“I want to be someone who has always wanted to discover more about other people and advocate for people who are not in the same position as me. I look at history like that, where I'm telling the stories of people who were unable to have their stories be told when they were alive. It is self-serving in some aspects, especially the ways I get to explore my own identity, but at the same time, I know I've made a big impact on the communities I'm in,” Anoushka Chakravarty (’26) said.

Humans of Harker: Uncovering stories • 76 Views

4
Meet your new teachers for the 2026-27 school year

Meet your new teachers for the 2026-27 school year • 69 Views

5
Veteran robotics team members show frosh inspiration for a successful robot design. The robotics summer camp emphasized building connections between old and new robotics members.

Rebooting for a new season • 68 Views

SPORTS
Brady Tse ('26) poses for the jumbotron. He ranked first in his age group across the state of California. (Provided by Archive Kaze)
Alum sprinter hurdles at World U20 Championship
by William Jiang and Aileen Jang • August 30, 2026
Brady Tse ('26) qualified for Worlds after winning the U20 men’s 400-meter hurdles at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Ottawa in June, where he clocked a personal best of 51.55 seconds to earn the U20 title.
Varsity girls sprinter Alice Luo (11) competes in the 100 meter hurdles at WBAL finals at Kings Academy on May 8. She placed second with a time of 17.36.
2026 recap: Spring sports highlights
June 12, 2026
Assistant Athletic Director Alfredo Alvez awards senior Caden Ruan with the boys basketball Eagle Award. Each coach presented one or two students from each team with the Eagle award, which rewards work ethic, leadership, and teamwork.
Annual end of year athletics award ceremony honors students
May 31, 2026
Junior Mason Brooks prepares to pitch the ball. Washington Park is the home field for Harker's baseball team.
History at bat
May 28, 2026
FEATURES
To many, owning a house in California seems increasingly unattainable. Across the state, the high cost of living strains even high-earning families and pushes middle-income workers out of their hometowns.
Pulse of the people: What does it take to live here?
Bay Area home prices skyrocket, fueling out-of-state migration and political debate
by Dyuthi Vallamsetty and Charlene Li • August 28, 2026
Across California, the high cost of living strains even high-earning families and pushes middle-income workers out of their hometowns.
Meet this year’s commencement speaker, Humsa Venkatesh
May 21, 2026
Before the Class of 2026 tosses their grad caps on May 21, Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor Humsa Venkatesh (’04) will deliver a few words of wisdom. Since graduating from Harker herself, Dr. Venkatesh has explored countless facets of medicine, from research to patient care to student instruction. 
From hobby to hustle
May 17, 2026
Amidst rigorous classes, extracurricular activities and packed schedules, members of the Harker community have found that side hustles offer a middle ground between work and personal interests. While the typical school day follows a set routine, taking on an independent job provides a self-directed opportunity to build entrepreneurial skills and community relationships outside the campus bubble.
OPINION
Friday Five: Fun in the sun(glasses)
Friday Five: Fun in the sun(glasses)
by Samaara Patil, TALON Editor-in-Chief
Hearing songs repeatedly played with shallow trends makes me upset that social media seems to diminish the raw vulnerability of music into something superficial.
Shallow trends take away from music’s meaning
by Grace Wu, A&E/Lifestyle Editor
Morning showers and night showers offer different purposes to different people, while still maintaining the central of cleansing and refreshing.
Perspectives: Evening vs. morning showers
by Liana Barooah and Kanav Gupta
Looking back, moving forward
by Joy Hu, Simon Kirjner, and Tanvi Sivakumar
To infinity and beyond
by Cynthia Xie, Aquila Editor-in-Chief
Friday Five: Mitsuwa items
by Saria Lum, STEM Editor
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/LIFESTYLE
Capriccio members Niyati Ramanathan and Otoha Matsumura sing "Double Trouble" while looking at their music sheets. All choral students rehearsed the song together in a large circle during the final portion of the retreat.
Choir members build friendship at choral retreat
by Grace Wu, A&E/Lifestyle Editor • August 30, 2026
Modak Korean Chicken serves up Korean classics such as tofu japchae, bibimbap, kimbap and fried chicken. Though Modak is named after their fried chicken, we feel that other menu dishes stole the spotlight.
Tasty Tidbits: Modak Korean Chicken serves up comfort just off campus
by Chelsea Xie and Lily Peng • August 30, 2026
As fans cheer at the shore, Dr. Koa smiles as the wave brings her in. Koa began surfing after she completed her treatment for soft tissue sarcoma
Out of the nest: World Dog Surfing Championships
by Samaara Patil, TALON Editor-in-Chief • August 29, 2026
Music Monday
STEM
Amy Jin ('18) poses in front of a glass window in her company, Decagon. She has worked to create personalized AI customer service agents. (Provided by Amy Jin)
Blooming from the STEM: Software for social good
by Claire Tian and Madelene Hu • August 28, 2026
Alex Lan ('23) responds to an audience question. Following the panel, attendees could more closely interact with founders in the Rotunda.
Alumni startup founders discuss career advice in panel
by Shreyas Karnam, Opinions Editor • June 5, 2026
Chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine tests the spark of his ignition system. Irvine repeated this process before setting up each of the bottles on the stand for launch.
Honors Chemistry students end the year off with a boom during hydrogen rocket lab
by Liana Barooah and Kanav Gupta • June 4, 2026
Research Podcasts
Feature Video
Latest Issue
Decorative Background
HUMANS OF HARKER
“I want to be someone who has always wanted to discover more about other people and advocate for people who are not in the same position as me. I look at history like that, where I'm telling the stories of people who were unable to have their stories be told when they were alive. It is self-serving in some aspects, especially the ways I get to explore my own identity, but at the same time, I know I've made a big impact on the communities I'm in,” Anoushka Chakravarty (’26) said.
“I really put in a lot of effort, and people recognize that. A lot of my friends have been at Harker for a while, so they know that I play basketball and I practice even more outside. I want to be remembered for my effort,” Rishaan Thoppay (’26) said.
“I really strive to put a lot of thought and care into whatever I do. Through my experiences, I've seen the meaningful impact you can make on other people when you genuinely listen and try to use your own skills to serve others. I hope to continue to use my writing or to use clinical research or to use service, to continue serving others,” Aashvi Ravi (’26) said.
“Art brings whimsy and joy into my life because it has given me the habit of noticing the world around me. Sometimes when I go for a walk, I start noticing things like two interesting colors together or a pretty lighting situation. Being an artist has allowed me to be more in touch with the world and enjoy what life has to offer,” Emma Li (’26) said.