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
Humans of Harker: Pioneering with power
Humans of Harker: Pioneering with power
“What we’re supposed to do as seniors is to help the younger generation grow their confidence. I grew on my own, but that was also largely thanks to my parents and friends. I know not everyone has that support system, so I always try to tell people, “You can talk to me about stuff.” I try to be someone that people know they can turn to and talk to without feeling insecure," senior Yash Greene said.
Humans of Harker: Orchestrating community
"I believe in branching out, because there may be things you end up being very passionate about, but you would only know if you tried. Golf has opened my eyes to a new sense of freedom to try because you’re not just subjected to one path. There’s many ways you can win and bounce back. With every hole you’re given the freedom to try new swings and techniques, which is so unique," senior Ashley Mo said.
Humans of Harker: Taking the swing
"Be a rock. You have to be stable for everyone around you to make sure that you're someone that people can come to, as well as make sure that others are comfortable and able to believe in what you can do and know that everything that you do has a reason. I want to be there for people, and be ready to receive what everyone has to say, and have advice for people where it's needed," senior Jasmine Hansra said.
Humans of Harker: Teamwork in waves
“Seeing people smile is enough for me to keep going. Not only is it benefiting them, it's also benefiting myself. If they're eating healthier, I'm eating healthier. We're building up the internal goals of personal accountability and respect, and that's way more than enough for me to keep going,” senior Jonas Parra said.
Humans of Harker: Strengthen connections at the gym
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
Seniors Lucas Chen and Vivek Yella dance with their friends. The dance floor incorporated visual effects like lasers and a disco ball.
Prom-ma Mia: Students dance the night away at annual prom
by Saria Lum, Liana Barooah, and Aahana Sharma
Upperclassmen gathered together at this year’s “Mamma Mia!”-themed prom for a vibrant night of dancing, games and enjoyment at Blanco Urban Venue in San Jose on April 25. 
Editorial: Casual racism is rebranded racism
by Editorial Board
“Not to be racist, but your eyes are really big for an Asian.” Despite being worded like compliments, statements like these reduce people to stereotypes — and that’s exactly what racism does, even when disguised in well-intentioned comments or jokes. These remarks prove that racism still permeates our casual conversations, no matter how “anti-racist” people claim to be.
The golf coaches and seniors pose for a picture after the ceremony. Both teams went undefeated this year.
Girls and boys golf commemorates ten seniors at Los Lagos Golf Course
by Eva Cheng, Liana Barooah, and Shreyas Karnam • May 12, 2026

Varsity girls and boys golf celebrated their senior night at Los Lagos Golf Course on May 1. The teams played a friendly nine-hole round against...

NEWS
Harker hosts annual Sudden Cardiac Arrest screening event in partnership with Kyle J. Taylor Foundation
May 8, 2026
School Meeting 4/30: Journalism announcements, Arab American History Month, LIFE Board basketball finals
May 7, 2026
Green Team’s clothing swap offers garments second life
May 7, 2026
Fifth-grade and senior Eagle Buddies share activities during last event
May 7, 2026
Juniors, sophomores and frosh elect student representatives for 2026-27 school year
May 4, 2026
Near Mitra Scholars present humanities research, celebrate inaugural Legacy Scholar Award
May 4, 2026
Trending Stories
1
Seniors Lucas Chen and Vivek Yella dance with their friends. The dance floor incorporated visual effects like lasers and a disco ball.

Prom-ma Mia: Students dance the night away at annual prom • 176 Views

2
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 • 145 Views

3
Candidates for the rising senior, junior and sophomore student councils and Student Activities Board (SAB) participated in town hall meetings to discuss their ideas for the upcoming school year on Friday.

Class council candidates present plans for next school year during town hall • 139 Views

4
“One thing I've learned for myself is that if I sacrifice my creativity, I'd be sacrificing myself. I’d let go of what it is that I know I can do, and what I love to create — this means everything to me. Being able to create something uniquely my own is so important to me, and if I ever gave that up, I don't even know what type of person I'd be. I don't think I’d know myself," senior Ryder Hewitt said.

Humans of Harker: Framing his future • 120 Views

5
“If I help the [robotics] team achieve better things or build a better robot, those sort of things don't just disappear when I graduate — they’re there for a while. We can continue to use these robots and this documentation for team culture as examples for future teams, and that’ll help them succeed. I see the same thing in teaching and in art: it lasts, and that's what makes it worth it," senior Brenna Ren said.

Humans of Harker: Built to last • 120 Views

SPORTS
Setter Mikhil Kiran (12) hits the ball through a Mountain View block. The team won the first set but lost the following three.
Varsity boys volleyball defeated by Mountain View High School 25-23, 22-25, 19-25, 26-28
by Janam Chahal, Samuel Tong, Caden Ruan, and William Jiang • May 13, 2026

Varsity boys volleyball lost to Mountain View High School 25-23, 22-25, 19-25, 26-28 in an away game on May 4. The Spartans opened the first...

Junior boys volleyball players jump up to block a Mountain View kill. The team lost the game in three sets.
Junior varsity boys volleyball suffers 1-2 defeat to Mountain View
May 13, 2026
The track team poses for a picture as seniors hold up their posters. Those who had qualifying times from this meet moved on the WBAL Finals on May 8.
Track team celebrates senior night at WBAL prelims
May 12, 2026
LIFE Board representatives Liana Barooah (10) and Nathan Mao (10) present the finals of the 3v3 basketball tournament. Frosh Stephen Gao, Ethan Xu and Eric Zhang placed first.
LIFE Board hosts 3v3 basketball finals during school meeting
May 12, 2026
FEATURES
“I have been an advocate of ‘leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but pictures’ before that was the slogan, because I just thought when you come in, no one should know that you've been there. If you want to observe what's happening in nature, you have to blend with it,” Dr. Nelson said.
Meet your staff: Listening to silence
Eric Nelson finds value in slowing down through the outdoors and outer space
by William Jiang and Maithili Gupta • May 13, 2026
Late at night, far from any other living creature, computer science department chair Eric Nelson stands beside his telescope. Not a soul to talk to, calmness settles over him. He watches as the sky slowly shifts above him and listens to the sounds coming from the equipment and the wind blowing in the darkness.
Pulse of the People: Give me your poor, huddled masses
May 11, 2026
One hundred sixty years after the 14th Amendment established citizenship for people born in the United States, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on whether the Trump administration can limit that guarantee for children born to noncitizen parents.
Language class friendships span level-ups in lessons
April 28, 2026

Hands sweating and hearts racing, students prepare for one of the most stressful and important parts...

OPINION
Artemis II takes off successfully as as Mission Specialist Christina Koch looks back at Earth from the Orion spacecraft. The image of Koch was one of the mission's most publicized missions.
To infinity and beyond
by Cynthia Xie, Aquila Editor-in-Chief
Whether it's the rows of snacks and drinks or the bustling restaurants in its vicinity, this grocery store is the perfect close-by pick-me-up after a long week.
Friday Five: Mitsuwa items
by Saria Lum, STEM Editor
Dating in high school should be both exciting and meaningful, allowing teens to learn about themselves while getting out and having fun.
Whatever happened to asking for a date?
by Leah Krupnik, Aquila Managing Editor
To do or not to do
by Kendra Zhao, TALON Sports and Organizations Editor
“Chinese time of your life” or are you just trendhopping?
by Emma Li, Reporter
Morning Office Hours should come first
by Dyuthi Vallamsetty, Reporter
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/LIFESTYLE
Choral group Downbeat sings "Beauty and a Beat" by Justin Bieber. This performance closed off the spring choir concert.
Spring Choral Concert explores the elements through emotion and intensity
by Grace Wu, A&E/Lifestyle Editor • May 10, 2026
The bánh mì was flavorful with the spiciness of the peppers and the saltiness of the pork. Both coffees provided a refreshing taste and added to the fullness of the meal.
Tasty Tidbits: Phin Cafe serves flavorful Vietnamese treats and drinks
by Connie Xu, Reporter • May 6, 2026
“The Great Divide” beautifully displays Kahan's strongest writing, while creating a distinct identity for this album, which builds on his previous work.
Bridging “The Great Divide”
by Leah Krupnik, Aquila Managing Editor • May 5, 2026
Music Monday
STEM
Excretion is a necessary part of every human's experience. The shape and texture of stool outlines a person's overall health.
Breaking down bowel buildup
by Lily Peng and Charlene Li • May 5, 2026
Nathan Kim Dhablania (‘14) poses in front of a Loyola University Chicago sign. Dhablania was recently matched into opthtalmology. (Provided by Nathan Kim Dhablania)
Blooming from the STEM: Advancing vision
by Kanav Gupta, STEM Editor • May 4, 2026
High cortisol is a condition where the body releases excessive amounts of stress hormone. On social media, whether a person has high or low cortisol has been illustrated with a dial.
Calming your cortisol
by Saria Lum and Mendy Mao • May 4, 2026
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HUMANS OF HARKER
Humans of Harker: Pioneering with power
“What we’re supposed to do as seniors is to help the younger generation grow their confidence. I grew on my own, but that was also largely thanks to my parents and friends. I know not everyone has that support system, so I always try to tell people, “You can talk to me about stuff.” I try to be someone that people know they can turn to and talk to without feeling insecure," senior Yash Greene said.
"I believe in branching out, because there may be things you end up being very passionate about, but you would only know if you tried. Golf has opened my eyes to a new sense of freedom to try because you’re not just subjected to one path. There’s many ways you can win and bounce back. With every hole you’re given the freedom to try new swings and techniques, which is so unique," senior Ashley Mo said.
"Be a rock. You have to be stable for everyone around you to make sure that you're someone that people can come to, as well as make sure that others are comfortable and able to believe in what you can do and know that everything that you do has a reason. I want to be there for people, and be ready to receive what everyone has to say, and have advice for people where it's needed," senior Jasmine Hansra said.