WINGED POST
THE HARKER SCHOOL
Nonprofit Org. US Postage PAID San Jose, CA Permit No. 2296
500 SARATOGA AVE.
SAN JOSE, CA 95129
THE UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE HARKER SCHOOL
VOL. 28 NO. 1
500 SARATOGA AVENUE, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA 95129
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2026
Community of spirit takes flight at Matriculation ceremony
Dear frosh,
before you start the year:
Chelsea Xie, Charlene Li, Aileen Jang
Read some words of advice about building connections, managing academics and starting involvement in spirit.
S
PRESIDENTIAL PASSION ASB President Sophia Zhu (12) delivers a speech on the importance of kindness, one of Harker’s pillars.
Inside the
ISSUE
News ......................................02 Features ................................ 04 A&E/Lifestyle .........................07 Opinions ............................... 10 Stem .......................................12 Sports .....................................14
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Get to know the upperclassmen and talk to your teachers. They’re all more approachable than you might think.
HANNAH JIANG SENIOR
“Look at the world you have inherited,” Barsky said. “The campus you walk across, the classrooms you enter, the person sitting beside you, the things you throw around. When you notice that something could be better, don’t simply walk past it. Care enough to do something.” Student speakers spoke about goals for the upcoming year and Harker’s four tenets: kindness, personal accountability, integrity and respect. ASB President Sophia Zhu (12) shared how her elementary school’s “buddy bench” was never empty because her classmates noticed when their classmate needed companionship before they were asked. “When people talk about being kind, it’s almost always framed as a reaction and makes kindness sound conditional,” Sophia said. “It sounds like someone has to send a distress signal before we ask ourselves, ‘should I choose kindness?’ It should be an instinct guiding us toward attentiveness over indifference in every part of our day.” Honor Council member Anirudh Subramanian (12)
Having a space to lay out all your commitments and assignments can be really helpful in managing everything.
ZAHRA SYED PHOTOS BY CHELSEA XIE
tudents 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. To open the ceremony, Head of School Brian Yager encouraged students to find beauty in their experiences at Harker through learning, creativity and compassion. He also rallied the seniors to lead those in the grades below them by offering support. “Seniors, this is the year in which you have the opportunity and the responsibility to lead this institution and to share your brightest qualities in life,” Yager said. “Pave the way for the classes that will be looking up to you, especially this new group of ninth graders who will look to you for guidance and inspiration.” After setting the tone for the school year, Head of Upper School Paul Barsky reinforced the Campus Cares initiative, which urges students to take care of the campus.,
PROUD PLEDGE (TOP) Senior Leon Le raises his right hand as he repeats the Matriculation Oath. ASB Vice President Nicole Dean (12) led students and staff in the recitation. SINCERE SIGNATURE (BOTTOM) Frosh Shannon Li signs the Matriculation Book. This annual tradition upholds the school’s three Honor Code pillars: respect, integrity, accountability.
emphasized integrity through an anecdote about the game Dots and Boxes, describing how short-term frustration can make cheating tempting but upholding morality leads to long-term growth. Student Diversity Coalition representatives Léa KandlZhang (12) and Dhanya Ramanan (12) discussed the meaning of respect and underscored the importance of recognizing others’ inherent humanity and worth.
For the final pillar of accountability, ASB Vice President Nicole Dean (12) explained how taking a difficult class last year taught her to take responsibility and seek guidance when needed. “I enjoyed the speeches from all the student speakers,” frosh Derrick Li said. “It gave me more insight on high school and how to adjust to changes. I’m excited to make have great connections with my teachers and participate in school spirit.”
02 News
04 Features
08 A&E/Lifestyle
11 Opinions
13 Stem
14 Sports
Juniors, sophomores reconnect outdoors
Editorial: Patriotism is more than pride
Meet your new teachers for the 2026-27 school year
Cyclospora parasites put produce under scrutiny
A brand new Spider-man
Challenging the “I’ll be fine” mindset
JUNIOR
Your first year at high school can get stressful. If you want to relax or ease off, spirit’s a great way to do that.
ARUN BANERJEE SOPHOMORE
Invest in this community. Those hard parts may not seem as hard because you’re all going through it together.
KELLY HORAN ASSISTANT UPPER SCHOOL DIVISION HEAD
Join us on social media @harkeraquila
DESIGN BY CHELSEA XIE AND RISA CHOKHAWALA
SENIOR CHEER Head of Upper School Paul Barksy joins senior Dhanya Ramanan for a picture with the photo frame.
CLAIRE TIAN
This year’s senior sunrise offered an unusually colorful start to the school year. For the first time in five years, clouds did not obscure the sunrise, giving seniors a clear view of the vibrant sky. Head of Upper School Paul Barsky shared his excitement at this rare occurrence. “Clearly you all are touched by the heavens,” Barsky said. “You’re going to have a phenomenal day, week and senior year. It really is remarkable to see how beautiful it is.” Senior Jessica Skylar Chen saw a promising connection between the colors of the sky and Class of 2027’s class color. “It’s a very good omen for our class,” Jessica said. “This means that we’re going to have the best year. The sunrise had a lot of yellow in it. I’m just gonna put it out there that yellow is the best color.”
SUNRISE SMILES Senior Vova Shchegrov chats with senior Stellan Lindh as the sun rises behind them.
Seniors began arriving on campus at 6 a.m., gathering in groups around the field as they chatted with friends and posed for pictures with a photo frame. Student Activity Board member Megha Unny (12) decorated the frame with colorful letters and a paper sun. Jessica reflected on the community spirit that the event fostered. “I really enjoyed being able to start the school year off with my class,” Jessica said. “I feel a sense of excitement and hope for not just this year but the future, knowing I’m not the only one going through this.”
Aahana Sharma, Charlene Li, Alyssa Choi, Ayaan Grover
CAREFUL CLIMB Sophomore Selena Ghane attempts to cross a rope bridge suspended between trees.
AAHANA SHARMA
C
lass of 2028 began the 2026-27 school year with a trip to Angel Island that promoted class bonding and reconnecting after summer break, while sophomores traveled to the Santa Cruz Mountains for a day of bonding and ropes course activities on Aug. 20. Students split into two groups: one group competed in an advisory scavenger hunt, while the other chose between kayaking and hiking. The groups switched activities in the afternoon. Faculty and staff from the Dean of Students’ office, transportation and student life worked together to organize the trip. Junior class dean Bronwen Callahan experienced this trip for the first time as a class dean, and her new responsibilities included supervising students and ensuring logistics were communicated to advisers. “As a dean, I don’t necessarily know everybody in the 11th grade, and I was
RAPID ROWING Juniors Aileen Jang and Aria Chadha laugh together while kayaking. During the junior class trip, students who chose kayaking participated in games organized by Absolute Adventures crew members.
overwhelmed by the number of students I have to get to know,” Callahan said. “On Angel Island, I got to step into the role of an adviser for the scavenger hunt, spend the day in smaller groups of kids and actually get to know them. I really loved that.” The scavenger hunt used the GooseChase app, where advisories finished missions to earn points, including taking photos with landmarks in funny poses and completing various tasks around the island. Students who chose kayaking participated with a partner in games organized by crew members from Absolute Adventures, including sharks and minnows and a relay race. Junior Aditya Deka appreciated being able to participate in organized activities with his friends outside of school. “It was nice to be able to talk to my friends in more of a
casual setting,” he said. “My favorite part was kayaking with my friend Adrian Jia, and it was really nice to be on the water.”
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After encouragement from friends, my fear of heights got better, and I love the course. SRIKRISHNA KATARU SOPHOMORE
Meanwhile, sophomore advisories went to four different ropes course sites in the Santa Cruz Mountains for teambuilding activities led by APEX Adventures. Each advisory at their respective venue learned
harnessing and belaying techniques before delving into ropes course games and tasks like crossing a wooden bridge suspended between trees and balancing on a large seesaw. Sophomore Srikrishna Kataru went to the Camp Campbell course and explained how the experience gave him new confidence. “I was hoping to conquer my fear of heights,” Srikrishna said. “When I came here, I thought I wouldn’t even go on the ropes, but after some encouragement from my friends, I went up, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. My fear of heights definitely got better, and I love the course.” Before the ropes course portion started, students engaged in icebreaker activities, like chaos tag and forming groups based on their birthdays and favorite seasons. Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
Frosh begin Harker experience with orientation Liana Barooah, Sam Li Class of 2030 took part in a series of bonding activities with their new advisories during frosh orientation at the upper school on Thursday. On their first official day on campus, frosh rotated through five activities led by Apex Adventures that encouraged teamwork, quick thinking and friendly competition. Students cooperated to guide a classmate on a large A-frame, raced to fill a leaking tube with water, and competed to sort colored balls into matching boxes. The calculator game asked students to select numbered BIG SPLASH Frosh Skyler Thiele scoops water during the water log game. Advisories competed with each other in games.
polyspots while following a set of rules, combining number logic with movement. For frosh Shannon Li, the fast-paced challenges offered a more engaging experience than previous Harker orientations she attended. “We started in the Aux Gym with the calculator game,” Shannon said. “I was initially skeptical because I didn’t want to be doing math before school starts, but it was really fun. Same with the A-frame activity; we were all working together to pull the person on the frame forward, and we got to know each other well and had good teamwork.” After each advisory rotated through all of the activities, they gathered in the middle of Davis Field to take a class picture before enjoying ice cream treats to end the
LIANA BAROOAH
CHELSEA XIE
As streaks of pink and orange painted the sky, Class of 2027 convened to watch the sunrise together and celebrate the beginning of their final year at Harker on Davis Field on Monday morning.
Juniors, sophomores reconnect outdoors
LIANA BAROOAH
Claire Tian, Chelsea Xie
Friday, August 28, 2026
ALYSSA CHOI
CHR IST
IN A R
UAN
2 NEWS
A-GAME Frosh Caitlyn Chang steps on a wooden A-frame while her peers pull her. Students engaged in games with their advisories during orientation.
day. Dean of Students Carol Green highlighted how frosh orientation familiarizes students with their new environment. “This is an opportunity to bond together as an advisory group and as a larger class,” Green said. “They get to explore campus while having fun because it can get stressful when academics suddenly get started and suddenly you’re in a routine. This is a way to break out of that.”
Prior to the activities, frosh played icebreaker games designed to help them get to know each other and experienced a practice fire drill. Throughout the day, advisories also took turns at the pool for free time, giving students a chance to relax between activities. One senior Link Crew member was assigned to each advisory, guiding frosh through the activities while offering advice and encouragement. DESIGN BY CHARLENE LI
NEWS 3
Volume 28 • Issue 1
What to know about this summer’s Supreme Court rulings The high court issued major decisions on citizenship, athletics and political spending
Frequently Asked
Questions
Q: Do these rulings apply to every state?
A: Supreme Court rulings only apply
AILEEN JANG, WHITEHOUSE.GOV, SUPREMECOURT.GOV
to every state when they involve the Constitution or federal law. For cases involving state laws, the highest state court may interpret its own laws, as long as it does not violate the Constitution.
Q: Can these decisions be reversed?
A: On rare occasions, the Supreme
Court has reversed past decisions. This typically happens when the Court overturns a prior precedent because they believe the original ruling was wrong or outdated.
POINTING TO POWER The Supreme Court strikes down key administrative directives on brithright citizenship while upholding state-level sports restrictions and lifting poltiical spending limits. The Court released its final opinions for this year’s term on June 30.
Chelsea Xie
TRANSGENDER ATHLETES
Winged Post Editor-in-Chief
BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP
Trump v. Barbara Ruling: Children born in the U.S. to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are U.S. citizens at birth. The American Civil Liberties Union challenged President Donald Trump’s January 2025 executive order that aimed to end birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court heard arguments on April 1, 2026, after lower courts ruled the order unconstitutional. The case centered around the meaning of the 14th Amendment’s phrase “subject to the jurisdiction.” The Trump administration argued that it applied only to children whose parents owe full political allegiance to the country, while challengers said that it encompassed all children born in the U.S. Following the ruling, Trump issued two new executive orders on Aug. 6 titled “Continuing to Protect the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship” and “Ending Birth Tourism.” If litigation continues, lower federal courts will determine whether the new orders align with the Supreme Court’s ruling and other federal laws.
West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox Ruling: West Virginia and Idaho can restrict girls’ and women’s sports teams based on biological sex without violating Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause. Fifteen-year-old transgender girl B.P.J. and her lawyers argued that West Virginia’s 2021 Save Women’s Sports Act violates Title IX, a federal civil rights act banning sex discrimination in education, before the Supreme Court. The Court heard the case alongside Little v. Hecox, a similar case to Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act in collegiate athletics in 2020. The challengers in Little v. Hecox argued that treating a student differently because they are transgender violates Title IX. The Supreme Court majority rejected her claim, arguing that separating sports by sex supports the state’s goals of protecting equal opportunity in women’s and girls’ sports. Lawyers reasoned the biological advantage men have. This ruling upholds the West Virginia and Idaho laws but does not create a nationwide ban. California currently protects transgender athletes in K-12 and college sports teams.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) Ruling: Federal limits on political party coordinated campaign spending violate the First Amendment. Political parties can spend money to support their candidates by either spending independently without consulting the candidate’s campaign or coordinating with the candidate. Federal law generally does not restrict independent spending but caps coordinated spending. On Dec. 9, 2025, the NRSC argued that the limit violated the free speech clause of the First Amendment, stating the restriction prevents parties from supporting candidates adequately. Specifically, they said the restriction prevents the party from supporting candidates adequately, noting that since political parties and candidates share similar electoral goals, they should be able to coordinate spending. For students approaching voting age, this ruling prompts how much influence wealthy donors and political parties should have over an individual candidate’s campaign.
Q: What happens after the Supreme Court issues a decision?
A: The ruling is released alongside
an opinion, becomes a legal precedent and is sent down to lower courts to resolve the original dispute.
Q: How are Supreme Court Justices selected?
A: Justices are nominated by the
president in the case of a vacancy– there are usually nine justices, and the Senate must confirm the appointment by majority.
Q: How does a case get selected by the Supreme Court?
A: The Court receives around 7,000 to 10,000 petitions for review, which are called writ of certiorari, annually. They agree to hear 70 to 80 cases, and under the “Rule of Four,” at least four of the nine judges must vote to accept a case. Q: Does the Supreme Court have final say on everything?
A: No. The Supreme Court only rules
on issues involving federal laws and the U.S. Constitution. If the Court decides a law is unconstitutional, then Congress and the states can override that decision by passing a new constitutional amendment.
Christina Ruan, Abby Cheng Robotics organized their annual summer camp to teach incoming frosh basic robotics skills from Aug. 10–14. Team leadership directed morning and afternoon sessions to train campers in two subteams of their choice, ranging from technical groups
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My favorite part about camp is taking people from no background in robotics. AYDEN GROVER ROBOTICS EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT
like software and design to operational roles like mediaPR and scouting-strategy. Electrical and mechanical camper Leo Liu (9) enjoyed how the camp provided hands-
on training with the tools and processes in the robotics lab. “I signed up for the camp because I have done robotics before,” Leo said. “I would say the camp was eye-opening as I got to understand FRC and the design process a lot better than I had before the camp, and I also was trained on a lot of different processes and machines in the lab.” Campers worked on small projects relevant to their specific subteam. For mechanical/machining director Sophie Yeh (12), the camp was successful because it allowed students to discover solutions independently while collaborating and connecting with each other. “I took a step back,” Sophie said. “I gave them a manual and let them figure out how to work together by themselves because once they realize ‘hey, leadership’s only here to help you out,’ they’re going to work together and bond together in order to figure it out.”
CHRISTINA RUAN
Robotics holds annual summer camp for incoming frosh
PIECE BY PIECE Frosh Leo Liu, Aryan Naik and Varun Bhargav examine the different pieces of a robot. Robotics taught frosh basic robotics skills during their annual summer camp. NAILED IT Electrical/Field Fabrication Co-Director junior Isabel Yang drills a nail into a wooden board. Electrical campers wired a practice drivetrain.
The presidents of the robotics team organized games like Sneaky Statues during the lunch period to foster connection among team members. Executive President Ayden Grover (12) underlined how the cooperative spirit of these games represents team culture in robotics. “On Wednesday, we played a game where they have to
recreate patterns of objects and game pieces,” Ayden said. “They have to pass information along, kind of like telephone. The idea here is that we learn how to work in teams, like the same mindset that we apply to working on the robotics team, but on something outside of robotics.” Reflecting on the summer camp’s mission to
introduce frosh to the robotics process, Ayden highlighted the importance of exposing students to engineering design skills early in high school. “My favorite part about camp is taking people from no background in robotics — the clean slate — and then really teaching them,” Ayden said. Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
DESIGN BY AILEEN JANG
4 FEATURES
Friday, August 28, 2026
Meet your new teachers for 2026-27
Twelve new teachers share goals and teaching philosophies for the new school year
QING SONG CHEMISTRY TEACHER
“Everything I do is centered around the students. I’m excited to work with them.” FUN FACT: Likes backpacking
ADELE XU
OLIA GAIDARENKO
“I’m not teaching but opening up a window for my students to provide different perspectives and appreciate different cultures.”
“I’m looking forward to getting acquainted with Harker and being a part of this community.” FUN FACT: Knows how to sail
MANDARIN TEACHER
BIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY TEACHER
FUN FACT: Permanent resident of Mexico
CALEB HARDNER
CHRISTINE PROTUS
“For decades now, history has been my big passion. There’s just a pleasure from sharing That with a group of students.” FUN FACT: Collector of rare plants
“My goal is to really to contribute to the community and to feel that I can be a resource. I want to really make a difference here.” FUN FACT: Owns a corgi named Molly
“I’m a writer who doesn’t like writing, but enjoys having written. When I finish a project, I’m amazed with myself.” FUN FACT: Favorite videogame is “The Last of Us”
KIRSTEN BUTNER
BEN EASTON
NAOMI HWANG
“I came in [to do my demo class] and all the students were asking me questions. The chemistry department is very welcoming.” FUN FACT: Plays oboe
“It’s important as we try to become global citizens to be aware of different cultural norms. Language learning helps to becoming a cultured individual.” FUN FACT: Has a blonde twin sister
“As librarians our job is to serve the information needs of the community. Our expertise is helping find information.” FUN FACT: Enjoys jigsaw puzzles
JOSH CHARNEY
SOFIA FERNANDEZ
STEPHEN MILLER
“My goal is to really contribute to the community and to feel that I can be a resource. I want to really make a difference here.” FUN FACT: Played the piano on a cruise ship for 6 months
“I want to always teach with love and to be very supportive. I personally want my students to love history as much as I do.” FUN FACT: Loves Disneyland
HISTORY TEACHER
CHEMISTRY TEACHER
MUSIC TEACHER
BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS TEACHER
SPANISH TEACHER
HISTORY TEACHER
KIM GOLUBEV
ENGLISH AND HISTORY TEACHER
UPPER SCHOOL LIBRARIAN
PHYSICS TEACHER
“The reason I came to Harker was I could see that there was a high value on education and a high standard for academics.” FUN FACT: His main creative outlet is DJing DESIGN BY DYUTHI VALLAMSETTY AND CLAIRE TIAN
FEATURES 5
Volume 28 • Issue 1
What does it take to live here?
A
cross California, the high cost of living strains even highearning families and pushes middle-income workers out of their hometowns. This crisis is severe in the Bay Area, where the median single-family home sells for $1.45 million, over three times the national median of $410,700. Housing costs far exceed the median family income in the Bay Area, which was $196,567 in 2025. The cost of housing affects daily life at Harker, from teachers’ long distances to families considering whether they can afford to stay in the area. Students may not own homes yet, but the decisions made in California in the coming years will determine whether the Bay Area will remain a place where the next generation can build their lives. Senior Akash Dubey analyzed the Berkeley housing market for his Economics class in sophomore year. Through his research, he found that homes routinely sold for higher than their listing prices because Silicon Valley innovation drives up housing demand in the area. “We see the Bay Area being a arget for a lot of people to move to,” Akash said. “People idealize life in California, and it’s a very popular place to move to if you’re in tech, which is a very big industry. That further exacerbates the problem of having more people who want to buy houses than there are houses available, and that drives prices up.” List price is the initial asking price set by a seller, while sale price is the final price a buyer pays. When homes sell
for significantly above their list price, it can indicate a housing shortage, as limited supply and high demand drive prices up. Economics teacher Dean Lizardo pointed to the large number of wealthy tech employees in the Bay Area’s buyer pool, which makes homeownership especially difficult for middleclass families. “You have a lot of rich people in the tech industry, and because of that, the ability for these really rich people to buy houses dwarfs the ability for middle-class individuals to buy those houses too,” Lizardo said. “A house on the market will get bid up by the people who have a ton of money. Ultimately, what you have are middle-class individuals who would probably be able to afford a house normally, that just get priced out by the people who have more cash.”
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People idealize life in California. More people who want to buy houses than there are houses available, which drives prices up. AKASH DUBEY SENIOR
People leaving their homes can have devastating effects on the individuals themselves and their communities, which lose integral parts of their workforces. Teachers are one such group often priced out of the market, but the competition affects nearly everyone. Based in Fremont, real estate agent Srinivasa Myneni frequently
FOR SALE Bay Area home prices continue to shut many middle-income and firsttime buyers out of the market.
sells to first-time buyers and sees this dynamic in local open houses and negotiations. “Even with higher interest rates, inventory in the Bay Area remains drastically tight,” Myneni said. “When a wellpriced home hits the market, buyers aren’t just competing with one another; they’re competing against cash-heavy offers that push the final purchase price far above asking. Many families end up exhausted after making multiple offers and being outbid every time.” California lost roughly 288,600 more residents to other states than it gained from them in 2025, with housing costs cited as a leading factor. Californians who relocate move to neighborhoods where median home prices are about $396,000, or 48% less than their California properties. Because of the state’s lagging growth compared to the rest of the country,
BRIDGEPOINT FUNDING
Dyuthi Vallamsetty, Charlene Li
CHELSEA XIE
Bay Area home prices skyrocket, fueling migration and debate
MOUNTING MORTGAGE Since 2023, house prices have been rising at a steeper rate than the past. Recently however, there has been a slight drop.
independent analysts project California will lose as many as four congressional seats after the 2030 Census. A shrinking population also means a smaller tax base and strain on services like public schools and wildfire response. Policymakers have attempted to tackle this issue by making it easier to build new housing, though these efforts also often face resistance from homeowners concerned about their property values. For instance, Senate Bill 79 took effect beginning in July and enables multi-family
buildings to be constructed near transportation hubs for easier access. “One of the ways we’ve tried to address the housing supply issue is by passing laws for homeowners to build out things like accessory dwelling units that allow you to house more people in the same area of real estate,” Lizardo said. “We’ve tried to increase the supply of housing, but ultimately if you own a house, you’re probably going to vote for people who are going to help preserve the value of your home.” Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
DYUTHI VALLAMSETTY
Campus Compass: Counselor’s office shares snacks and support
COZY CORNER (ABOVE) Junior Shreyas Karnam unwinds with a book in the quiet room in the counselor’s office. The space offers beanbags and coloring materials for students looking to decompress. STAR JAR (BELOW) A glass filled with paper stars sits in the lobby area. LIGHT UP LAMP (RIGHT) A mini astronaut lamp sits in the Quiet Room.
Aileen Jang, Bryan Ma, Alyssa Choi As class ticks towards the halfway mark, the sound of lively chatter fills the counselor’s office in Shah Hall, with students trickling in one by one. Some head for the water dispenser to make hot chocolate, while others sprawl
across the beanbags in the quiet room. In recent years, the counselor’s office has become a popular place for students to study on couches, chat over tea or ask for guidance throughout the school day.
Assistant academic counselor Brezi Little, who greets incoming students with a warm smile, expressed the welcoming atmosphere of the space. “This is a place that you can come and talk to your counselors and also a place to pop in, maybe make an origami star, get a cup of tea or hang out,” Little said. “It always makes me smile when people come in to hang out and even just to take a little snack. ” While the counselor’s office offers a place to enjoy company and a sweet treat, its primary purpose is to provide academic guidance, advice and emotional support to students. Academic counselor Hui Hui Chang emphasized that the counselors strive to help students navigate the academic challenges of high school and ensure that everyone feels heard. “Our office is here to help support our students,” Chang said. “High school is really hard, and we want all our students
to know that there is someone who is here to help and support them. We care.” Sophomore Neva PraunPetrovic enjoys the comforting atmosphere of the counselor’s office. She recalled how the counselors helped her execute a surprise birthday party for her friend. “The counselors were really nice and let me use their mini fridge for the cupcake and cheesecake that I made, and they helped me surprise my friends,” Neva said. “We had a mini party in the counselor’s office for my best friend’s birthday, and it was a lot of fun.” Recently, the counselors have added new amenities to the office, like couches, snacks and a quiet room with beanbags and LED lights, to adapt the space to fit student needs. They provide an environment for relaxation. “We have been trying for years and years to normalize our office and have students see
it as not necessarily a mental health space, but a wellness space and a wellness center for the kids,” Chang said. “I love seeing the amount of foot traffic of students that come in here. We really tried to make it more student-centered.” Senior Duncan Marquardt frequents the counselor’s office and noted how the environment balances studying and chatting. Tucked away from the busier parts of campus, they consider the office as a relaxing space to unwind. “It’s a nice spot to hang out with a friend,” Duncan said. “It’s comfortable, and you can talk there too. The counselor’s office has the right amount of where you’re able to interact socially with your friends, get work done, be comfortable and have food.” Little finds value in the daily interactions she has with students, however small they might be. Whether chatting with visitors or answering a quick question, these moments brighten her day. DESIGN BY DYUTHI VALLAMSETTY
6 A&E/LIFESTYLE
Friday, August 28, 2026
Lily Peng Aquila Editor-in-Chief
I
will always praise the ending of “No Way Home” for setting the stage of “Brand New Day.” It was a brilliant move: everyone in the movie forgets who Spider-man is — we’re back to the start. At its core, “Brand New Day” is about Spider-man and nothing else. It’s a character study that just begins to unlock the potential of Tom Holland’s Spider-man. No supernatural alien invasion, no overly hightech supersuit gadgets, no mentor characters that stole the show. I love Tony and Peter’s
fathers o n relationship and Dr. Strange and Peter’s silly dynamic, but it was always Spider-man and someone else. In the past, these mentorships seemed to hold back his character, since he constantly relied on some outside force rather than his own skills to overcome challenges. In “Brand New Day,” after everyone forgets him, we see a Spider-man who is lonely but purely reliant on himself. I love how he explores this newfound independence and eventually takes the steps to reconcile with himself and his friends. He shuts himself away, believing that his friends will
be protected once he is out of their lives. He doesn’t reach out and tell his friends the truth of his identity and their history, even though he made promises to them to reunite. It broke my heart to see him observe as an outsider, silently caring so much for them when they don’t even know him. Peter’s social awkwardness and constant self-doubt are so relatable, and his internal turmoil is so realistic that I can’t even get mad at him for his choices. This is part of why I appreciate Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spider-man: he’s a sincere young adult who’s just trying to navigate his life, even after everything he ever loved was torn away from him. I love character growth, so I find his constant internal battle to be the most appealing conflict in the movie. Peter built up this barrier between his two identities, where he does not want to be known as Spider-man and is ashamed of the spider part of himself. His back and forth between Peter and Spider-man culminates in the final moments of the movie, where he fights The Hand and truly accepts his new spider developments. “I’m both,” felt simple and a little
cringey, but nevertheless gave me chills. The panning and videography of the movie overall was genius, especially with the multiple cityscape shots and the flips during the fighting scenes and of course, the viral end credit sequence. Still, the shot of Peter when he said those words was unmatched. This movie did make me cry. One of my favorite scenes was when Peter confesses his love to MJ, and she shoots him down. This reminded me
“
I love how he explores this newfound independence and eventually takes the steps to reconcile with himself and his friends.
of a scene in No Way Home, just before their memories get wiped, when she cuts Peter off before he proclaims his love and urges him to tell her when he comes back. She says that she’ll remember, but in the end, she doesn’t. However, the movie also left me hopeful. When MJ draws Peter and Ned as best friends,
LILY PENG
Spider-man tugs heartstrings in ‘Brand New Day’ and they do their personal handshake at the end of the movie, I cheered. Peter steps out of his shell and finally takes those steps to reconnect, making me feel satisfied with his growth and maturity. While I love that this movie focused more on Peter, the plot was quite predictable; I instantly suspected the Department of Damage Control to be the secret main villain, and I was right. Additionally, there were narrative gaps and details that lacked a satisfying explanation. I never understood why Peter was the only person that couldn’t be controlled by Jean. Some critics complained that the movie lacked substance, but I believe they were too idealistic with their expectations. There was no way that in just one movie, MJ and Ned would instantly remember everything about Peter. The events in Brand New Day are crucial to Spider-man’s story. In the end, the movie took quite a few steps forward that were raw realistic and set the stage for the next movies. Peter really lived up to Aunt May’s last words. In “Brand New Day,” while Spider-man unlocked great power through his amplified senses and selfproducing spider silk, Peter dealt with that power with great responsibility.
Tasty Tidbits: Modak Chicken serves up comforting, fresh flavors Spam and Egg Kimbap
Fried Chicken
Modak Korean Chicken has become a go-to for many Harker students. The dim lighting, colorful posters and TV streaming K-pop music videos gives the restaurant the vibe of a KTV turned late-night cafe. This small Korean restaurant situated just a few minutes’ walk from campus, serves authentic Korean cuisine, from street food to classic favorites. Whether you’re looking for an afterschool snack or dinner with friends, we highly recommend Modak Korean Chicken. Its comforting flavors and variety of options will make for a satisfying meal no matter the occasion. The rich aroma of Korean dishes mixed with the calming ambience of the restaurant gives the dining experience a cozy feel, making it perfect for casual chats. Though Modak is named after their fried chicken, we feel that other menu dishes stole the spotlight.
The Spam and Egg Kimbap unites crispy danmuji (yellow picked radish), chewy spam and soft eggs. On top of that, the flavors of each individual component complement each other well for the perfect bite. The tangy and sweet yellow pickled radish add freshness to the dense saltiness of the spam, and the eggs complete the dish with a buttery richness. However, the seaweed was soggy and failed to wrap the roll securely. Aside from the slightly messy eating experience, the Spam and Egg Kimbap is a must try and the perfect takeout dish.
As their signature dish, the fried chicken excels where most fried chicken fails. The batter remains crispy without feeling too oily, and the sauce is the perfect level of sweetness, balanced by the creamy mayo and rich garlic flavoring. However, there is very little actual chicken in this dish, which Modak compensates for with too much of the fried batter. The chicken quality itself is average, being neither too juicy nor too dry. Still, the fried chicken is a great option for those looking for a quick snack at the end of the day.
Beef Bibimbap
Tofu Japchae
PHOTO SBY CHELSEA XIE
Chelsea Xie, Lily Peng
This dish truly has everything: savory beef, crunchy vegetables, a runny egg and chewy glass noodles, providing the perfect textural experience. However, the gochujang’s spice gets drowned out by the flavors from the other toppings. Similarly, the runny egg seems to disappear once we mixed the yolk into the dish. Moreover, the dish was very rice-heavy and would benefit from more toppings. Still, for the price, the Beef Bibimbap yields a large portion of food and serves its purpose: it’s warm, comforting and fills our stomachs.
The Tofu Japchae was served on a massive platter the size of a pizza, with a wide assortment of toppings, including fried tofu, broccoli, carrots, spinach, onions and sesame seeds. The noodles had a soft and slippery texture while still maintaining a pleasant chewiness. Meanwhile, the sesame oil seasoning contributed a subtle nutty flavor to the dish. The vegetables were cooked to a perfect texture, with a fresh, savory crunch that contrasted nicely with the soft noodles and tied everything together well. DESIGN BY GRACE WU
Volume 28 • Issue 1
World Dog Surfing Championships makes waves, fosters connection
A&E/LIFESTYLE 7
Staff share their summer anthems
PHOTOS BY SAMAARA PATIL , PROVIDED BY DJ PATIL
“Gypsy”’s themes of youthful liberty and nostalgia leads me to reminisce on the irreplaceable moments I spent in New York, from shopping for records to laughing with friends at sunset.
“Rock Music” gives me a sense of sadness for my last summer as a high schooler. The song leaves the “Brat” era behind and embraces adulthood, a change that I too am experiencing.
LAST MINUTE LEAP (TOP RIGHT) As a wave rolls over the board, Rippin’ Rosie prepares to jump into the water. SUMMER SMILES (TOP LEFT) An owner poses with her dog wearing a hat from the PupLid booth. PRETTY IN RED (BOTTOM LEFT) Wearing a red and black wreath, a pug next to a surfboard . SAFE AND SWAG (BOTTOM MIDDLE) A dog dresses up as a lifeguard, wearing a hat, bandana and whistle. WAGGING ON WAVES (BOTTOM RIGHT) As fans cheer at the shore, Dr. Koa smiles as the wave brings her in. Thousands of people attended the 2026 Championship, making it the most attended year of the competition. TALON Editor-in-Chief
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hen I first stepped into the ocean, I flinched as the freezing water rushed past my legs. But my discomfort quickly faded as dogs and their owners emerged from the waves, climbing onto surfboards with remarkable composure. I watched as the dogs steadied themselves on their boards, riding wave after wave toward shore. Beside me, my own dog stood at the water’s edge, staring at the surfers as if he had no idea what he was watching. Every year on the first Saturday of August, thousands of people gather at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica to watch the World Dog Surfing Championship. Around 20 dogs participated in the 10th annual competition, each competing in their own category based on size. There were also speciality categories like human-dog tandem and dog-dog tandem. Dogs were judged on tricks, waves, perceived enjoyment
and duration of the ride and presented with their medals at the end of the day. When I first arrived at the beach, I was awestruck by the amount of dogs everywhere. My own dog was dragging me through the crowd closer to the water. I passed by dogs in purses, dogs dyed neon colors, and dogs bigger than kids watching. The surfer dogs were decked out in bright colored vests and goggles. They sat on the boards while their owners paddled them out towards the waves. Dogs eagerly barked, forcefully waving their tails back and forth in anticipation of the waves. Once a wave was incoming, the owners would prep the dogs on their boards and let them ride to shore. When the air horn blew to signal the end of a round, the dogs ran up and down the shore drawing loud cheers from the crowd. Walking along the beach, I was struck by the energy of hundreds of dog lovers gathered to celebrate an event unlike any other. Photographers offered free portraits, owners
brought their dogs for a day of socializing and spectators mingled as they watched the competing dog surfers. That sense of community is what makes the World Dog Surfing Championships more than a
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I was struck by the energy of hundreds of dog lovers gathered to celebrate an event unlike any other.
competition — it’s a celebration of dogs and their specialities. After having watched dogs surf for a few hours, I headed towards the center of the beach to see the other attractions of the World Dog Surfing Championship like the dozens of booths and annual dog fashion show. I stood in front of a red carpet which had been rolled out over the sand guarded by velvet ropes. Over 15 dogs gathered in a line wearing all
sorts of costumes, ranging from a solar system to hotdogs. I liked seeing the individuality and creativity of each dogs’ costume and watching dogs strut down the carpet and back. After the fashion show concluded and the dogs took their walkout, I wandered over to explore the booths which were along the top of the beach. One of the busiest was PupLids, which sold hats specially designed for dogs. After seeing their booth last year, I bought my own dog a custom hat with his name on it, which resulted in dozens of people asking to take photos of him. By mid-afternoon, the dogs had vacated the water and were drying off, proudly displaying medals around their necks. Local and national news vans packed all their gear and the booth hosts began to break down their tents. Regular beach go-ers began to replace the dogwatchers. As I walked my tired, sand-covered dog back to our car, I already knew that I’d be returning again next year.
This song was the soundtrack of a summer of unplanned friendships. It captures the feeling that I don’t need a perfect plan to have the time of my life.
The buildup of intensity in “stupid song” followed by the soft ending represents my time at Stony Brook. Now, the song gives me a bittersweet feeling of having a summer worth missing.
Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
“Here, After, Us” reminds me of my time at camp, karaoking on a hill at daybreak. The song expresses a lesson to look forward to the future while neither dwelling on nor forgetting the past.
SURFIN’ U.S.A. (BOTTOM) Faith the attached to her board. Faith was
Surfing named
Pitbull rides in on the wave while her surf is recorded on the gopro the “coolest of doggo of all time” by Sports Illustrated in March 2021.
DESIGN BY GRACE WU
ILLUSTRATIONS BY SARAH WANG
Samaara Patil
8 IN-DEPTH
Friday, August 28, 2026
‘The Odyssey’ film steers Visuals amplify the epic for new audiences Chelsea Xie, Cynthia Xie
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eating war drums, crashing waves, creaking boat planks and monsters so grotesque they raise goosebumps on our arms. Christopher Nolan did everything he could to immerse viewers into the ancient story of “The Odyssey.” Nolan’s dedication to realistic visuals helped the ancient classic come to life. Famously against using CGI, Nolan employed many creative practical effects for the monsters and magic in the film. He used a 60-foot puppet version of the cyclops Polyphemus and swapped in 4’6’’ stunt performer Devyn Dalton for Matt Damon’s Odysseus. To add on, the scene where Circe molds the men into pigs is one of the most mind-blowing feats, as custom animatronics were used rather than CGI.
The Trojan horse scene was incredibly effective in placing viewers alongside the soldiers in the tiny, cramped space. One of our favorite scenes was when Odysseus ventured down into the Underworld to talk
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Nolan’s dedication to realistic visuals helped the ancient classic come to life.
to Tiresias, a blind prophet of Apollo who revealed the dark future of the crew. The contrast between the dark blue ambience and the burning orange of the fires created an eerie atmosphere that set the perfect scene for Tiresias’s message.
Nolan’s action-heavy directing approach fueled the momentum of Odysseus’s long journey. Each island’s ministory kept us engaged in the movie’s plot, since Nolan’s cinematography and practical effects brought Odysseus’ intense battles with the monsters to life. Despite its flaws, “The Odyssey”’s commercial success feels deserved due to the quality of cinematography, the starstudded cast and the extensive marketing campaign behind the film. The movie itself had a $250 million production budget and a $125 million marketing budget, making it the biggest domestic movie launch in Nolan’s decorated career. “The Odyssey” also made history as the first feature film shot entirely on 70mm IMAX cameras, in collaboration
with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. However, the availability of this wider view is limited, since only 25 theaters in the United States could screen “The Odyssey” in 70mm IMAX, and tickets went on sale a year before release. Thanks to “The Odyssey,” more people are becoming invested in Greek mythology and in Homer. More people are going to movie theaters, reading books and having deep discussions about the movie’s complicated themes. People are showing that they are willing to learn about and be invested in the humanities.
Narrative changes deliver mixed results Chelsea Xie, Cynthia Xie
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hile the special effects were certainly impressive, the storyline left out key details, character building felt lacking and acting fell short. Most notably, the film removes the famous scene where Odysseus tells Polyphemus that his name is “Nobody” to protect himself from the wrath of the gods. This scene i s critical in explaining why he faces Poseidon’s anger on the sea later in his journey when he eventually reveals his name out of hubris. Rather than including these scenes, Nolan chose to focus on Odysseus’s inner turmoil and guilt. But without these central plot pieces, we were left to guess why Odysseus has been subject to so much torment from the gods. Not all of Nolan’s deviations from the original epic weakened the adaptation. We appreciated his choice to frame Odysseus as reflective and remorseful, focusing on his
contemplation on the ship between escapes. Despite its difference from Homer’s characterization, this modernized version of Odysseus was easier to understand and empathize with than Homer’s cunning hero. He reinterprets Odysseus for modern audiences by emphasizing his guilt and shame after losing so many crew members, transforming the epic’s courageous hero into a more human, morally complicated protagonist. This was one of t h e adaption’s best narrative changes. One significant aspect that fell below expectation was the quality of the side characters and their relationships to Odysseus. In particular, Calypso felt extremely f l a t and more like a therapist to Odysseus rather than someone he spent seven years with. Compared to her depiction in Homer’s epic as someone who has her own opinions and beliefs, shown through a speech about the gods’ double standards, here, she serves only as a docile catalyst f o r Odysseus
to recap his journey. This is a shared trait with many of the women in the film; rather than having their own motivations and desires, they seem to exist only to guide or accompany Odysseus. Penelope was an exception. The script portrayed two sides of Penelope not only as Odysseus’ wife, but as an independent leader grappling with ruling Ithaca alone, raising Telemachus and waiting for her husband’s return. Anna Hathaway delivered an excellent performance that strengthened Penelope’s characterization, expressing her inner turmoil with authenticity. Yet, her relationship with Odysseus felt shallow at times, because not a lot of screen time was dedicated to developing their bond. Their underdeveloped relationship weakened the ending. Odysseus and Penelope sail into the sunset hand in hand, but without enough screen time establishing their complex bond, the reunion felt strange.
IN-DEPTH 9
Volume 28 • Issue 1
s ancient epic on-screen Every generation finds its own Odysseus Shreyas Karnam
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omer’s “Odyssey” opens with the words, ‘Sing to me, Muse, of a man of many turns.’ Or, at least, they are the words that open one translation of it. Robert Fagles calls Odysseus “the man of twists and turns.” Robert Fitzgerald describes him as “that man skilled in all ways of contending.” Emily Wilson, in her 2017 translation, dispenses with the grandeur altogether: “Tell me about a complicated man.” The differences are more than surfacelevel. All translation is interpretation. Thus the translator cannot stay incognito for long. Here each translator has made a personal choice about who Odysseus is. Is he cunning? Adaptable? Heroic? Devious?
Christopher Nolan made his choice, too. I thought his “The Odyssey” missed some key story beats from the actual epic, and it could’ve been a better adaptation. But I also think much of the right-wing discourse surrounding the movie didn’t come from critiquing the movie as an adaptation or serious piece of media, but rather as “woke” propaganda.
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The differences are more than surfacelevel. All translation is interpretation.
But what makes an adaptation faithful? It does not need to reproduce the ancient world exactly as it existed. A film can change the ships, costumes, dialogue and even the gods without betraying Homer. What
matters more to me is whether it preserves the ideas and characters that give the original its power. Historical fidelity is one thing; thematic and character fidelity is another. Nolan is free to reinterpret Homer’s world. He is less free, in my view, to flatten Homer’s characters into simpler versions of themselves. After the trailer for the film was released last year, the controversy was immediate. First to come under fire was the costuming and props. Instead of using authentic ancient Greek ships, Nolan used Viking longships. The dramatic helmets of Agamemnon and Odysseus are made of iron, which wouldn’t have been available in the bronze age. But these qualms are small trifles to me. I wasn’t watching “The Odyssey” to see a historical documentary: for one of those, I recommend Tom Hiddleston’s fantastic “Pompeii,” which
came out the same week on National Geographic. “The Odyssey” has perhaps been adapted more than any other work. Nolan’s film is an adaptation, but as leading translator Emily Wilson says, it is an “adaptation of an adaptation.” Many scholars today agree that Homer didn’t sit down and write the epic. Instead, it was passed down through an oral tradition where its speakers might have slightly changed the story each time for their audiences. In that sense Nolan is just the most recent interpreter in a long line of people who have engaged critically with Odysseus’s story, and his version is no less valid than, say, James Joyce’s “Ulysses” or Dante’s “Inferno.”
Casting backlash misses the mark Shreyas Karnam
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nd then the casting. Elon Musk accused Nolan of “pissing all over Homer’s grave” with his casting, particularly the choice of Lupita Nyong’o, a Black actress, as Helen. Musk went on to say that he would produce an AI-generated version of the Odyssey. Ultimately, many of these qualms about casting turned out to be completely unfounded. Nyong’o’s performance is one of the best in the film: while Nolan’s script gave her limited time to shine, Nyong’o brought life and righteous anger to her difficult dual role as twin sisters Helen and Clytemnestra. Likewise Elliot Page, whose casting as Sinon spurred transphobia online, was the emotional center of the film, lending heart to an otherwise too wooden Odysseus.
But Helen always had to start a war, I suppose. Armed to the brim with their taunts and insults, internet keyboard warriors boarded their ships to Troy. Yet from a historical perspective, their argument is flawed. The ancient Greeks were neither Black or white. Those racial categories are modern anachronisms, invented and used largely after the slave trade began. The ancients perceived and responded to skin color in many ways, but they didn’t see “race” in the same way as we do. Instead of pulling me out of the story, Nolan’s diverse casting immersed me in it. Here we see an Odyssey that looks like the people watching it. There’s nothing wrong with that. Even the accents serve to bring the film down to a more relatable level. We often see the ancient Romans and Greeks portrayed as old white men who speak with British accents. But in this film even British actors put on American accents.
I myself first encountered the Odyssey in my third grade English class at Harker, where we read a version of the epic adapted for young readers. I was immediately struck by Odysseus’ heroism and bravery in the face of awesome dangers. As I’ve reread the epic and gotten older, I’ve also come to observe Odysseus’ depth. In Homer’s epic, Odysseus mercilessly murders not only the suitors but also the enslaved women who aid them. Nolan cuts this scene, and in so doing he uncomplicates a complicated man. For this reason and many more, Wilson panned Nolan’s take on the film. “The Odyssey” left me wanting more. I wanted to see more of the morally compromised, endlessly resourceful Odysseus who made Homer’s poem so compelling in the first place. Yet I left the theater simultaneously proud that no algorithm of Musk’s or AI slop could approximate real living in the real world, the dizziness of it all I felt when Odysseus floats alone on a ramshackle raft on the sea. There he is wholly human, ours. He lets the salt and froth and guilt wash over him, drag him into a watery embrace of despair and hope, into an overwhelming and epic blue.
DESIGN BY ELIZABETH ZHANG
10 OPINIONS
I love to read the news. But when it comes to war, specifically the current conflict between the U.S. and Iran, I’ve guiltily felt myself becoming more and more desensitized. As the conflict nears its sixth month, I’ve begun to lose hope. First, conflicts lose their novelty. Then it begins to feel as though nothing can be done about seemingly intractable wars and government failures. So I scroll past the next sensational story, my attention pulled in a dozen directions. If you asked about the Iran war, I’d give you an opinion. But I couldn’t necessarily tell you what is currently happening or why. Having an opinion does not mean having an informed one. Like the house in Bradbury’s story, I can live my life without actively thinking about catastrophe. I can forget, but I don’t want to be oblivious. Sarah Teasdale, whose poem inspired Bradbury’s title, wrote of the First World War: “And not one will know of the war / / not one Will care at last when it is done.” So to care, I think, means taking the time to know. It means reading uncomfortable news without letting it consume you. The alternative is staying a shadow on a wall.
A PERFECT APPLICANT By presenting one apparently successful visison to thousands of students, college admissions influencers ironically create uniformity while preaching uniqueness, exploiting students’ worries and fearmongering at a stressful time for many of them.
Risa Chokhawala Winged Post Managing Editor
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4.0 GPA. A 1580 SAT score, research, leadership positions and a list of awards that barely fits on the screen. Then, on the next slide: rejections from all dream schools. Videos showcasing results like these have become common on social media during college admissions season. Some come from students sharing their own results, while others feature influencers dissecting an applicant’s results and explaining what might have gone wrong. The comments inevitably ask why, and there is rarely a shortage of answers. Maybe the student lacked a clear “spike.” Their activities were impressive but too scattered. As a new class of seniors begins the admissions process, application advice on social media has renewed relevance. As an applicant myself, I believe that this advice often reduces a process centered on presenting individual strengths to a set of formulas for admission.
Those formulas can encourage students to work backward from the application they hope to submit, shaping their experiences around what they believe colleges want to see. These explanations offer a sense
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Knowing what someone did is not the same as knowing why they were admitted.
of control amid the obscurity of college admissions. Social media gives us an unprecedented window into other students’ applications Comments quickly fill with requests for the applicant’s “stats”: GPA, test scores, and awards. We collect these details looking for what worked, comparing successful profiles against one another and eventually against our own. Knowing what someone did is not the same as knowing why they were admitted.
Admissions content fills in those gaps with certainty. That confidence fits naturally into short-form platforms, where advice has only seconds to grab viewer’s attenton and little room for the ambiguity of a holistic admissions process. “We cannot know why this student was rejected” offers little guidance, but “Three mistakes that kept this student out of their dream school” promises an answer students can actually use. However, advice to develop a personal brand or create a “passion project” cannot simply be implemented once application season arrives. Students cannot manufacture four years of commitment to an interest or suddenly develop the leadership they have been told their application lacks. Building a profile around those prescriptions years in advance can lead students to shape their interests and experiences around an eventual application. Admissions content can ultimately encourage students to reverse-engineer themselves for the application process. The irony is that all of this
optimization is supposed to make an applicant stand out. Yet, social media has transformed individualized advice into content consumed by thousands of applicants at once. In trying to replicate the qualities of students who have already succeeded, we risk erasing the very differences an application is meant to reveal. Colleges are not assembling classes by finding thousands of versions of the same ideal applicant. Part of the value of college lies in encountering people with perspectives different from our own. None of this means students should stop seeking admissions advice online. Understanding how an application works, learning from people who have gone through the process and gaining access to guidance that might otherwise be unavailable all have value. However, advice should help us understand how to present what we have chosen to pursue, not make those choices for us. We cannot distinguish ourselves by following the same instructions for how to be different.
This I believe: Finding my community built sideways Sam Li Humans of Harker Managing Editor
Enormous even when deflated, the screen was damp with condensation and covered with bugs. It needed to fit back into its storage bag, which was clearly designed for something smaller. We folded it lengthwise, and it was too big — we sat on sections of it and pushed with our bodies, trying to fight the zipper. Air remained trapped, always somewhere else. This went on for close to an hour. And somewhere in that hour, the dynamic between the three of us shifted. We were no longer supervisors and a new trainee, but three people with the same ridiculous problem. I normally work as a lifeguard for the City of Campbell, but one afternoon with no shift, I signed up for an event labeled “Movie Night,” not knowing what it would involve. That Friday, I met BJ, an experienced staff member, at the community center, where we loaded a pickup truck with materials and set off to the park.
Our first conversation on the way there was the polite, impersonal talk you exchange with a new coworker: how long he had worked for the city, where he went to school and the logistics of the evening ahead. Jay, another worker, joined us at the park, and for the next few
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Strugging at a shared task strips away the small performances we put on for people.
hours, we were simply coworkers running tasks: dragging gear across the grass, pumping up the screen and connecting power. By sunset, hundreds of families covered the field. What I have come to remember, though, occurred after everybody had left. We packed away the projector, speakers, canopy and wires. The only thing left was the screen.
CHELSEA XIE
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SARAH WANG
Opinions Editor, Columnist
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CHELSEA XIE
Admissions influencers push students toward the same formula
Shreyas Karnam
To care, I think, means taking the time to know.
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How to stand out with everyone else
We survived a sci-fi doomsday. Or did we? “Today is August 4, 2026.” Ray Bradbury wrote those words 76 years ago, predicting nuclear annihilation. That date, which he featured in “There Will Come Soft Rains,” came to pass 24 days ago. We are still here. But as the Doomsday Clock stands closer to midnight than ever before, and as wars rage in the Middle East and Ukraine, I can’t help but feel Bradbury’s concerns about indifference to war remain relevant. Set in Allendale, Calif., Bradbury’s story has no human characters. A nuclear blast kills a family, leaving only their silhouettes burned onto a wall. Their automated house, meanwhile, continues its daily routines, oblivious to the catastrophe around it.
Friday, August 28, 2026
FRIENDSHIPS “We faced the same common struggle, and somewhere along the way, a community appeared.”
FORGING
Earlier in the day, I had been given instructions and I had followed them. But by the third or fourth failed fold, nobody was directing anymore — we were all throwing out whatever idea came to mind, complaining openly, admitting when we failed, making jokes. I have come to think of that connection as arriving sideways, when everyone is facing something else. No simple icebreaker could have done
what the screen did, because struggling at a shared task strips away the small performances we put on for people we have just met. Before, I used to imagine that people got to know each first, and only then could they work well together. But we faced the same common struggle, and somewhere along the way, a community appeared. What holds people together only exists because someone after the fact, wrestling with it in the dark.
DESIGN BY SHREYAS KARNAM
OPINIONS 11
Volume 28 • Issue 1
Managing Editors Elizabeth Zhang Risa Chokhawala News Editors Aileen Jang Charlene Li Opinions Editor Shreyas Karnam Features Editor Dyuthi Vallamsetty A&E/Lifestyle Editor Grace Wu STEM Editors Saria Lum Kanav Gupta Sports Editors Liana Barooah Aahana Sharma Senior Copy Editor William Jiang Photo Editors Charlene Li Liana Barooah Columnist Shreyas Karnam Social Media Specialist Saria Lum Adviser Whitney Huang, CJE Aquila Editors-in-Chief Lily Peng Cynthia Xie Aquila Managing Editors William Jiang Leah Krupnik Nathan Yee Humans of Harker Editors-in-Chief Victoria Li Heather Wang Humans of Harker Managing Editor Sam Li Reporters Samaara Patil Madelene Hu Bryan Ma
Abby Cheng Christina Ruan Alyssa Choi
The Winged Post is the official student newspaper of Harker’s upper school and is distributed free of cost to students every four to six weeks except vacations by the Journalism: Newspaper and Advanced Journalism: Newspaper courses at The Harker School, 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, California 95129. We aim to publish balanced stories with professional standards while serving as a public forum for Harker students. All content decisions are made by student editors. Opinions and letters represent the viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Winged Post, Harker board, administration, faculty or journalism advisers. Editorials represent the official opinions of The Winged Post editorial board. Letters to the Editor may be submitted to Manzanita 615 or emailed to harkeraq@ gmail.com and must be signed and legible. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to Winged Post style, and letters will be published at the discretion of editorial staff. Baseless accusations or libelous statements will not be considered for publication. Students hold the copyright to work published in Harker journalism publications. NSPA Pacemaker Winner: 2025-26, 2024-25, 2019-20, 2017-18 NSPA Pacemaker Finalist: 2023-24, 2020-21, 2018-19, 2016-17 CSPA Gold Crowns: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2019, 2018, 2016
Editorial: Patriotism is more than pride
Editorial Board
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his July 4, the U.S. celebrated its 250th birthday. But the milestone comes at a time when the country has never been less proud to be American. In 2026, 53% of American adults were very or extremely proud to be American, according to a Gallup poll. By contrast, a clear majority of 87% were proud in 2001. Gallup’s data shows that this decline in pride comes with a clear generational divide: 41% of Gen Z adults said they were extremely or very proud to be American, lower than any of their older counterparts. But why does the younger generation feel estranged from the country it will one day inherit? There is no shortage of reasons to feel shame in our country’s past. The labor of enslaved people helped build our country’s capital. Manifest Destiny displaced hundreds of thousands of Native Americans. Historically, the U.S. has often withheld stated promises of liberty and equality from many of the people living in it. And often citizens find themselves ashamed of the country’s present, in particular the actions of our government. The sudden axing of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), relentless tariffs and growing polarization at home have drastically changed the way the world sees America. In general, people of all nationalities tend to consider themselves less patriotic when a party they didn’t vote for is in power, according to a 2026 Pew Research report. No one is obligated to feel pride in a country that has failed them. But you can strongly disagree with the actions of the government and still care deeply for your country. Perhaps the most famous recent example of this came in 2021, when Mike Pence refused
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Merriam-Webster defines patriotism as “love for or devotion to one’s country.”
to block the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential win, a decision that led to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 that year. All of us lived through the horror of that day. Pence isn’t alone. In 2017 John McCain voted against repealing former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. His was the deciding vote. Nine years earlier McCain had lost the presidential election
Corrections TO ISSUE 6
EDITORIAL: THE OFFICIAL OPINION OF THE WINGED POST BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT “We America’s 250th anniversary is a good time to reevaulate our country’s
past, present and future as we think about what it truly means to love one’s country. to Obama, but McCain put the hundreds of thousands of Arizonans the bill would affect first, before his allegiance to the Republican Party that so wanted to see the bill’s demise. Merriam-Webster defines patriotism as “love for or devotion to one’s country.” But
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Don’t disengage from politics because America disappoints you. It still deserves our effort.
devotion does not require blind praise, nor does patriotism depend on believing that the U.S. is superior to all other countries — the idea of “American exceptionalism.” A more meaningful form of patriotism includes willingness to examine our country honestly. Criticism is essential to keep our country working. Voicing a well-informed dissent, identifying America’s flaws — these are the first steps of progress. Criticizing the country can then be a deeply patriotic act because it suggests the critic cares enough about the nation and its people to ask for change, and has faith that we can improve. Don’t disengage from politics because America disappoints you. It still deserves our effort. Instead, reclaim patriotism to remain invested in our nation’s future. There’s a lot to be proud of in our country that isn’t partisan. Our public libraries. Our public lands and national parks. Our science — take the recent Artemis II mission, for instance, which brought together people from both sides of the aisle to admire the astronauts’ and FEATURES 6: San Jose University should be San Jose State University OPINIONS 12: April 1 to April 11 should be April 1 to April 10. STEM 15: Opthamologist should be medical student.
© 2026 Harker Journalism Publications
engineers’ willpower. Our glittering movies, plays and musicals, watched all over the world. Our sports teams, which shine on the world stage. And more broadly, the same key values have guided our country for years. We are a country that values diversity and multiculturalism. We have always known that “we the people” is a plural idea, and while recent ICE raids and hardening immigration policies have tested that idea, the diversity of thought and backgrounds within our communities enrich us deeply. People are friendly. They care. During the recent FIFA World Cup, for instance, many tourists were surprised at Americans’ hospitality, posting about their positive experiences on social media. We also have freedoms that we must defend:
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How can we invest in the next 250 years of America?
the right to read and write and worship freely, to speak out against the government, to peacefully protest. How, then, can we invest in the next 250 years of America? Vote. Gen Z has the lowest voter turnout of any generation even though government policies will affect us for the longest. But even if you’re not old enough yet to vote, you can attend a city council or school board meeting. Write or call your elected representatives. Most importantly, we can choose not to let the constant cycle of bad news convince us our country is beyond repair. Being patriotic means committing to building the country we believe we can become.
What makes you proud to be American?
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Even if I don’t agree with what’s happening with our government, I don’t have fear talking.
ANASTASIA BROUMAS JUNIOR
Harker students do a good job of being patriotic in a healthy way. They value people that bring different strengths to the table and embrace different cultures.
JAMES TATE
HISTORY TEACHER
I have a much higher affinity and sense of sympathy for the average american than I have for those that make up its ruling class and represent it at a global scale.
AUDREY HU SENIOR
CORRECTIONS POLICY: Our staff strives to represent our community fairly and conduct accurate, truthful storytelling. We list errors of an issue, along with the page number of that error, in the next issue’s corrections box. Feel free to provide feedback via the QR code to the right. DESIGN BY SHREYAS KARNAM
SHREYAS KARNAM, NPS.GOV, USMINT.GOV
Editors-in-Chief Claire Tian Chelsea Xie
12 STEM
Friday, August 28, 2026
Cyclospora parasite puts produce under scrutiny Contaminated lettuce is linked to infections across 15 states as cases rise nationwide
O
KANAV GUPTA
n July 17, produce company Taylor Farms recalled lettuce sourced from central Mexico due to its connection to a cyclosporiasis outbreak across 15 states. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched an investigation into the national outbreak, as well as localized outbreaks which may be unrelated. California is not among them. While cyclosporiasis cases in California have risen,
the California Department of Public Health says that “California is not currently experiencing any outbreaks of cyclosporiasis” according to an update on August 5. The state has experienced 201 confirmed and probable cases and 11 hospitalizations since May 1 of this year, according to the CDPH. But why have cyclospora outbreaks happened in such a short span of time? Part of the “surprise” is due to the parasite’s incubation period, where the parasite takes around 7-14 days to reproduce inside the human intestine and cause symptoms. During this 2-week window, the contaminated food shipment has continued to be sold, shipped, and eaten across the country. By the time the first patient feels sick and goes to the doctor, thousands of others have already ingested the parasite. Research on cyclospora is more difficult than other parasites as well. The parasite cannot be easily grown in a lab because it cannot multiply on standard agar plates, rather being dependent on human intestinal lining to reproduce. Furthermore, reduced federal and local public health monitoring due to funding gaps made early outbreak detection difficult. Therefore, the outbreak could spread rather easily through multiple states without detection, profoundly affecting locals. In schools, where fresh fruits and vegetables are a staple of daily meals, produce safety is especially important. From salad bars to sandwiches and prepared dishes, students
regularly consume raw produce, making food sourcing and preparation an important part of preventing foodborne illnesses. Saratoga kitchen manager Raelynn Baldwin explained that the Harker kitchen remains largely unaffected by the outbreak since they do not often use iceberg lettuce, other than in Mexican Fiesta which has been closed over the summer. Additionally, since a lot of produce is sourced locally, cyclosporiasis is not a major concern for the kitchen.
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We are making sure what we're giving you guys stays at the level it's been this whole time. RAELYNN BALDWIN SARATOGA KITCHEN MANAGER
“Our produce companies can tell us exactly where it comes from, exactly what farm, exactly what town, so that if we have to backtrack or find anything it's easier for us to do,” Baldwin said. “It just makes life so much easier. It gives us a little bit of a less of a worry and since our stuff is also organic, the farms are really regulated. They keep all of their products clean and
AAHANA SHARMA
Saria Lum, Leah Krupnik
ROMAINE CALM Public health data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have linked the massive surge in cyclosporiasis cases tied to imported fresh produce. However, the CDC has not announced that California is officially experiencing any outbreak of cyclosporiasis.
they make sure that we're trying to get the best product.” However, the kitchen will not be serving any iceberg lettuce or Taylor Farms products for the foreseeable future. Additionally, Baldwin emphasized the importance of food safety precautions that the kitchen will continue to follow and that she encourages all students to follow at home. “We just honestly continue to do what we've been doing,” Baldwin said. “We wash all of our fruits and veggies. We make sure everything is clean and dry. We double check that all of our produce comes in fresh. We do the best we can to make sure what we're giving you guys stays at the level that it's been this whole time.” Preventing cyclosporiasis begins with careful handling of
fresh produce, particularly foods that are eaten raw. Washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking them can help remove germs and contaminants. However, washing alone does not eliminate risk, as the parasite’s structure inherently resists traditional cleaning methods. In an interview with UCLA Newsroom, doctors Eve Glazier and Elizabeth Ko answered common questions about cyclosporiasis, including prevention methods. “Washing your produce is helpful, but cyclospora is hard to remove,” they said. “The parasite’s outer wall helps it to cling to surfaces. The parasite’s outer wall also protects it from common sanitizing methods, such as a chlorine rise. Alcoholbased hand sanitizers also do not kill the parasite.”
Historic El Niño grows in Pacific, increasing California rainfall and flood risk Claire Tian Winged Post Editor-in-Chief
Thousands of miles from California’s coast, sea-surface temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific have climbed nearly 3 degrees Celsius above average. The warming is part of a strengthening El Niño, a natural climate pattern that shapes weather around the world and could raise California’s chances of heavy rain and flooding this winter. Henry Bartholomew, a lecturer in San José State
University’s (SJSU) Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, studied El Niño for his master’s thesis and said the term is often misunderstood. “El Nino itself isn't a storm,” Bartholomew said. “It refers to the warming of the ocean water. El Nino itself doesn't come to California, but it affects it — and I like to say — everything is connected in the atmosphere.” More precisely, El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño– Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a recurring ocean-atmosphere climate pattern across the tropical Pacific. El Niño events unfold irregularly every two to seven years. On Aug. 13, the Climate Prediction Center forecasted a 90% chance of a very strong e v e n t during
this fall and winter and a 69% chance that the October– December period will exceed the strength of all previous El Niño events in its record, which dates back to 1950. Under normal conditions, steady trade winds push warm surface water towards Australia and Indonesia. This allows cold, nutrient-rich water to rise along the west coast of South America. During El Niño, these winds weaken, sending warm water back east towards the Americas and raising ocean temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific. Warm ocean water transfers moisture and heat to the air above it. As the warm, moist air rises and cools, water vapor condenses into clouds and rain. Condensation releases additional heat, which helps EM the air rise even more and can MA LE produce large thunderstorms. E During El Niño, this region of tropical rainfall shifts eastward, altering atmospheric
circulation and pushing the Pacific jet stream south and east. The jet stream can then steer more Pacific storms toward California.
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El Niño itself isn't a storm. It refers to the warming of the ocean water. HENRY BARTHOLEW SJSU LECTURER
Some of those storms carry atmospheric rivers, long, narrow bands that transport concentrated water vapor across thousands of miles. “They’re moisture plumes,” Bartholomew said. “They’re moisture currents of upper-air moisture that move thousands of miles. That’s what happened in ’97–’98: that El Niño caused a
RAIN CHECK During El Niño, warm water spreads to the central and eastern Pacific, near the equator. This can cause tropical rainfall to shift eastward, increasing likelihood of storms in California.
lot of flooding [and] mudslides because it led to a lot of those atmospheric-river events where we get a lot of rain quickly.” However, a strong El Niño does not guarantee a rainy Bay Area winter, according to Bartholomew. Notably, the relationship between El Niño and rainfall is relatively pronounced in Southern California, while Northern California tends to experience smaller weather changes due to ENSO. “Just to caution, 2015–2016 … was also one of the strongest El Niños,” Bartholomew said. “It didn’t fizzle out in terms of being an El Niño, but the rain was much less.” Still, Bartholomew recommended that in light of El Niño’s official forecasts, residents clear their gutters, prepare their yards and exercise additional caution while driving in the rain. “It’s good that [El Niño] has been getting attention in the news, so people are aware,” Bartholomew said. “But it’s also good to remember we don’t know what’s going to happen. [There’s] no need to panic.” DESIGN BY KANAV GUPTA
STEM 13
Volume 28 • Issue 1
Software for social good
PROVIDED BY AMY JIN
Software engineer Amy Jin (’18) builds AI agents for customer support pandemic, she joined the startup Gather, an interactive, virtual workspace created in response to the isolation of quarantine. With a retro game-style interface and personal avatars for employees, the application simulates a physical office space and spontaneous interactions, bringing a sense of normalcy to uncertain times. After a few years working at Gather, Jin returned to university and finished her computer science degree. Intrigued by the impacts that artificial intelligence could have in business, she began her current work at Decagon in 2023. “I’ve navigated my career always wanting to work on a product or tool that alleviates a certain pain point,” Jin said. “I’m sure we all have times when we were stuck in a queue BUILDING CONNECTIONS Amy Jin (’18) poses in front of a glass building at her on the phone calling a company company, Decagon. There, she works to create personalized AI customer service agents. to get help or chatting with a Claire Tian, Madelene Hu tech career began at The Harker address various interdisciplinary chatbot that ultimately wasn’t helpful. [At Decagon,] we’ve School, where the skills she problems.” helped companies offer very learned from AP Computer Jin also helped organize the rom Notion to Duolingo, personalized concierge-level Science empowered her. annual Research Symposium businesses have begun support for their customers, “I distinctly recall taking AP as a member of the Women to offer customer service and I’m excited to see where Computer Science in my frosh in STEM club. Watching and through AI chatbots. Amy Jin Decagon’s growth will continue listening to the symposium’s (’18), a founding engineer and to positively impact the poster presentations and the very first employee at AI customer support space.” speaker sessions helped agent startup Decagon, helps I would encourage From connecting people pique her fascination for create specialized customer online with Gather to building computer science and artificial service agents that serve dozens you to take the more AI agents with Decagon, Jin intelligence. of firms, helping them to challenging path and has applied her specific skill While studying computer harness the capabilities of AI set to aid people and businesses science at Harvard University, for their specific needs. optimize for your Jin carried that probing through software. Reflecting “I was really drawn to growth and learning. on her career, she emphasizes curiosity, taking classes across working at Decagon because fields before committing to a how her experiences with of the huge improvement in AMY JIN (’18) bachelor’s degree in computer startups have shaped the way customer experience that DECAGON ENGINEER science. One class, “AI for she considers new opportunities we could deliver,” Jin said. “I Social Good,” stood out to her and personal choices. was excited by all the rapid “Oftentimes it’s easy to take because it not only explored advancements in generative AI the easiest path in front of you,” the application of AI to address year and being immediately and eager to jump on working Jin said. “But I would encourage social problems, but also the drawn into how impactful the with these frontier models. Customer support as a space is a field could be,” Jin said. “It constraints of deploying it you to take the more challenging one and optimize for your very apt use case for generative gave me the ability to build any responsibly. Taking time off from growth and learning. AI.” application at my fingertips and The foundations of Jin’s also utilize computer science to university during the COVID-19 Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
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Buff or fluff? Unwrapping the global protein craze Dyuthi Vallamsetty, Kanav Gupta
Walk down any aisle in the grocery store and the word “protein” follows you: protein pancakes, protein soda, protein bread and protein coffee. What was once the realm of bodybuilders and hardcore athletes has become a mainstream marketing device.
The global protein supplements market was valued at roughly $29.8 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $63.2 billion by 2033, growth that tracks a broader shift toward counting macros the way people once counted calories. Protein grams have become the number consumers are told to watch, and food
ELIZABETH ZHANG
PUMP UP THE PROTEIN Despite being just one of three essential macronutrients, protein has been overemphasized in dietary trends.
companies have followed that trend into products that never used to carry any nutritional benefit at all: cereal, bread,
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For me, I don’t really like tracking things because it gets too complicated. ELIE AHLUWALIA (’26) HARKER ALUMNA
coffee and more. Protein is marketed simultaneously for muscle building, weight management and anti-aging. Protein’s specific job is to supply the body with amino acids used to repair damage to muscle tissue broken down during exercise. Exercise also
increases the body’s ability to use those amino acids, so the two function together. For people who train regularly, the International Society of Sports Nutrition places the useful range for exercising individuals at 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, above the federal Recommended Dietary Allowance at 0.8 grams, which was set to prevent protein deficiency rather than to aid with training. Elie Ahluwalia (’26), a Harker alumna who played club and varsity volleyball in high school, said she never counted grams of protein and instead followed a simple rule. “My mom told me you’re supposed to have a fistful of protein for every meal,” Elie said. “Some people say you are supposed to have 20 to 30 grams per meal, but sometimes I don’t reach that. For me, I don’t really like tracking things because it gets too complicated.”
Research Revelations: Summers of Discovery Lily Peng, Nathan Yee Over the summer, seniors Leo Zhang and Trisha Shivakumar, as well as junior Teresa Song took part in research programs, working alongside faculty mentors and researchers. At the end of their respective programs, the three finished capstone projects concluding the summer’s work.
Garcia Summer Research Program
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STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY
You have a lot of opportunities to side quest and do your own thing, and it’s a very freeing time. LEO ZHANG
COMPUTATIONAL RESEARCHER
Research Mentorship Program
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA
The community was really nice. They’re all very high achieving, smart people. TERESA SONG ECONOMICS RESEARCHER
Secondary Student Training Program
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UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
The mentorship is really important because I also came in not really knowing too much about this field. TRISHA SHIVAKUMAR MICROBIOLOGY RESEARCHER
Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
DESIGN BY SARIA LUM
14 SPORTS
Friday, August 28, 2026
Sports and Photo Editor
LIANA BAROOAH
Women’s sports have never been more popular, and unfortunately, neither has the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. Some of the biggest names in womens athletics like Paige Bueckers, Lindsey Vonn and Sam Kerr have had their seasons interrupted by the same injury. This isn’t just bad luck; female athletes are significantly more likely to suffer an ACL tear than males, with studies estimating the risk to be anywhere from two to eight times higher. Part of the driving force behind this comes down to anatomy. Women generally have wider pelvises than men, causing a different alignment between the ankles, hips and knees. Female joints also tend to have more internal movement within the joint as well. Neither of these factors guarantees injuries, but both directly influence the amount of stress placed on the ACL.
LIGAMENT LOST The ACL resides deep inside the knee. Limited blood flow slows the recovery.
Aside from biological differences, movement plays a large role as well. Female athletes are more likely to land with knees bowed inward after jumping. This places additional tension on the ACL, often in sports where changing direction is common. The higher risk doesn’t mean that female athletes are weaker. These aren’t athletes lacking strength or athleticism: Paige Bueckers is a WNBA MVP contender, Lindsey Vonn is a 3-time Olympic medalist skier and Sam Kerr is the NWSL’s alltime leading scorer. Last year, four Harker athletes suffered ACL tears, with three of them being girls. Four injuries may not sound like an epidemic on its own, but when three out of the four tears occur in females, the disparity becomes hard to ignore. Women are strong enough to compete at the highest level, but is the sports world doing enough to keep them there? If we already know that female athletes have a greater chance of suffering an injury, accepting another season-ending tear as part of the game shouldn’t be “good enough.”
Sports and Photo Editor
A
n athlete can spend years competing without a major injury, until one moment changes everything. For senior Kinetic Krew member Brianna Madrigal, what seemed like a manageable and minor hamstring injury sidelined her for months. At dance camp last August, Brianna landed a jump incorrectly and strained her hamstring. She continued dancing, but in May, her knee dislocated twice during practice. After the second dislocation, the doctor
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Everybody thinks they’re indestructible until they knock on my door needing some treatment. WES HOWARD ATHLETIC TRAINER
determined that she fully tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), an injury that would keep her off stage throughout her senior year. “We assume that since we’re so young, we’re not gonna get injured as badly,” Brianna said. “We tend to underestimate the consequences of things that we’re doing. If you see other people getting injured, you’re like, ‘oh, they’ll be fine,’ but you don’t really understand how much work they have to put in their recovery process if you don’t experience it.” Junior boys varsity water polo player Aden Liu is familiar with the smaller injuries that
INJURY FREE Teens are most likely to suffer from ankle injuries out of all the body parts. Ignoring injuries results in delayed recovery.
Howard said. “The “push through it” mentality is selfdefeating in the end, because if you postpone taking care of a significant injury, you’re going to end up here later than you should have for a longer time than usual.” For students who have never
experienced a serious injury, it can be difficult to understand why one moment can have such different consequences from before. Howard urges student athletes to take advantage of the utilities provided by the school to help with healing. Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
Alum sprinter hurdles at World U20 Championship
PROVIDED BY ARCHIVE KAZE
Liana Barooah
come with constantly being active. He recently strained a shoulder muscle after excessive practice, leaving him unable to lift his arms normally for a few days. While injuries like these have become somewhat familiar to him, Aden admits that being young still shapes the way he thinks about what his body can handle. “Most of my injuries have been similar to what I have right now, where I just push myself too much,” Aden said. “I do have that mentality where, since I’m young, I can exert myself more. If I get into a major accident, I know my body is not going to be the same. But, I do think it does drive some of the recklessness.” The difference between Aden’s experiences in swimming and water polo reflects how easily injury prevention can either be incorporated in an athlete’s routine or not. Without experiencing a serious injury, it can be easy to underestimate the importance of taking those precautions. “I’ve been trying to stretch more, but consistency is sometimes difficult,” Aden said. “Working stretching into a schedule would be a good habit. For most of the time, when I did swimming, we integrated stretching into practices, and so I was injured a lot less compared to water polo.” Brianna’s experience is a reminder that recovery is not always as simple as waiting for the pain to go away.When we’re young, it can feel like there’s always more time to recover, but sometimes taking care of our bodies starts with something as simple as admitting something is wrong. “Waiting too long to report an injury is very common, especially with kids that are having their first injury,”
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE
Liana Barooah
ANG AH W R A S
Challenging the “I’ll-be-fine” mindset
RACE READY Brady Tse (‘26) poses for the jumbotron. He is currently ranked first in his age group across the state of California.
William Jiang, Aileen Jang It was the deafening silence that made recent graduate Brady Tse (’26) realize this race was different. Inside the call room at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., Brady waited to compete in the 400-meter hurdles at the World Athletics U20 Championships. At high school meets he would talk casually with his competitors before their events, but here, once competitors
entered the call room, all conversations stopped. “It’s like the calm before the storm because you’re all sitting there, and they call you up and send you through the archway,” Brady said. “Then you’re out in the stadium with thousands of people looking at you, and they’ve got the announcer saying your name.” Brady 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. Less than two months later, he lowered that mark to 50.97 in his opening heat at Worlds, placing second in his heat and advancing to the semifinals. He later placed eighth in his semifinal with a time of 51.44. When sprints and hurdles coach Sean Gwi began coaching him as a frosh, Brady was coming off a cross-country season and initially trained for the 400- and 800-meter races. By sophomore year, Gwi shifted him toward the 200 and 400 meters, where Brady began seeing stronger results. “He learns very quickly,” Gwi said. “For the physical part, I basically just needed to expose him to the training. Because of his consistency, because of his hard work, and because he’s very competitive, he naturally just got better. He likes PRing. He likes improving, getting faster times, so it’s easy to motivate him because he motivated himself.”
By the time Worlds was approaching, Brady had already spent the past 10 months conditioning for the season. His practices shifted toward the mental aspect and simulations of the 400-meter hurdles race. This preparation carried into his opening heat on Aug. 7. Running from lane nine, Brady finished in 50.97 seconds, cutting more than half a second from the personal best he had set at the Canadian championships and leaving him just 0.05 seconds from the Canadian U20 record. Brady chased this mark in the semifinal, where he ran 51.44 and placed eighth in his heat. Carmyn James, head coach of the Canadian national team at the U20 Championship, trained Brady and noted how his relentless spirit and positive mindset fueled his success on the international stage. “He’s just fearless,” James said. “He’s not afraid of anybody, and he just goes out there to be the best that he can be and then runs these great times.” DESIGN BY LIANA BAROOAH
SPORTS 15
Volume 28 • Issue 1
Angela Li rallies diligence Acing the long game: Sophomore through setbacks Kendra Zhao, Charlene Li
LIANA BAROOAH
S
ACING THE LONG GAME Angela Li (10) stays composed under pressure, turning setbacks into opportunities to grow. After nearly a decade on the court, the sophomore varsity tennis player continues to chase her goal of playing Division I tennis.
corching rays of summer Alabama sun stream onto the court as sophomore Angela Li battles a local player more acclimated to the conditions at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Girls’ 16 National Clay Court Championships. Trailing 0-4 in the deciding set, she reevaluates her strategy to stand farther back on court and remain patient, erasing the deficit to 6-all. With her leg cramping after nearly four hours on court, she steadies her racket before sealing the match with a passing shot at the net. Angela’s grueling comeback reflects a mentality of perseverance that has carried her through nearly a decade in the sport. Angela started playing tennis at six years old, following the footsteps of her father and sister. While she initially struggled to keep up with her peers, she gradually learned to enjoy the sport and now trains two hours daily and attends practice matches to improve her skills. Over the summer, she dedicated even more time to tennis, traveling to Serbia for two weeks of specialized instruction at Novak Djokovic’s former academy. Years of practice have taught Angela the importance of a competitive mentality. “Going into a match, it depends on what opponent it is, but I remain positive,” Angela said. “If I believe I can beat them, I can pull it off, even if it’s against a tougher opponent. During matches, if I’m losing because I’m playing too conservatively, I start attacking more. I always try to remain positive because if I start thinking I’m going to lose the match, I usually lose it.” Beyond her mental
preparation, Angela typically warms up one to two hours before tournaments by hitting with another player registered in the same tournament. Because players within the same USTA section often enter the same events, she frequently crosses paths with familiar faces, using these pre-match warm-ups to deepen connections and build lasting friendships across the tennis community. One of those camaraderies is with fellow tennis player Bella Yu, who first encountered Angela after playing against her in a tournament. Since then, the two have teamed up in doubles and strengthened their relationship both on and off the court.
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If I believe I can beat them, I can pull it off, even if it’s against a tougher opponent. I always try to remain positive. ANGELA LI
SOPHOMORE ON VARSITY GIRLS TENNIS
“Angela’s a very consistent, persistent and level-headed person,” Bella said. “She’s very calm on court and off-court — I admire her ability to stay calm even when the situation is very stressful, and she doesn’t show negative emotions on her face. I think that’s what makes Angela who she is: her smile.” To remain composed during matches, Angela has developed a habit of stepping to the back fence of the court, bouncing on her feet and fixing her racket strings to briefly recover, both
physically and mentally, during difficult bouts. Her ability to clear her mind and reset after almost every point has been integral to her success over her time playing. “I definitely grew physically because it’s been nine years,” Angela said. “But mentally, these years taught me how to stay calm in the pressure moments, like tests and stuff like that, because in tennis, you have to stay calm for the big points.” The same intentional focus Angela shows during competition translates into her daily practice sessions. While her court routine helps her cope with high-pressure points, her work ethic between tournaments helps her grow as a player, thus allowing her to become the 19th-ranked junior female tennis player in California and the 81st-ranked player nationwide in her grade. Her coach, former Association of Tennis Professionals player Igor Kunitsyn, attests to her dedication. “I like the fact that she’s always trying to improve.” Kunitsyn said. “When I ask her to do something, she puts it into action and always remembers it the next time I see her. She has a quiet confidence, and if she believed in herself even more, she could go on and do a lot of really good things in tennis.” Close friend sophomore Angelina Qiu met Angela after joining Harker in her frosh year through mutual friends and shared classes. She highlighted Angela’s fun and optimistic personality. “She’s always there for you.” Angelina said. “I just bonded with her, and she has really good vibes. She’s very easy to be around. You feel like you can relax around her.”
Team India opens path for Indian American baseball players William Jiang, Nathan Yee Senior Shaurya Jain almost scrolled past the message that would eventually put him in a Team India uniform. An unfamiliar Instagram account had sent him a flyer inviting him to play in a series of exhibition games in Chicago, and Shaurya assumed it was a scam. When he returned to the message, he realized the sender was Sonny Sahota, an umpire who had watched him play for years at Twin Creeks Sports Complex. The federation placed Sahota in charge of scouting players in Northern California for Team India, his experience as an umpire had already given him someone to contact. “When I saw Shaurya, he wasn’t just an Indian basketball player — he was the best baseball player on the field no matter what field he was on,” Sahota said. “I just kept that in the back of my mind. When I
got named to this position and they were asking me to find some talent in that age group, I was like, ‘Well this kid’s a year younger than everybody, but I think he’d be a good fit.’”
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I feel proud to represent a part of the world that isn’t really being seen in baseball. SHAURYA JAIN SENIOR
Shaurya traveled to Chicago on July 29. Players received uniforms and trained together before facing Team Pakistan in two exhibition games. Despite the amount of strong players on the team, Shaurya made an impact on the team’s play, starting at third base
and recording a key hit with a run batted in. Travel baseball coach Jim Greco, who saw part of the series, recalled Shaurya pitching briefly and striking out multiple batters. “One thing that’s great about him is his consistency,” Greco said. “There’s going to be ups and downs, and it can go really bad if you start letting the mental mind game play with you. You’re going to get down about yourself, but bouncing back quickly and just staying consistent is what helps you. That’s Shaurya in a nutshell.” Most of Shaurya’s teammates arrived in Chicago without knowing one another. Their time together extended beyond baseball to team dinners and Topgolf, and these interactions gave Shaurya a perspective on baseball that he had never encountered. “Baseball isn’t traditionally a sport that a lot of Indian people play,” Shaurya said. “It
PROVIDED BY SHAURYA JAIN
Senior Shaurya Jain joins players nationwide as Team India builds its roster
TAKING THE FIELD Senior Shaurya Jain (second on the left) takes his passion for baseball beyond school, representing India on their national team. He continues to embrace new opportunities.
was really cool to see that many people playing baseball. There’s no race or identity or ethnicity tied to a sport, and it can be enjoyed by all.” By 2030, he hopes that Team India will inspire young athletes to pursue their sports regardless of their background.
“I feel proud to represent a part of the world that isn’t really seen in the baseball world,” Shaurya said. “My hope is that it just inspires other people to continue doing what they love and to not let anything else get in the way of it.” Visit harkeraquila.com for more.
DESIGN BY AAHANA SHARMA
16 BACKPAGE
Friday, August 28, 2026
San Jose’s Japantown holds history
Japantown preserves the cultures that shaped the neighborhood Risa Chokhawala, Claire Tian
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ore than a century of history sits within the few blocks of San Jose’s Japantown. The neighborhood has changed considerably since its first businesses opened, but traces of each chapter remain woven into the community that occupies it today. San Jose’s Japantown grew alongside Santa Clara Valley’s Japanese American farming community in the early 1900s. As the community grew, markets, clothing stores and pharmacies opened while religious institutions like the San Jose Buddhist Betsuin Church that still exists today, became centers of community life. Residents also formed community organizations, including local sport teams such as the San Jose Asahi baseball team, amid increasing exclusion. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, that discrimination culminated in the forced removal of and incarceration of Japanese Americans. Japantown residents were ordered to leave were with only what they could carry, and many were held in detention centers while camps were constructed. Residents often living in inhumane conditions like at Tanforan, where horse stalls were converted into living quarters. Today, the Japanese American Museum of San Jose documents that history, along with the stories of the other communities that shaped the neighborhood. Although the neighborhood is called Japantown, its founding history involves cultures outside of the Japanese American community. Japanese immigrants in the 19th century settled in San
Jose’s Chinatown before later establishing their own enclaves, according to Mallory Shiroyama, the Volunteer & Tour Program Coordinator at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose. “We are working on creating a walking tour that we’re going to call a lineage tour, because it will not just talk about the roots of San Jose Japantown,” Shiroyama said. “But how it was originally Chinatown and then Pinoy Town, making sure those histories are not lost and paying homage to all of the people who came before us, not just those in the Japanese American community.” Preserving Japantown’s history also means documenting what happened after incarceration ended. While some Japanese Americans returned to their former communities after World War II, others settled elsewhere, rebuilding lives disrupted by years away. In San Jose, Japanese Americans began returning in 1945, and Japantown again became a
Many of the institutions and locally owned businesses that characterize Japantown today grew from or continued through that period of rebuilding. Rather than large chains such as Target or Starbucks, independently-owned restaurants and shops line the neighborhood’s few blocks. For Tida Ngov, the museum’s Community Engagement and Membership P r o g r a m Co ordinator, keeping that local character also raises questions about the future of longstanding businesses. “A lot of these businesses are still locally owned, and a lot of them are family owned and operated, so not all of them have succession plans,” Ngov said. “As the owners and operators are aging out, there is also that worry of who is going to take the mantle next and who is going to continue.” Maintaining Japantown’s historic buildings presents additional challenges. Ngov cited rising renovation costs and permitting complications as particular obstacles for small business owners without the financial backing of larger companies or investors.
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A lot of these businesses are still locally owned, and a lot of them are family owned and operated. TIDA NGOV
JAMsj Community Engagement and Program Coordinator
center for the local community. By the decade’s end, the city’s Japanese American population had nearly doubled, with the neighborhood entering a period of increased activity through the 1950s and 1960s.
CHARLENE LI
WOVEN INTO HISTORY Textile bundles line the display stand in Nichi Bei Bussan. The store’s variety of artisan works make it a key attraction of Japantown.
Claire Tian, Chelsea Xie, Charlene Li Nichi Bei Bussan, one of the oldest establishments in San Jose’s Japantown, is a familyowned and operated store selling Japanese fabrics, crafts, martial arts items and other cultural goods. Owner Arlene Tatsuno Damron describes herself as a “Jill of all trades.” “Whatever needs doing,
that’s kind of what you do.” Damron said. “That’s what you do in a small business.” Her grandfather, Shoichiro Tatsuno, founded the original Nichi Bei Bussan in San Francisco in 1902 after immigrating from Nagano, Japan. Unable to speak English, Tatsuno first worked as a housemaid, learned English and saved money to open a business. “[He] couldn’t speak
English, and we had no ESL classes for anyone?” Damron said. “So they quickly found other people who looked as they did, ate as they did, spoke as they did, and JOURNEY THROUGH they created communities. JAPANTOWN Nichi Bei Ethnic enclaves — that’s the Bussan owner Arlene Tatsuno Damron explains the story of America.” And what grandfather history of her store. Today, she sells items tied to Japanese culture. Tatsumoto did, once he had made enough money, was Damron’s father, opened the open a department store selling San Jose location in 1948 as clothing, like buckled shoes NB Department Store, carrying and silk top hats — as was name-brand products like Levi’s, fashionable in San Francisco. Dickies and Keds alongside Shojiro’s son Dave, Japanese goods. But today, the store’s inventory has pivoted to focus on items connected to Japanese culture. “Frankly, you can buy The things that we Levi’s anyplace nowadays, any have — many are one of the big shopping malls,” Damron said. “The things that of a kind. we have — many are one of a kind. Because for the last 25, 30, ARLENE TATSUNO maybe even 35 years, we have DAMRON been accepting in things either NICHI BEI BUSSAN on consignment or donation.”
ELIZABETH ZHANG
Three generations of Nichi Bei Bussan
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OWNER
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DESIGN BY CLAIRE TIAN, ELIZABETH ZHANG