Harker Magazine

Immersive experience for middle school students

On the cover: Middle school students had a spectacular inaugural trip

Peru.

Photo by Jennifer Walrod.

On this page: Grade 1 students enjoyed a visit to the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University.

Photo by Jess Curtis.

On the back:

Andrew Smith, grade 12, holds Harker records in the 110 and 300 hurdles. Photo by Keith Tharp.

Shlurpendous!

Budding entrepreneurs thrive in Harker’s incubator program.

Inaugural Day of Service

Celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Global Education Program introduces new experiences in Peru and Greece.

Photo highlights from the past semester of athletics, visual arts and performing arts, and end-of-year and graduation festivities. 12, 22, 32, 34, 36

Alums following their dreams and making a difference in the world. 14, 24, 38

close and personal with teachers and staff. 21, 31, 40

About Harker

From its early beginnings in 1893 – when Stanford University leaders assisted in its establishment – to its reputation today as a leading preparatory school with graduates attending prestigious universities worldwide, Harker’s mission has remained constant: to create an environment that promotes academic excellence, inspires intellectual curiosity, expects personal accountability and forever instills a genuine passion for learning. Whether striving for academic achievement, raising funds for global concerns, performing on stage or scoring a goal, Harker students encourage and support one another and celebrate each other’s efforts and successes, at Harker and beyond. Harker is a dynamic, supportive, fun and nurturing community where kids and their families make friends for life.

Harker Magazine is published biannually, in December and June, to showcase some of the top news, visionary programs and inspiring people of the greater Harker community. This magazine and its predecessor, the Harker Quarterly, have been recognized with CASE silver and bronze awards, and three gold and four platinum MarCom awards.

Subscribe to Harker News and get the latest daily updates. Visit news.harker.org.

FIND, FRIEND & FOLLOW US!

Join us for tweets, videos, announcements, photo sharing and more!

Search “harkerschool”:

You can opt out of receiving Harker Magazine by mail and just read it online at https://issuu.com/ theharkerschool. To be removed from the mailing list, email us at communications@harker.org.

The Harker School is an independent, coed, college-prep school serving kindergarten through grade 12.

K-Grade 5: 4300 Bucknall Rd., San Jose, CA 95130

Grades 6-8: 4525 Union Ave., San Jose, CA 95124

Grades 9-12: 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129

Produced by the Harker Office of Communication 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129

communications@harker.org · 408.345.9273

NEXT ISSUE: FALL/WINTER 2024

WORDS

BY BRIAN YAGER PHOTOGRAPH BY JESS CURTIS

Lessons from an or

“By sun and cold, by rain and snow, In trees and men good timbers grow.”

Editor’s note: This column is excerpted from Brian Yager’s graduation remarks on May 23, 2024.

In 1949, a year after his death, the world was introduced to Aldo Leopold, who had written a series of essays titled “A Sand County Almanac.” The essays explored the rhythms and relationships among the inhabitants and the environment in his rural part of Wisconsin – a part of the state known colloquially as “the Sand County.” While receiving only mild notice at first, eventually Leopold’s almanac would become one of the leading works inspiring the modern conservation movement.

Leopold observes and reflects on an array of processes and properties of the lands around him, finding in the natural world not only beauty, but an existential imperative for himself and his fellow humans. In his opening to the book, Leopold shares the words that inspired a movement: “There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. These essays are the delights and dilemmas of one who cannot.”

I sometimes think of Aldo Leopold when I walk along the orchard in the middle of the Saratoga campus. Planted in the summer of 2017, Harker’s orchard is many things: a tribute to the agricultural history of the Santa Clara Valley; a place for students to study, socialize or sit together for lunch; a shady sanctuary on a warm summer day; a remarkably productive collection of plum, apricot and cherry trees; a beautiful part of campus, especially during blossom season; and, as many students have noted, a symbolic center of campus – our heart.

If you observe the growth cycle of the trees, you will notice something interesting: the first trees to flower in the spring are always the plums, followed by the apricots, and finally the cherries. Interestingly, the fruits ripen in reverse order, with the cherries usually being entirely devoured by this time each year, the apricots coming into their prime right as the calendar hits June, and the plums peaking just before the Fourth of July. It seems strange that the earliest blossoms take the longest to mature into fruit and vice versa, yet it seems there is a lesson in this pattern for us to explore.

I imagine that Leopold would note that several factors determine the size of the crop for each tree in a given year. There are obvious variables related to the environment: the amount and timing of a season’s rain; the daily temperatures during the growing season; the quality and duration of the sunlight each tree receives; the composition of the soil; and the number of bees and other insects that help pollinate the young blossoms. There are also less obvious natural inputs that have an important impact on tree production. One of these is the web of invisible, sub-surface fungi, which connect the trees to each other, and to other plants in the orchard. These fungal webs act as transmitters of both information and nutrients, much like a slow-moving combination neural and cardiovascular network. Another is the presence of naturally occurring yet invisible organisms – molds, bacteria and microscopic critters that can enhance or diminish a tree’s health.

In addition to these natural variables, there are human-controlled inputs that impact the quality and quantity of our orchard. Irrigation supplements the water provided by

The beauty of a tree, and an orchard, is that they get to start over each year.

nature; the facilities crew pulls weeds and place mulch to protect root balls and to preserve soil moisture around each tree; gardeners prune the branches just before spring each year to allow for better air circulation and light infiltration. The overall design of the orchard is also crucial. Trees need to be near enough to each other to make things easy on the insects and the fungal systems helping to distribute nutrients, but not so close as to crowd each other out, fight for light, and overtax the nutrients of the soil.

Our orchard provides an analogy for each of our graduates here. Each of you is, in your own way, both your own tree, and your own orchard.

The quality of your growth, and your output each year and over time, is determined by a number of things: the quality of the real and metaphorical water, light, air and soil that make up your environment; the impact of the other organisms around you, both seen and unseen, both human and animal; the impact of those environmental conditions outside of our field of vision – the networks connecting you physically and emotionally to your peers, parents and pals; the things done on your behalf, many of which you observe, and many of which you are unaware. There have been, and will continue to be, efforts made to supplement the world that nature provides you. This is, essentially, our intention at Harker as we have overseen your education. Hopefully, your parents, friends, family and we at Harker have been good gardeners, providing figurative water, sunlight, nutrients and space when you have needed it, removing weeds from your undergrowth, and pruning your branches in the right way at the right time for you to thrive.

There are two other relevant aspects of our orchard. The first is that each tree goes through many cycles of production in its lifetime. In some years, conditions are not as favorable as others for a good crop. The beauty of a tree, and an orchard, is that they get to start over each year. Keep this in mind in the future when you find

yourself unable to produce or to succeed in the way you had hoped in a given endeavor or phase of your life. You can start over in both small and big ways, and, even better, unlike a tree, you can assess, influence and enhance the conditions around you whenever you need to do so.

The second aspect of an orchard’s life is one I learned when I lived among expansive avocado orchards in Southern California. One of the most interesting bits of wisdom the farmers shared with me is that the trees produced the most when they had experienced an unusual level of disruption in, and sometimes a threat to, their normal cycles; farmers refer to these events as beneficial stressors.

Am I suggesting that stress is good for you? Of course, my message is more nuanced. Too much stress will destroy a tree, and chronic stress will do the same if conditions persist. Manageable levels of periodic stress bring out the best in us, much like they do in our trees. While I would not encourage you to seek a life that would be classified as stressful in a general sense, I will encourage you to seek a life that is not stress-free. Your muscles, bones and brains all become stronger by being challenged. But muscles tear if they get overused; bones can get stress fractures if they are not allowed to rest; and your brain will not function well if it cannot reset through sleep. Trees take a whole season to rest after their season of growth. Follow their lead and give yourself chances to recover whenever you need it. But also find challenges that are worth recovering from.

Those of you who were at Harker in seventh grade took a trip to the National Parks in the Southwest. As we sat one afternoon atop the overlook at Bryce Canyon, among the pinyon pines and juniper stands, and against a backdrop of stunning vermillion cliffs and azure sky, our naturalist guide recited the poem “Good Timber” by Douglas Malloch. It starts:

Good timber does not grow with ease:

The stronger wind, the stronger trees;

The further sky, the greater length;

The more the storm, the more the strength. By sun and cold, by rain and snow, In trees and men good timbers grow.

To all the parents here today, this ceremony represents the final stanza in one season of their lives – the production of you. They, like those of us who have educated you, are proud of what you have done and who you are becoming. We also know that part of our role is to prepare you to flourish on your own and, ultimately, to thrive without us. My grandfather was fond of the Greek proverb, “A civilization grows great when old people plant trees the shade of which they will never enjoy.” We hope that part of what will matter to you in your future will be to better the world in ways from which you, too, will not directly benefit. This was the principle aim of Aldo Leopold – to inspire others to better steward our planet. In sharing his observations of the world, he hoped to instill in his readers what he called a “land ethic.” Through it, he asks us to consider the world around us, and all it contains, as valuable for its own sake, and not for the resources it offers to us.

Similarly, we as teachers and parents know that as you mature, you become increasingly your own people, and your value is your own, independent from your emotional and physical proximity to us. Class of 2024, we hope that you will continue to let us enjoy some of the shade that you will cast in the years ahead. May your branches grow tall and strong, so that your shade can comfort many, and may the fruit you produce nourish and nurture those around you. In these ways and in all endeavors which you pursue, we wish you the best, and we know that you will, in ways big and small, fare well!

Shlurpendous!

Budding entrepreneurs thrive in Harker’s incubator program

Words by David Kiefer

young adult shopper scans the shelves of a convenience store, looking for a healthy snack. It might be finals week or a late night of studying. Maybe the shopper is an athlete looking to maximize performance with a low-sodium instant meal. Maybe there are dietary restrictions, vegan or gluten-free.

Whatever the reason, the shopper is searching up and down, reading labels and rejecting products that fail to make the grade. The shopper begins to feel discouraged. Suddenly, a brightly colored label catches their eye. The shopper takes the product off the shelf and smiles at the unique name: “Shlurp: The sound of your new favorite instant ramen.”

Photographs by Jess Curtis and Kenneth Mithra

Intrigued, they see there is a good amount of protein, 17 grams, yet no meat. The ingredients are naturally sourced, it’s appropriate for any kind of diet and it’s inexpensive.

The shopper purchases the ramen and loves it. They subscribe to “Shlurpsquad” and receive sweatshirts, merch and a monthly delivery of ramen.

“… And you live your happy life eating Shlurp,” said junior Emily Mitnick.

This is Mitnick’s vision of the future, where Shlurp – the product she created with junior Naiya Daswani and senior Siddhi Jain in their Honors Entrepreneurship 1 class (also known as Incubator 1) – is cornering the healthy-snack market for young adults on the go.

“This has been, if not life-changing, maybe a career-vision mentality-changing class for me,” Jain said. “It’s opened so many new doors. Who is taught how to start a company, right?”

But that’s exactly what’s happening at Harker, and it’s in line

with the vision of Juston Glass when he began as the chair of Harker’s business and entrepreneurship department in 2013.

Sitting in the Innovation Center – as he and colleague Michael Acheatel call their adjoining classrooms – Glass pulled out a slightly crumpled sheet of paper with frayed edges. Glass called it a “brain map,” a dynamic outline of where the B.E. program began and where it’s headed.

“This was all part of the plan, for us to become the most comprehensive and, in my opinion, the most successful business entrepreneurship program in the country at the high school level,” he said.

From the first brain-map doodles to a program with 200 students and six full-time teachers, the growth has been “phenomenal,” Glass said. Incubators 1 and 2 grew out of one of the stems from that brain map. The first incarnation was a summer class that gave Acheatel, who arrived at Harker after five years of startup consulting, some data on where it should go.

Acheatel realized that no existing high school business curriculum quite fit the times or the Silicon Valley pedigree of Harker students. So he devised his own through the framework of INCubatoredu, combining soft skills like public speaking with hard skills like financial models and marketing campaigns. By the end of Incubator 1, students have a minimum viable product, target market, business plan, revenue models and have pitched to venture capitalists. Incubator 2 is a more advanced offering for students whose businesses already are up and running.

“We have all the ingredients,” said Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs. “We’re in Silicon Valley. That was the reason we started the program. We knew it was going to be popular. I just didn’t know it was going to be this popular. We’ve created a program that seems to resonate with the community.”

To Gargano, Incubator is an extension and even a realization of a basic theme at Harker, one applied from the youngest grades to the oldest.

“I often tell our faculty that if a student has an idea, it needs to be taken seriously,” Gargano said. “We need to keep on encouraging that their ideas matter.”

In 2016, Nishka Ayyar ’19 and Riya Gupta ’19 created an innovation plan for a business entrepreneurship class that evolved into PromElle, an app that lets teenage girls save hundreds of dollars by renting and lending formal wear, such as prom dresses, from each other. They were featured on the front page of the San Jose Mercury News, under the headline: “Need a Prom Dress? There’s an App for That.”

In 2022, Rohan Gorti, Arin Jain and Zubin Khera, all Class of 2023, won the INCubatoredu National Pitch Contest in Chicago, and were awarded $20,000. The winning product: TuffToys, a durable brand of dog toys.

“We have all the ingredients. We’re in Silicon Valley. We’ve created a program that seems to resonate with the community.”

– Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs

All three grew up with dogs and easily identified a problem: Dog toys were expensive and easily torn apart. TuffToys was born. Dogs were attracted to the scents of peanut butter, beef and vanilla, and owners liked the themed designs on the fuzzy outer skins.

Jason Huang ’19 was in the first class of Incubator students. His project was Nanoseed, a nonprofit that raised money for scholarships and small-business loans among the Hui people in China’s Western province of Ningxia.

Now a U.S. Space Force Deputy Student Delta Commander overseeing more than 100 enlisted intelligence analysts and 10 officers, Huang said the Incubator experience sparked a career in leadership, inspiring him to join ROTC at Duke University, where he became an officer.

“One of the reasons I applied for and got selected for Space Force was because of that background,” Huang said. “I want to build organizations. I want to build cultures. I want to make sure that we are building something that can last beyond me.”

Huang’s Harker classmate, Nemo Yang, is the founder and CEO of Cortex, a company that leverages artificial intelligence to help lenders underwrite mortgages.

“I believe Harker had a very fundamental impact on my career path journey,” Yang said. “It really enabled me to have a jump start, to have a fast track. I knew how to start a business. I could go straight ahead and start implementing things.”

Looking back at his Incubator company, PeerCoco, Yang laughs at his naivete. “Peer,” because it was about building a peer-to-peer network between high school students and college tutors, and “Coco” because, he said, “I don’t know

why. We liked coconuts.”

Early on, Yang learned a fundamental lesson that remains vital to his approach.

“I remember in the first class, when we were identifying a problem, everybody’s talking about solutions. We’re building this, we’re building that. But that’s not how it’s supposed to start. You have to figure out the problem first before you look at the solution. This was hammered into our brains and was a huge mentality shift for me.

“Later on, I walked into a lot of potential companies, a lot of startups, and found a lot of founders made the same mistakes that I once did. You cannot be thinking in the solution mindset.”

Incubator advisor Phu Hoang, among the first engineers at Yahoo and a former executive vice president with the company, takes that concept a step further: Do we need that product?

“Ninety-nine percent of entrepreneurs out there get it wrong,” he said. “That is why companies fail, they don’t have product market fit. They think they have it when they don’t. That’s the really big trap.”

Taking a bite out of sHarker

Incubator students duel for VC attention and prizes

As she stepped onto the Nichols Hall stage in front of hundreds of classmates and entrepreneurs, and a three-person judging panel of business executives and venture capitalists, Norah Mehanna pushed aside the nerves and considered why she was there.

This was an opportunity to get investors excited about a product that the Harker junior and her teammates had worked all year to unveil. This pitch wasn’t just for her, it was for them.

“Imagine this, you’re a high school girl with curly hair and you don’t know how to manage it,” she began. “You might be wondering, what’s the solution? It’s us: Curlosophy. For the girls with the curls … curl power is on the rise!”

For seven minutes apiece – plus three for questions – three groups from the Honors Entrepreneurship 1 class competed for $1,000 in VC funding in a Harker twist to a popular reality show – sHarker Tank – to close the student-run Harker BEcon for young entrepreneurs.

Beside the subscription hair-care company, also introduced were Wrap It, a compression sleeve for rapid recovery from athletic injuries, and the eventual winner, Roobi, a tea-based caffeine-free energy drink. The founders, juniors Vedant Balachandran, Daniel Dorfman and Sam Parupudi, were all smiles as they posed with an outsized novelty check.

“The Incubator program has been a starting point,” Balanchadran said. “It’s just the beginning. We’re high schoolers. We’re learning, and sometimes it feels like we have no clue what’s going on. But we predict this business will grow into a massive one.”

From the initial idea of creating a tea bag to a powder to a drink that failed taste tests, Roobi evolved. There were hours of discussion and much introspection. And there were hours in the field, gathering 300 consumer responses. Now nearly perfected, Roobi has caught the VCs’ attention.

“This is just another step in the validation process,” Parupudi said. “It’s like a keystone we can put in our arch. Now, we can move forward.”

Hoang stresses the importance of concepts such as these and is impressed with how easily Harker students pick them up. “I can’t believe I’m talking to juniors and seniors in high school,” he said. Hoang was content being on sidelines and driving his son Jason Hoang ’21 to events with DECA, a competitive business organization where many Incubator students receive their entrepreneurial start. However, Acheatel reached out and asked if he would be interested in advising then-junior Mahi Kolla ’20, who started a company called Minty Boutique when she was a freshman.

“By the time she met me, it was already a company with a product that was making money,” Hoang said. “At the time, I was advising a bunch of real companies, with real founders and real VC funding. I realized, I’m literally having the same meetings with my real company as I’m having with Mahi, and there is no change in level.

“You have to believe in your product. Otherwise, what are you doing?”

– Sriteja Kataru, grade 11

“What was the most impressive? She had no fear. She had no barrier. She had no doubt. She was willing to try everything we discussed.”

Hoang helped her in areas such as marketing through processes and analytics, assembling PowerPoint decks for investors, and creating spreadsheets for budget planning.

“I think back and there were letters of recommendation for VPs and SVPs that were not as glowing as recommendations I wrote for her,” Hoang said. “I would really credit Mahi for giving me a picture of what it could be at Harker.”

Fearlessness is a trait Hoang, who has worked with six Incubator companies, sees at Harker. “They haven’t experienced failure,” he said. But failure is something that they must embrace.”

“In failure, we find the right answers,” Acheatel said.

Penned on a writable wall in the Innovation Center: “Don’t worry about perfection, you’ll never find it.”

One Incubator group considered producing a reusable boba straw that could fit into a scrunchy, solving two problems –having a wider straw when presented with the tea-based drink, and having it handy at all times. Testing squashed that idea.

People had concerns with hygiene. “You could call it failure,” Acheatel said. “But it really just means there are certain key problems to resolve.”

Sriteja Kataru, a junior in Incubator 2, confronted failure when a health bar he developed received poor reviews for its flavor: “I would not eat this, ever!” and, “This does not taste good at all.”

Kataru’s work seemed wasted. What would he do now?

“I’m not super thick-skinned,” Kataru said. “That obviously takes a toll on me.”

Instead of ending the project, Kataru felt determined to “keep my head up.” He pivoted to nutritional vegan gummies for immunity and sleep, with low sugar and no artificial sweeteners, and that taste good.

The result was TEJA, Teenage Eating for Joyful Adulthood. Working with food scientists and through testing, Kataru got the product he wanted. Now, it’s all about manufacturing, marketing and distribution.

“I know I have a good product,” Kataru said. “I fully believe in the benefit and I truly believe these are the best-tasting gummies out there. I’m not afraid to spread the word.

“You have to believe in your product. Otherwise, what are you doing?”

For Shlurp, the idea for a healthier instant ramen began with a “speed dating” class activity, where students took their ideas to each other and groups naturally formed. Daswani is gluten-free, Jain vegan and Mitnick kosher. All three are athletes.

“We’re missing out on so many different foods, and one of those was instant ramen,” Daswani said. “We thought, how can we make a healthy instant ramen that covers all of our needs, and also maintains a great taste?”

During field trips to private equity companies, such as Pegasus Tech Ventures and Battery Ventures, students have the opportunity to pitch in a professional environment. It can be intimidating. At the Startup World Cup at Pegasus, the Shlurp trio found themselves among VCs and entrepreneurs from all over the world.

“Let’s go network,” Mitnick said.

“What do you mean?” Jain wondered. “We’re just going to walk up and talk to someone?”

“Yes!” Mitnick answered.

Though nervous, they chose to be bold.

“They’re shaking the hands, they’re sitting at the tables, they’re in the rooms,” Glass said. “They may come in shell-shocked, but the next time, they know, ‘I’ve been here before.’”

Ultimately, financial success may not matter most to these students. Maybe it’s the skills and knowledge that go with building a business, skills that will be invaluable.

“When we approach the real world,” Daswani said, “we can walk into it a little more fearless and a lot more confident.”

While savoring a cup of Shlurp, your new favorite instant ramen.

David Kiefer is a freelance writer and former journalist at the San Jose Mercury News.

While the JV and varsity boys tennis both enjoyed strong seasons, spring’s big story was Tanishk Konduri, grade 9, who in April won the first-ever West Bay Athletic League singles championship for Harker boys tennis. Over spring break, several Harker runners turned in personal best performances, including sophomore Brady Tse, who ran a personal record of 51.13 seconds to take first place in the 400-meter race at the Tiger Invitational in Southern California. At the Arcadia Invitational, senior runner Anjali Yella (who has committed to compete at Yale) took the school record in the 100-meter race, running 12.21 seconds to take first place. Meanwhile, several Harker swimmers made the cut for the Central Coast Section, including senior Ashley Hong, sophomore Wenjie Zou and senior Saahil Kajarekar. In May, as the athletic season neared its end, Harker seniors Varun Fuloria, Rachel Hernandez, Ashley Hong, Kyle Johnson, Lachlan Rossi, Ishani Sood, Jack Yang and Jonathan Zhang were recognized at a special signing ceremony, where each pledged to play their sport of choice at the university level. For more photos from the spring athletics season, see the Harker News gallery at https:// news.harker.org/gallery-spring-2024-athletics/

athletics

Photo by Kenneth Mithra

Photo by Jess Curtis

Photo by Kenneth Mithra

WORDS BY VIKKI BOWES-MOK

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JESS CURTIS AND HARKER ARCHIVES

WORDS BY VIKKI BOWES-MOK

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARISA SILVA AND HARKER ARCHIVES

Teamfirst

Harish Venkatesan ’06 knows how to build a winning team

Harish Venkatesan ’06 learned valuable lessons about teamwork, leadership and problem-solving when he played basketball at Harker.

“I remember Harish’s senior year and after the first game that season, he asked me to give a starting position to a talented freshman, even though it meant he would not start,” said Jeremiah Brewer, who was his varsity basketball coach. “Harish was very coachable, unselfish and a great student of the game.”

Basketball was a big part of his life in high school, and he still plays pickup games in New York, where he now lives with his wife and infant son.

Venkatesan landed in New York after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering. He always had an interest in technology startups and Penn seemed like the perfect place to blend tech and business. While there, he founded TickrTalk, a web application for sports fans to share and communicate with each other during games. This “Twitter for sports” app was incubated at Penn’s Weiss Tech House where Venkatesan connected with many budding entrepreneurs, including the founders of Venmo.

“You never know exactly where you are headed. It’s good to have a master plan,but it’s also OK to jump to the next lily pad, which could lead to new pathways and opportunities.”

– Harish Venkatesan ‘06

This connection led to a transformative internship at Venmo. His senior year at Penn, he evangelized the product on campus and was part of a team that built the now ubiquitous app (Venkatesan was Venmo user No. 3!).

“This experience definitely cemented my desire to become an entrepreneur,” Venkatesan recalled. “I got to watch the founders create, navigate and adapt – and it was inspiring!”

With a degree in hand, school loans to pay off and entrepreneurship in his heart, Venkatesan headed into the working world. While at a startup, he and a friend, Daniel Shapiro, decided to tinker with some ideas around digital design education. At the time, everyone was focused on learning to code, but they realized that design was just as important.

Venkatesan wanted to improve his own design, branding and creative skills, but when he couldn’t find any good online resources, he saw an opportunity and didn’t hesitate. The two friends created a simple website to gauge interest and when they got thousands of signups, they knew they were onto something.

“The importance of digital product design was very apparent to Harish and me when we were working on our first project together,” Shapiro said. “And when it became clear there wasn’t a great way to learn those skills online, the initial concept for Designlab was born.”

Designlab is now an industry leader in online design education that helps students learn UI/UX design skills through a rigorous mix of hands-on projects, community interaction and one-onone mentorship from top industry designers.

“I was just super excited to be back into a creative space; I felt energized again. I had a really great mentor that hyped me up but also allowed me to make mistakes,” said Designlab graduate Cage Castro. “There’s a lot of value in what Designlab directly offers, but it is so much greater than that. It gives you this opportunity to learn. I think it is an incredible thing that exists.”

Designlab exists because Venkatesan, Shapiro and their team continue to innovate and evolve. The lessons Venkatesan learned on the basketball court all those years ago – teamwork, leadership and problemsolving – are being put to use in building Designlab

“You never know exactly where you are headed,” said a contemplative Venkatesan. “It’s good to have a master plan, but it’s also OK to jump to the next lily pad, which could lead to new pathways and opportunities.”

Vikki Bowes-Mok is a freelance writer and editor.

WORDS BY ZACH JONES

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KAREN JIMENEZ AND PROVIDED BY FACULTY

Inaugural Day of Service celebrates the legacy of

Martin Luther King Jr.

“[The

Harker community] is ready to be involved, ready to learn, ready to serve others, ready to live out Harker’s mission and values.”

– Brian Davis, DEI director

n Jan. 15, as the country celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day, nearly 140 Harker students, parents and staff volunteered at several local organizations, recognizing the holiday’s designation as a Day of Service.

Volunteers bagged food for the Second Harvest Food Bank and Martha’s Kitchen, planted trees for Our City Forest, staged a cleanup operation at San Tomas Park, helped out at Live Oak Adult Day Services, wrote postcards for Meals on Wheels and created book trailers for the lower school’s Tournament of Books.

Brian Davis, Harker’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, has been a longtime participant of the Day of Service, and felt its goals aligned well with Harker’s. “I saw the direct link between our school’s mission and philosophy and the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. around serving others,” he said. “Also, in talking with colleagues and parents, many people were already doing service on this day before. My thought process was, what better way to do a day of service than to join hands with the full Harker community?”

Davis and a team of organizers planned activities that offered many different opportunities to serve, and after noticing that many service opportunities were only available to students of certain ages, added activities that were open to all ages. “We tried to be really inclusive in our process to be sure all kids could participate, but more importantly, families could participate as a whole,” Davis said.

Debra Cope, Harker’s primary division head, was among the staff helping create the Tournament of Books trailers and took pleasure in seeing the students engaged in creating materials for others. “It was wonderful to see the excitement these students had toward sharing their ideas and inspiring them to create book trailers for others to view,” she said. “I am a strong advocate of modeling behaviors or expectations and having a Day of Service, in my opinion, sent a strong message to our community that we value giving back.”

Students such as junior Fern Biswas found that the Day of Service presented many unique opportunities for students

to have an impact on many people’s lives. “The vast majority of community service I do is tutoring students without access to many educational resources, but planting trees fulfilled me in a very different way,” Biswas said. “The physical exertion that comes from planting trees engaged entirely different parts of my mind and body. I found it quite personally satisfying, as it felt like a meaningful hiatus from my day-to-day largely academic activities and instead a visceral moment to reflect.”

The act of planting trees, Biswas added, also symbolizes how serving others has benefits that those participating in service may never enjoy. “Many of these trees won’t absorb a significant amount of carbon for at least 100 years, and understanding that the visible positive results of my efforts will not manifest until I am gone helps me truly comprehend the value of community service.”

The Day of Service was part of a larger celebration of the legacy of King, which culminated on Jan. 19 with a Harker Speaker Series event featuring noted professor, preacher and author Michael Eric Dyson, Ph.D. Preceding Dyson’s appearance were a series of performers and speakers that included the grades 7-8 dance group Showstoppers as well as Biswas, who sang James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

“This is my third year of engaging in performing arts and second year of singing in a choir, but singing that night was by far my most fulfilling experience performing,” Biswas said. Also performing at the event was The Harker String Ensemble with its rendition of “Adoration” by Florence Price, the first Black woman to have composed for a major orchestra.

In his talk, Dyson addressed what he called “The United States of Amnesia” and took aim at political figures and pundits who distorted history in their messaging, such as former presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s claim that that the United States was never a racist country.

The omission of the United States’ racist history from public narrative, he said, is a “deliberate choice. It’s a deletion of history, and Martin Luther King Jr., as a symbol and a man, stands up against the horrid denial of history through which we are living.

“We have governors who are trying to get involved in determining what goes on in Black history,” he said, referencing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to curb the teaching of Black history in schools. “He doesn’t know about the torturous journey we made over the Atlantic. He doesn’t know about the hun-

“I am a strong advocate of modeling behaviors or expectations and having a Day of Service, in my opinion, sent a strong message to our community that we value giving back.”

– Debra Cope, primary division head

dred million lost. He doesn’t know about how they were stuffed in cabins.”

Biswas recalled that “Dr. Michael Eric Dyson articulated important ideas and social concerns that I felt absolutely needed to be addressed, and he did so in an incredibly engaging way. Despite occurring after a long day of school, there was not a single moment where I felt tired.”

Overall, Davis was pleased with the high level of participation and the enthusiasm for service demonstrated by the Harker community during the week. “What I’ve learned about the Harker community in my few years here is that the community is ready to be involved, ready to learn, ready to serve others, ready to live out Harker’s mission and values,” he said.

Theresa “Smitty” Smith loves sports. That should come as no surprise, given she is the grade 4-8 athletic director and leader of the upper school volleyball program, as well as coach of the Varsity A middle school team. She also volunteers as a league representative for volleyball for the Central Coast Section WBAL, and as the California Interscholastic Federation rep for Central Coast Section volleyball.

She and her partner of 29 years share two “amazing” children and a cat named Bubba, and Smith feels grateful for her loving family, her health and her job.

What is the one thing in the world that you would fix if you could wave a magic wand?

Human and animal abuse/suffering.

Why do you do what you do?

I love sports, I really like kids and I wanted a job where I didn’t have to dress up every day!

If you had $100 million in the bank, what would your day look like?

I would work out all day, take care of my family financially and start an animal sanctuary.

What are two things you like to do when you finally have a block of free time? Garden and take vacations to tropical places.

What is the biggest risk you have ever taken in your life?

Walking away from a full-ride scholarship at an NAIA school to walk on at a Division 1 program.

Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest and why?

Michelle Obama, because she seems like an amazing, fun, intelligent, compassionate person.

Classroom In the

Every season we mix up the varsity and JV players on four-person teams for a tournament that runs two days during our bye week. This year’s theme was Taylor Swift’s Eras, so each team dressed up accordingly.

visual arts

This year’s AP Studio Art Exhibition showcased the work of seniors Zachary Blue, Emily McCartney and Maggie Yan; juniors Keren Eisenberg, Mirabelle Feng, Eva Li and Sophia Liu; and sophomore Celina Li. Honors Directed Portfolio students also were highlighted at a series of receptions, which included pieces by seniors Sania Gupta, Ruby Johnson, Angelina Hu, Kate Russell, Julie Shi, Claire Su, Brittany Tsui and Maryam Zehra. Middle and lower school artists produced a variety of exceptional work as well.

Valentina Mottl grade 6

“Shoe Sculpture”

Lauren Ma grade 2 “Sculpture”

Nathan Chi grade 5

“Winter Skyline”

Pranav Sista grade 3

“Value Winter Trees”

Vivian Zhang grade 8 “Vase”

Nicolas Bastos, Augusta Chen, Brianna Gassmann, Abby Heinlein, Adrian Jia, Anya Lu, Isabella Pop, Ricardo Sanchez, Vidwat Shekar, Rishi Veeravalli, Ashley Zhou, grade 8; Sarafina Fung, Kaelyn Tu, Ziyang Wang, grade 7

“Lost and Found Mural”

Sophia Liu grade 11 “We Draw Their Peaces”

Ruby Johnson grade 12 “Fish”

Julie Shi grade 12 “Untitled”

at its finest

Dav Yendler ’03 draws, creates and performs his way through life

Dav Yendler ’03 was a liberal arts kid through and through. From performing on stage and hosting Coffee House open mic nights to decorating Harker’s halls with huge drawings and collaborating on entire productions for his class to win school rallies, Yendler is nearly impossible to define.

This makes him the perfect Life in the Arts awardee this year. This prestigious honor is for alums who have the character, talent, drive and determination to pursue their passion as their livelihood. Inductees come from the stage, screen, classroom, backstage and rehearsal halls. They are passionate about their art and create at the

“Dav was a theater kid and oozed creativity. He just couldn’t help it,” said Laura DeKraker Lang-Ree, director of performing arts for K-12. “Anything unique magic that elevated whatever

This trail of vibrant creativity was ignited when he was young and spent hours coloring and drawing, thanks to his mom, who was a master at craft time. Switching schools every year as he moved between divorced parents

Photo by Nicole Caldwell

WORDS BY VIKKI BOWES-MOK PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY DAV YENDLER ‘03 AND HARKER ARCHIVES UNLESS NOTED

was hard, but he always found solace through art. Yendler believes that creativity is humanity’s superpower and has lived his life performing, creating and finding meaning through his artistic endeavors.

After Harker, Yendler attended the University of California, San Diego, to study theater. He immersed himself in the global scene, including living in the international dorms his sophomore year and attending the Queen Mary School of London his junior year. He got very interested in directing while in London, which led him to a directing internship at the Actors Theater of Louisville, Kentucky, after graduating from UCSD.

“ATL was really important for my growth, in so many ways,” remembered Yendler, who was jolted into reality when the orientation included how to apply for food stamps.

This was a reminder of the state of the arts in this country and taught him three important lessons:

1. Be good at the rest of your life; in other words, learn how to manage your life because you are a person first and then an artist.

2. Get used to being on the bottom, which is a very powerful place to be. But also remember that artists come from every socioeconomic class in this country.

3. The rest of your life will inform your artistry so be sure to develop who you are and how you walk through life.

After completing the ATL internship, Yendler headed to Chicago. He worked in different theaters, was a humor illustrator at Groupon and a contractor at Cards Against Humanity. But the most transformative experience in the Windy City was Salonathon, a weekly variety night at a local bar.

“Salonathon ran weekly for six years and was the fabric of my social and artistic life in Chicago,” said Yendler. “I developed my own artistic voice at Salonathon and learned how to synthesize my visual arts and performance sides.”

“Dav oozed creativity; he just couldn’t help it.”

– Laura DeKraker Lang-Ree, director of performing arts K-12

After nearly eight years in Chicago, Yendler was ready for a change, so in 2016, he pursued freelance illustration full-time and moved to Los Angeles.

This was a big reset for him as he was literally starting from scratch. He cobbled together work, from freelance illustration and graphic design to driving for Lyft but always made time for his creative pursuits. In 2017, he published “MY BOD,” a visual essay on his struggles with dysmorphia/body image. BuzzFeed picked up the story and adapted it to an animated short.

Yendler has always craved community so, inspired by Salonathon, he created his own variety night. “Show & Tell” started with friends in a big house in Echo Park and included everyone from poets, musicians and filmmakers to storytellers, magicians and dancers. It created a community in LA, especially as a bunch of old Salonathon-ites from Chicago began moving west.

“It’s a real joy to host a variety of artists and bring people together,” said Yendler. “I was able to introduce these two communities to one another and they’ve wholly congealed. As a child of some insane divorces, you can imagine that’s pretty satisfying!”

When COVID hit, Show & Tell went dormant and gave Yendler time to work on a graphic novel about “my Soviet mathematician sniper bubbe.” He has since signed with Abrams Comics Arts to bring this project to life.

So while he continues to draw, write and create, Show & Tell came roaring back to life and has five shows booked for 2024 at Scribble, a new venue in LA. From his early days hosting Coffee House open mics at Harker to today, Yendler continues to put his creative superpowers to use.

“Dav was someone who always brought people together, inside and outside of the arts, to make creative magic,” said LangRee. “Even from a young age, he was a born leader – creative, bold and always saw the big picture.”

Vikki Bowes-Mok is a freelance writer and editor.

finds new experiences in Peru and Greece

WORDS BY ZACH JONES PHOTOGRAPHS

T“I think the world opened for the vast majority of those kids.”

– Mark Janda, upper school history teacher

he visit to Machu Picchu was amazing, but it was far from the highlight. For the 21 Harker middle school students who spent several days in the Peruvian mountain village of Ollantaytambo, saying goodbye to the families who welcomed them into their homes was far more difficult than they expected.

“One of the boys said to me, if we had gone to Machu Picchu first, he would have instantly said to me, ‘This is the highlight,’” said Jennifer Walrod, Harker’s global education director. After their time in Ollantaytambo, immersing themselves in the local culture and getting to know its people, the students realized there is much more to Peru than the famous mountaintop citadel.

Harker continues to expand its global education offerings, with deeply impactful trips to Peru and Greece supplying the most recent experiences.

Photo by Randall Bermudez

Peru: Learning about local impact in Ollantaytambo

Walrod had spent years searching for an international education program for middle schoolers “that really helps students delve into who they are as people,” she said. She learned about a program in Peru organized by the World Leadership School and traveled to the country in 2020 to investigate, just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the world reopened, the program restarted.

The Peru program provides more than just an up-close look at a far-flung culture. According to Walrod, its main purpose is to help students discover their place in the world and how they can use their unique talents and abilities to have an impact. Participating students attended a special “purpose summit” two weeks before departing. The all-day summit comprised a series of activities, after which the students were tasked with writing down a “spark statement,” a single sentence describing their purpose or specialty.

“Their spark statement might have been, ‘I use my creativity to solve problems,’ or, ‘I use my communication skills to build relationships,’” Walrod recalled. These statements would then help guide students through social situations after arriving in Ollantaytambo. In one instance a student, whose spark statement emphasized her communication skills, had trouble communicating with her homestay family. “And so we talked about our non-verbal communication and also brainstormed ways that she could communicate without any language,” Walrod said. The student later bonded

with the family over some games she had brought as a gift.

Other students, such as eighth grader Teresa Song, had no idea what to expect in Peru. “This was the first time I went on a trip practically blindfolded,” said Song. “I didn’t even know where Peru was geographically until we were emailed our flight information.”

Service was another major component of the trip.

Working with an organization called Sacred Valley Health, students ventured into the remote areas around Ollantaytambo, where indigenous people do not have immediate access to health care. There they learned how to provide basic care to injured people in the event that they have to wait for help to arrive from a hospital, which could be as far as 40 miles away. Students also visited Awamaki, a local cooperative that helps indigenous women sell textile goods they’ve made at a reasonable price point, undercutting the practice of foreign tourists purchasing the goods at very low prices then selling them for more. To help demonstrate the importance of such local efforts, students hiked into the mountains to see the painstaking, generations-old process of creating the textiles that are used to create the goods sold by Awamaki.

Through these activities, students learned the importance of understanding communities’ needs and finding ways to use their unique skills and talents to provide assistance at the local level. “One of the hardest things for more privileged people to understand is that it’s not your job to come in and fix it,” said middle school English teacher Rebecca Williams, a chaperone on the trip. “No one wants to be saved, but … what does this community want? What is it that they need?”

Workers in these organizations also served as examples to students of people who were finding ways to apply the skills they learned

in school and at university to benefit others. One of them, Williams recalled, had a successful career before finding herself out of work, and began using her skills to help indigenous people around Ollantaytambo. “So having the kids see people doing that and understanding that there are multiple paths … I think it all [helps] them understand that there are many ways to live,” she said. “I think especially here at Silicon Valley, where [most people] define success pretty similarly, to be able to see somebody who perhaps went to an Ivy League who is now working at an NGO in Peru … opened their eyes to what they could do.”

The chaperones were stunned at the level of growth displayed by the students in new and highly unfamiliar situations. “We had kids who I truly think were transformed by this,” said upper school history teacher Mark Janda, who chaperoned the trip. “Because they saw that they had an ability to bring people together and have fun with them or they realized that learning another language isn’t so hard and there’s a lot of ways to communicate other than with words. I think the world opened for the vast majority of those kids.”

Reflecting on her experience, Song said the trip “taught me to trust the process and know that the global education staff and my teachers have everything arranged. It also opened my eyes to a vastly different lifestyle and gave me lifelong memories.”

Photo by Randall Bermudez

Greece: Experiencing history and its process

In 2023, Harker’s Greece program restarted after the COVID-19 pandemic put international travel on hold. The program uses the country’s many historical sites as a launchpad to discuss the various ways to investigate history through archaeology. “When you get to a site as an archaeologist, the decision made is to preserve it or to restore it,” said middle school history teacher Keith Hirota, who has accompanied students on the trip since it was established in 2018. “How do the archaeologists want the public to see this site? What do they want to get out of it?”

The most recent expedition to Greece comprised upper school students who were unable to go previously due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions. Students were guided through

various sites with various levels of access; visitors are not allowed to set foot inside some sites, while they are invited to walk through and enjoy hands-on experiences at others. One such visit was to the Temple of Zeus at Nemea, managed by the University of California, Berkeley, where students were allowed to walk through the ruins of the temple and lay their hands on its many features, including its famous columns. It is the only temple in the area that allows visitors such access. “All the other temple sites are roped off,” Hirota said.

While examining the sites, students learn about the ethical implications of restoring archaeological sites as well as the many aspects involved in archaeological excavation and are encouraged to consider how they would handle these same situations. They also participate in an archaeological exercise in which they excavate a mock excavation site. “It’s not just archaeologists,” Hirota said. “You deal with geography, geologists, photographers. You have people who map out the area. Environmentalists are involved.”

Topics such as these also provide a useful lead-in to

discussions about present-day Greece. “I expected to learn a lot about history and, of course we did, and it was very fun,” said Megha Unny, grade 9, who participated in the program last year. “But our guides also told us a lot about modern Greek life and small little things that only a native would know. For example, they told us little stories about some of the murals that we saw. They also exposed us to small aspects of Greek life, like family-owned restaurants and public transportation.”

Students also learn about contemporary issues in Greek society and how they can be compared to issues they are familiar with at home. “We learned about [Greece’s] rich cultural background,” said junior Anika Pallapothu, “but we also understood the everyday police brutality that Greek citizens endure.”

During visits to places such as Shedia House in Athens, students also learn how Greek citizens deal with poverty in their communities. A local restaurant and upcycling operation, Shedia House hires unhoused people and, with the help of a Michelin-rated chef, teaches them how to prepare food. They also publish a monthly magazine and create souvenirs with the materials leftover from unsold magazines.

Photos by Jane Snyder

These examples are both inspiring and instructive to students eager to find ways to help their local communities, Hirota said. “The kids hear the story about how they’re helping their community in Athens, and so our guides ask our students, ‘What are you doing back home?’”

At another restaurant, the students were greeted by the owner, a Syrian former refugee who built his establishment into one of the top restaurants in Athens, and now helps other refugees with their immigration status. Through these unique experiences, students are encouraged to think of ways they can help people in dire circumstances.

Cultural education also is found in unplanned experiences. “I expected that, since we were foreigners in the country,

Photo by Jane Snyder

that we would be snubbed upon or be viewed as a bother, but from the people I have talked to and merely observed, citizens had a kind and understanding disposition,” said Emma Zhou, an eighth grader who went to Greece last year. “Unfortunately, at two different restaurants, I broke a glass; however, during both instances, our hosts simply

Tamagawa 30th Anniversary

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Harker’s relationship with Tamagawa Academy in Tokyo, which has become a cornerstone of Harker’s global education program since it was established in 1994.

At the time, Tamagawa had been seeking international schools to collaborate with, and Harker was at the top of its list. “At the time, they had the vision to reach out to schools around the world and we were one of the very first schools they contacted,” said Joe Rosenthal, Harker’s executive director of strategic initiatives. “Silicon Valley was a big draw and the work that Diana [Nichols, former head of school] was doing with environmental causes was an attraction to them.”

Tamagawa faculty and administrators first visited Harker during the 1992 Computer Using Educators Conference. Keiichi Watase, Tamagawa’s dean of students, recalled hearing about Harker as a school “known for its advanced computer usage,” in particular a special curriculum called Our Trees, which used the internet to research environmental issues. After a workshop on Our Trees was held in the summer of 1994 that included Harker, Tamagawa and other schools, the first video conference between Tamagawa and Harker was held in September 1994. “This interaction sparked immediate interest among students

laughed, said, ‘It’s OK, it’s OK! No worries,’ and went to clean up the mess.”

For Hirota, one of the main highlights is seeing how inquisitive and engaged the students become, and how the guides respond. The archeologists and other guides were astonished to learn the students are only in seventh and eighth grade, he said.

“People think we go sightseeing, and these are not sightseeing trips,” Walrod said, noting what she had heard from parents whose children had returned from Greece and Peru. “For Greece, I get a lot of feedback from parents about just how excited their kids are about history. After Peru … they were really impressed with how much it got their children thinking about who they are.”

from both schools, with many expressing a desire to visit each other’s campuses,” Watase recalled.

The schools’ subsequent yearly visits have become important parts of each school’s respective international programs, and have been mutually beneficial. “The educational philosophy of Tamagawa is centered around holistic education, aiming to nurture well-rounded individuals,” Watase said. “Similarly, Harker’s educational philosophy … emphasizes that its students embark on a well-rounded educational journey that meets their individual needs as they discover their unique talents through exposure to wide-ranging opportunities in and out of the classroom. With both Tamagawa and Harker sharing similar goals, we can learn from each other and inspire one another, ultimately striving toward providing better education through mutual learning and stimulation.”

Reflecting on the three-decade-long relationship, Rosenthal said the devotion of each school’s teachers is indicative of how it has impacted both schools. “I think the way we have been influenced from Tamagawa was seeing how dedicated they are, especially with respect to the amount of time the teachers put in preparing for their classes and how dedicated their teachers are,” he said. “[It was] very inspiring to all of our teachers who visited.”

Talk to upper school science chair Anita Chetty and you’ll quickly learn that she is passionate about nature. She also loves gourmet cooking, volunteering at a food bank, dark chocolate and escaping to her happy place: the forest. Born in Fiji and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Chetty teaches Human Anatomy and Physiology, and AP Biology, and advises WiSTEM. She is the mother to two Harker grads and lives in Willow Glen with her husband – whom she married after knowing him for three days! “It’s the most impulsive thing I have done; he’s my best friend.” More impulses and opinions below!

Why do you do what you do?

It brings me immense joy. I love to share with students about the miracle and beauty of living things. There is nothing more joyful to me than watching their eyes light up when they learn something they did not know.

What is the one thing in the world you would fix if you could wave a magic wand?

The selfishness of humanity. I wish people could look beyond their own wants and consider how fulfilling their wants takes away from the needs of other inhabitants of the planet.

What are you obsessed with?

Nature photography. One time I had two tsetse flies biting my hand and I had no idea. I was too busy photographing the cheetah.

In what way are you above average?

I know what I can do. I also know what I cannot do. And I know other people who can do what I cannot.

What is the biggest risk you have ever taken in your life?

I stood on a narrow ledge on the Continental Divide with a gusty wind blowing just to photograph an orchid.

What do you love that everyone else dislikes?

Waking up at 5 a.m.

Classroom In the H uman a natomy and P Hysiology

The students learned 65 anatomical terms that they had to identify on the anatomy table. It was a timed quiz. They worked in teams and had spent many days working together to prepare.

Anita Chetty

Photo by Deborah Lord

performing arts

The upper school Conservatory started 2024 off with a series of one-act plays produced, directed and starring Harker students at Student Directed Showcase. That same month, upper school dancers explored the contrasts between “Night and Day” at their annual dance production. In the instrumental music program, middle and upper school performers were featured at the Evening of Jazz and spring orchestra concerts, and lower school students performed at their Spring Music Concert. In late March, the upper school musical took audiences back to the 1980s in “The Wedding Singer,” which was nominated for Best Show at the Rita Moreno Awards, while the middle school Conservatory presented “Mathilda Jr.” Upper school Conservatory graduates were honored at Senior Showcase in May, at which Dav Yendler ’03 was inducted as the 2024 Life in the Arts awardee. Meanwhile, Harker vocalists performed at the upper school’s In Concert and the middle school’s There Will Be Singing concert. For more performing arts highlights, head to our spring 2024 performing arts gallery at https://news.harker. org/gallery-spring-2024-performing-arts/.

Photo by Kenneth Mithra

Photo by Susan Harding

Photo by Karen Jimenez

Photo by Deborah Lord

Lower, middle and upper school students all made important transitions during annual end-of-year events. Just before their senior trip to Laguna Beach, the Class of 2024 bid farewell to Harker and welcomed the juniors into the role of student leaders at the baccalaureate celebration. At the Senior Brick Ceremony, 115 graduates-to-be had bricks bearing their names placed in Graduates’ Grove. Seniors who joined Harker as kindergartners celebrated at the annual Lifer Dinner, held at the lower school later that evening. The following week, the seniors took their final steps as Harker students at the 2024 graduation ceremony, held at the Mountain Winery. Fifth and eighth graders were recognized for moving on to the middle and upper schools, respectively, at each class’ promotion ceremony. For more highlights, head to our gallery at https://news. harker.org/gallery-2024-end-of-year-celebrations/.

end of year

Photo by Karen Jimenez

The members of the Class of 2024 made their final walk as Harker students in front of their families, friends and faculty at the graduation ceremony, held at the Mountain Winery. Om Tandon ’24 addressed his fellow graduates in a memorable speech about “the blessing of disappointment.” Also speaking was Veronica Pugin ’08, who shared her insights on the future based on her experiences in business and government. In his farewell speech, Head of School Brian Yager advised the graduates to use their time and energy wisely while seeking “challenges worth recovering from.” The 2024 Graduation Chorus and Harker Chamber Orchestra provided music during the day. As was tradition, the ceremony concluded with a celebratory cap toss and a symbolic releasing of doves. For more photos, head to our gallery at https://news. harker.org/gallery-2024-graduation-exercises/.

graduation

A humanitarian at

Harker nurtured Nina Sachdev’s desire to make a difference

WORDS BY VIKKI BOWES-MOK

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JESS CURTIS AND PROVIDED BY NINA SACHDEV MS ‘95

When Nina Sachdev MS ’95 was 7 years old, she arrived at Harker ready for second grade. The coming years would be transformative, especially as she experienced Harker’s commitment to a cause each year. During her eighth grade year, the focus was on the environment and the school partnered with Our City Forest.

“Harker made it fun and exciting to rally around a cause,” remembered Sachdev, who later volunteered with Our City Forest and wrote her high school papers on environmentally friendly tree-free paper. “Mr. Nichols and the Our City Forest leader promised to jump in the pool if we raised enough money, which, of course we did, and they kept their promise!”

Her passion for social justice and human rights was further stoked by her family’s personal experience. Her paternal grandparents fought for India’s freedom from British colonization. The ensuing partition of Punjab while the British were leaving then forced her maternal grandmother and family to leave Pakistan. Her desire to understand her family members’ journey to the United States later influenced her career.

“Nina is truly amazing. She has the ability to connect with people from any walk of life,” said Navreet Raju Kamdar MS ’96, a lifelong friend who remembers playing in a sandbox with Sachdev in preschool. “She inspires us to make a difference and is committed to making the world a better place for our children to grow up in.”

Sachdev took this passion to the University of California, Berkeley. While she was there studying business with a minor in Spanish, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks occurred and everything changed.

“9/11 created the social movement of our time and it became clear that I needed to stand up for the rights of people,” said a passionate Sachdev, who was part of the Sikh Student Association. “I’d always been interested in immigration, but 9/11 was a turning point, a true call to action.”

After the attacks, the news ignorantly showed images of Sikh men who had nothing to do with the attacks, so the Sikh Student Association worked in solidarity with the

“Nina has the ability to connect with people from any walk of life. She is committed to making the world a better place for our children to grow up in.”

– Navreet Raju Kamdar MS ’96

Muslim Student Association to help educate people.

“Our goal was to prevent hate crimes against Sikhs brothers and Muslim hijab-wearing sisters,” said Sachdev, noting that this experience confirmed her desire to defend the rights of marginalized people, which led her to University of California, Davis, to study law.

While at Davis, she got involved with the school’s worldrenowned Immigration Law Clinic and worked on an asylum case for a family from Honduras.

“When I worked on the asylum case, I realized I wanted to help people fleeing their countries because of persecution,” said Sachdev, remembering her family’s own immigration story. “My immigration clinic professor suggested I work as an asylum officer with the U.S. government, so I could be part of the decision-making process. I had plans to work with nonprofits, but I thought I would give this a try.”

Before graduating, she secured a job as an asylum officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. In this role, she heard people’s reasons for fleeing their country and analyzed whether they met the requirements for asylum status in the United States. The work was challenging, meaningful and a perfect fit for Sachdev. She also had the opportunity to join USCIS refugee missions in Jordan, Nepal and Turkey.

In Damak, Nepal, there was a large refugee camp of ethnic Nepalis who fled Bhutan because of “ethnic cleansing,” a campaign to force a population from a region by means of violence. The families she interviewed were warm and kind but had experienced horrendous situations in Bhutan.

“Our protocol was to meet with the entire family and then speak separately to the main applicant,” remembered Sachdev with a heavy heart.

“I realized how important that was when one mother told me she had not told her children, who were born in the refugee camp, what happened in Bhutan and wanted to make sure I wouldn’t tell them either.”

Sachdev was sometimes the first person people shared their experiences with out loud, and she had to learn how to handle this in a culturally sensitive way.

“It’s heart-wrenching, critical work,” said Sachdev, who taught yoga and meditation, and spent time in nature to stay balanced. “Secondary trauma was not openly talked about at the time, but we all felt it. I’m so glad to see it openly discussed and worked on now for refugee and asylum officers.”

Sachdev held many positions within USCIS and today manages a community relations team. She sees the role as an avenue to share the knowledge she has gained and help address concerns in the community. She still finds comfort among the trees.

“My husband and I both love to hike and be outside,” said Sachdev. “I’m so grateful to Harker for teaching me the importance of taking care of our environment and making a difference – two lessons that I hope to share with our son.”

Vikki Bowes-Mok is a freelance writer and editor.

Middle school Latin teacher Lisa Masoni has been at Harker since 2001. (Trivia question: What did she teach her first year here? Answer: Algebra!) A Connecticut native, Masoni spent kindergarten in England and fourth grade in Honolulu, but now calls San Jose home with her husband, Mark, a middle school art teacher in Newark, Harker sophomore Ollie, and two cats named Leonardo da Vinci and Artemisia Gentileschi. An enthusiast of many different hobbies, including geocaching and playing handbells, Masoni also bakes for Cake4Kids, which provides birthday cakes to children in foster care and shelters.

What is the one thing in the world you would fix if you could wave a magic wand?

I would like to spread empathy. If more of us could remember to look for the humanity in others and try to walk in their shoes for a while, I think we could make progress on a lot of issues.

When did you first really feel like an adult?

When I was a high school senior, my piano teacher invited me to join her nascent handbell choir. It was all adults except me, and my stand partner couldn’t read music at all, so I had a mentoring role. It was my first experience of being treated as an adult.

Why do you do what you do?

Teaching brings me joy. It’s not only that I’m fascinated by the Latin language, mythology, history, etc., but my students also have something new to teach me. Their energy keeps me young.

What is something you would love to do so much that you would be OK with failing at it?

I was an ice skater through high school and college. I was not very good at it and worked for years without ever landing my axel. But I enjoyed it, nevertheless.

Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest and why?

There are several women who wrote in Latin about whom little is known. I’d love a chance to learn more about Sappho, Sulpicia, Egeria, etc.

What is your most treasured memory?

A friend and I once watched an eclipse while floating on our backs in a lake. It was magical.

The students make their own Roman mosaics using different colored beans as the tesserae. “They’re creative and beautiful.” Classroom In the l atin 1 b

Lisa Masoni

staff kudos

Professional accomplishments of our faculty and staff.

Upper school math teachers Anthony Silk and Walter Han were recognized on the local high school sports show 49ers Cal-Hi Sports as winners of the Meriwest Credit Union Merit Award, which honors Bay Area teachers. In their respective segments, senior Claire Miao mentioned Silk as her favorite teacher, saying, “He brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the classroom,” and senior Zachary Blue said of Han, “I really like how he teaches and how he involves the whole class.”

A piece composed by upper school instrumental music teacher Jaco Wong was performed in late March by the New World Symphony in Miami. The composition, called “Inkling,” was part of a collaboration with artist Evan Tedlock and Enrique Vargas, a neuroscientist at UCSF’s Sound and Music Perception Lab, where Wong composed the piece while his brainwaves were recorded. Tedlock turned the resulting information into an animated short film that accompanied the performance of the piece, which took place as part of “By Ear: A Journey Into Musical Perception,” a special event about the intersection of music and neuroscience.

In January, upper school math teacher Anu Aiyer was named a recipient of the 2023-24 Edyth May Sliffe Award, given by the Mathematical Association of America to middle and high school teachers who motivate students in mathematics by encouraging outstanding participation in the MAA’s American Mathematics Competitions. Aiyer expressed her gratitude in a statement to MAA, saying, “Teaching can inspire the next generation like no other profession. Winning this award is a huge honor for me, recognizing the impactful journey [of the ‘real world’] from Silicon Valley to the classroom.”

Upper school speech and debate teacher Greg Achten earned his third diamond from the National Speech and Debate Association. Each diamond represents five years of excellence leading a large and successful high school team, and is calculated based on points the students earn. There are only a handful of third diamonds given out in any given year.

class notes

Keep up to date on the lives of your classmates.

Alumni from all classes through 1997 are listed under the years they would have completed grade 8 at The Harker School, Harker Academy, Harker Day School or Palo Alto Military Academy (PAMA). For all classes after the Class of 1997, alumni are listed under the class years they would have graduated from high school, regardless of whether they completed high school studies at Harker. All photos submitted by the subject unless noted.

If you’re interested in submitting a class note or getting in touch with your class representative, please email alumni@harker.org.

1966

Mia Mora started a virtual climatefocused community, the Do More Group, on Facebook. Each month features a different topic, such as nature-based solutions and sustainable clothing, with information sharing and action items. Mia remembers her grade school days at the old Palo Alto campus, which has since been replaced by housing, “Arriving each day down the long palm-lined driveway to the massive white Victorian mansion was a real-life children’s fantasy school.”

1995

Jessica (Gaffney) Clark and her husband moved back to California after many years out of state. They have two children, Charlotte and Jonathan. Jessica shares, “We are currently in South Lake Tahoe and loving how gorgeous it is.”

2002

Tiffany Duong continues to volunteer with coral restoration but has moved on to science communication and ocean storytelling, writing and creating educational and engaging content around scuba diving, ocean health, climate change and sustainability. Tiffany worked with an all-women team to create an award-winning VR game called Found in the Fjords, and in February, the team went to Antarctica to do field science and start working on a second game based on their expedition.

Stephanie Tsao designed a dragon statue titled “Heavenly Jade” as part of San Francisco’s Lunar New Year celebration. The statue was displayed in Thrive City outside the Chase Center. Stephanie also previously designed the 2022 “Prosperity Rabbit” installed in front of the Asian Art Museum, the 2021 “Wealth and Health Tiger” displayed in Portsmouth Square, and the 2020 “Happy Year” ox statue featured at San Francisco International Airport.

2004

After serving in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epidemic Intelligence Service from 2016 to 2018, Vivian Leung led the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance

Program. She notes that serving as a clinician and a public health official during the COVID-19 pandemic was both rewarding and exhausting. In 2022, Vivian’s family had the opportunity to move to Stockholm, Sweden, for her current job at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Vivian shares, “We now enjoy ice skating during the long winters, followed by a short period of long summer days.”

Surbhi Mahendru returned to the Bay Area in 2022 after 14 years elsewhere, and has been living and working in Marin County. She is a health and fitness coach, providing one-on-one services and wellness consulting, while her husband, Dan, is building a startup aimed at helping

leaders grow their communities. Surbhi and Dan adopted a puppy, Nala, last summer, who they enjoy taking for hikes and trips to the beach.

Anita (Gupta) Modi lives in San Francisco with her husband, Kunal, and their three daughters: Anya 1, Karina 4, and Mila 5.5. Anita and Kunal met in grad school in Massachusetts and are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year! Kunal is a management consultant and Anita recently started a company, Peer AI, applying GenAI in drug development clinical trials. Anita is so glad to still see many Harker folks regularly and is looking forward to her 20-year reunion this year!

After experiencing New York City, Chicago and Nashville for a decade, Sheena Vaswani moved back to California in 2018 and has been practicing dentistry at Los Altos Family Smiles in her hometown. Sheena and her husband, Sagar, recently welcomed their daughter, Nilani, into the family through adoption from India. Sheena shares, “Nilani has grown to be a sassy but social toddler, and it has been such a delight to revisit childhood through her eyes.”

2005

Kathy Peng has two children: Alexandra, who turned 5 in February, and Kaden, who is almost 2 years old. Alexandra loves all things “Frozen,” and Kaden likes to copy his sister. Kathy and husband Bryan are still figuring out the art of parenting two kids and very grateful for the support of their family and friends.

Nico Rattazzi and Amy (Kyi) Rattazzi welcomed their first daughter, Gemma Joy Rattazzi, on Jan. 8. Gemma joins the company of their Shiba puppy, Luna. Amy and Nico have been living in San Francisco for the past three years and enjoying spending time with classmates Alexi Ladonnikov, Peter Obara, Alex Hsu and Anshu Das

2006

Carissa Chu is now an assistant professor in the urology department at the University of California, San Francisco, after completing a fellowship in urologic oncol-

ogy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In addition to seeing patients in the Mission Bay and Burlingame clinics, Carissa is running a lab focused on bladder and prostate cancer research. She and her husband, David Chen ’05, and their 2-year-old son are happy to be back in the Bay Area with their extended family.

After a long stint in San Francisco, Amit Mukherjee moved to New York during the pandemic. Amit’s wife, Emily, gave birth to their daughter, Jordan, 19 months ago, and they moved from Manhattan to the suburbs. Amit notes, “Suburban life has treated us well!” Professionally, Amit joined the venture capital firm Village Global after pursuing some entrepreneurial endeavors for the couple years prior.

Casey Near recently started a new job as scholarship director at The Mitchell Institute in Portland, Maine, where she’ll be helping to award scholarships to low-income, college-bound young Mainers. Casey lives there with her spouse, Grant, and son, Forrest, and is perpetually trying to convince other Harker folks to move to Maine (thus far with minimal success).

Irine (Tyutereva) Stankovic married Alex Stankovic on June 24, 2022, in Carmel Valley. Classmate Caroline Bitter was Irine’s matron of honor. Alex and Irine live in Redwood City with their dog, Clark.

2007

Lucille Hu married Jonathan Sebastian Schell in a family ceremony in Bolinas in March 2023, with Lucille’s brother,

Alex Hu ’09 , also in attendance. Sebastian and Lucille, both Bay Area natives, met in Shanghai and now live in San Francisco. 2009

2009

After finishing medical school at Brown University, Ananya Anand moved back to the Bay Area to start her general surgery residency at Stanford. She married her husband, Kyle, in July 2022. Ananya shares, “It is wonderful to be back home again!”

Paul Paik moved back to Los Angeles from New York City to finish his medical training. He adds that he is “loving it so far!”

On Halloween last year, Lexi Ross’ daughter, Sadie Passwater-Ross, was born. Lexi is part of a three-parent family, so she is raising Sadie along with her partners Peter and Andrea. The four of them live together in Oakland (along with their two cats). Lexi reports that “being a mom has been a wonderful experience so far!”

2011

Pierre Gerard works for the city of Oakland’s DOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Program as a transportation planner, focusing on education, parking, signage, counting, contracting, race and equity analysis, and data management.

Please send your updates to your class representative or email them to alumni@harker.org.

Michelle Holt and her husband, classmate Jacob Chappell, welcomed their son, Howard Fraser Chappell, on Aug. 22. Michelle says, “He is the absolute sweetest, and we are loving parenthood so far!”

2012

Sonya Chalaka currently works as a health care attorney with the California Department of Managed Health Care and just completed her second semester as an adjunct law professor at Santa Clara University School of Law. In November 2023, Sonya competed on “Wheel of Fortune,” a game show she grew up watching with her grandparents. To honor them, Sonya submitted an audition video just seven months prior, hopeful, though never expecting a call back. However, while traveling abroad, she received a surprise invitation to interview with the casting team. Amid Zoom glitches, limited service, and a nine-hour time difference, Sonya earned a spot on the show’s coveted Thanksgiving week airing. She traveled to Sony Pictures Studios, in Culver City, dedicating her game to her grandfather, and competed during host Pat Sajak’s final season. Sonya briefly held the million-dollar wedge in her hands but

This past February, Adi Parige premiered his mid-length feature, “The Lascar,” at the Alameda International Film Festival, where it received the Jury Award for Short Film. The film had two packed screenings and was met with an enthusiastic response. Harker family in attendance included upper school performing arts teacher Brian Larsen, Sean Martin ’11, Tariq Jahshan ’12, Bharat Reddy ’05, Alex Underwood ’08, Scott Underwood ’10, Emma Blickenstaff ’09, Apurva Gorti ’14 and Ajit Punj ’11.

ended up winning $5,000. Sonya says this was a dream come true for her and her family, and it was an extraordinary experience to be a part of a show that has meant so much to her.

On June 18, Jessica Lin – under her pen name Rosalie M. Lin – will release her debut novel “Daughter of Calamity,” a historical fantasy set in 1930s Shanghai. The book is being published by St. Martin’s Press in the United States and Tor in the United Kingdom as part of a multi-book

Please send your updates to your class representative or email them to alumni@harker.org.

deal. Jessica will be visiting San Francisco, New York City and San Diego for her book tour this summer and hopes to catch up with fellow Harker alumni while there.

Ashima (Agrawal) Manuel and her husband, Joe, welcomed their first child, Archer William Manuel, on Sept. 30, 2023. “Archer is such a happy boy who loves to pet his ‘big sister’ Winnie (a yorkie) and laugh at himself in the mirror”, she says. Ashima moved from San Francisco to Danville two years ago where she now works from home as a People Business Partner for Gong.io.

2014

Kimberly Ma recently switched jobs, from public health to working at the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology. She is also continuing a part-time Ph.D. program in biodefense.

Laura Thacker won a national championship in women’s rugby in the top league in the country! She currently works in technical development in the gene therapy field.

Kristi Sun and Juan Pablo Sarmiento were legally married in October 2019 at Brooklyn City Hall. However, they wanted to host their wedding in the Bay Area, where they met in 2014 and where Kristi’s parents still live. Kristi and Pablo had their celebration at Nestldown in Los Gatos Hills on Oct. 3, 2021, which was attended by numerous Harker classmates and old friends. Pictured from left to right above, all ‘12 unless noted, are Daniela Lapidous , Josh Beavin , Jennie Xu , Devin Nguyen , Crystal Chen , Kushal Ranjan , Will Chang , Kristi, Michael Wu , Vivian Li , Connie Li ’14 and Stephanie Hao .

2018

Felix Roman won a drag pageant in San Francisco. He says, “This allows me to participate in some fundraising events with the Ducal Court of San Francisco, and I’ll be able to host one under their guidance. I also will walk in the Pride parade with the rest of the Ducal Court.”

Inspired by family members battling complicated cancer diagnoses, Nirban Singh joined a venture-backed startup dedicated to navigating cancer patients through the numerous clinical and non-clinical determinants that may cause challenges along the way. The company provides a 24/7 care team that supports members from diagnosis to end-of-life. Nirban shares: “Really glad I made the switch as the company’s mission aligns closely with my personal values and passion for improving access to health care through innovative value-based care.”

Please send your updates to your class representative or email them to alumni@harker.org.

Over the holidays, Jessica Susai and Haley Keller hosted a Class of 2018 reunion at Jessica’s home in San Jose. Over 40 alums and a few faculty attended, many of whom hadn’t seen each other since graduation! There was a lot of exciting news to catch up on. While conversation centered around new jobs, cities and relationships, they still made time to reminisce about the most fun moments from high school.

2019

Olivia Esparza was named a 2024 Marcus Curatorial Fellow by Montalvo Arts Center. The fellowship serves emerging thought leaders in the Bay Area interested in pursuing a career in the arts. Each Curatorial Fellow receives a part-time, paid fellowship spanning two years, with the opportunity to present original scholarship based upon their research and real-world experience working with contemporary artists, and developing and presenting an exhibition, installation, project or community engagement at the culmination of their fellowship. As the daughter of an artist mother and an event-producing father, Olivia brings a unique perspective to her work. She recently placed first in the 2023 Coffee Design & Marketing Competition, and she contributed to the field as an interactive graphic designer during her internship at Sephora.

Hannah Lak was accepted into the twoyear post-baccalaureate Child and Adolescent Clinical Fellowship Program at McLean Hospital, ranked the No. 1 hospital in the United States for psychiatric care. Working at the Belmont Partial Hospitalization Program for Adolescents, she leads therapy groups and educates teens about mental health.

2020

Simar Bajaj graduated from Harvard in May 2024 and will spend the summer doing global health journalism in a dozen countries before going to Oxford this fall on the Marshall Scholarship. Simar will spend two years in the U.K. before coming back to the U.S. for medical school – ideally some place warm. Over the past few months, he’s continued to write, including a scoop on how anti-obesity drugs successfully treated opioid addiction, and other upcoming stories for NPR, The Guardian and NBC News.

Class representatives serve five-year terms coinciding with reunion cycles. If you’re interested in learning more about the role or volunteering to represent your class, please email alumni@harker.org.

2002 Yasmin Ali

2003 Jess Killips

2004 Karan Lodha

2005 Shikha Mittal

2006 Meghana Dhar

2007 Lucas Motro

Joanna Xu

2008 Senan Ebrahim

2009 Stephanie J. Guo

2010 Niki Agrawal

2011 Hassaan Ebrahim

2012 Will Chang

Kristi Sun

2013 Katz Sundarraj

2014 Connie Li

2015 Allison Kiang

Nitya Mani

2016 Stephanie Huang

2017 David Zhu

2018 Dolan Dworak

Gloria Guo

Melissa Kwan

2019 Olivia Esparza

Riya Gupta

Mahi Gurram

Matthew Hajjar

Kelsey Wu

2020 Lauren Beede

Bennett Liu

Anika Tiwari

2021 Olivia Guo

Kristin Tong

Helen Zhu

2022 Gigi Chan

Alexa Lowe

Irene Yuan

2023 Annmaria Antony

Dhruv Aron

John Cracraft

Zain Vakath

Please send your updates to your class representative or email them to alumni@harker.org.

Regional Receptions

BOSTON

LOS ANGELES

SAN FRANCISCO

NEW YORK CITY

The Harker School

Harker Magazine - Spring/Summer 2024

Immersive experience for middle school students

About Harker

HARKER MAGAZINE

Lessons from an or

Top Stories

Recent

Jazz Band Attends Essentially Ellington Festival, Two Students Take Home Awards

DECA

Senior

Girls

Shlurpendous!

Budding entrepreneurs thrive in Harker’s incubator program

Taking a bite out of sHarker

Incubator students duel for VC attention and prizes

athletics

Teamfirst

Inaugural Day of Service celebrates the legacy of

Martin Luther King Jr.

visual arts

at its finest

finds new experiences in Peru and Greece

Peru: Learning about local impact in Ollantaytambo

Greece: Experiencing history and its process

Tamagawa 30th Anniversary

Anita Chetty

performing arts

end of year

graduation

A humanitarian at

WORDS BY VIKKI BOWES-MOK

Lisa Masoni

staff kudos

Professional accomplishments of our faculty and staff.

class notes

Keep up to date on the lives of your classmates.

1966

1995

2002

2004

2005

2006

2007

2009

2011

2012

2014

2018

2019

2020

Regional Receptions

BOSTON

LOS ANGELES

final frame