Amy Jin ‘18, currently attending Harvard, is now a team member for the Crown Education Challenge, an international contest for K-12 students that contains tracks in art, STEM and writing. Founded in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent wave of worldwide school closures, the contest hopes to inspire students to continue their learning, become active in global issues and foster hope in troubled times.
The contest’s theme is finding hope during a pandemic, and each category encourages students to submit work relating to the theme. For the art category, students are invited to submit visual art, music, digital art, films and dance pieces. STEM submissions can include original research on ways pandemics can be prevented or addressed in the future, taking the form of posters, videos, apps or other media. Writers may submit journalistic pieces, poetry, short stories, screenplays, podcasts or essays relating to the theme.
Submissions are being accepted until 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on May 31.
Although it was a shortened season due to COVID-19, Jarrett Anderson ’19 made the most of his first collegiate year with the Springfield College men’s volleyball team. Anderson excelled on the court and was recently named a D3 All-American and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division 3 Northeast Region Newcomer of the Year. Anderson’s 5.15 points per set ranked him fifth in the nation; he accounted for a team-best 360.5 points; and his .814 aces per set was the fourth best in the country.
Check out all the stats on Anderson, as well as the other accolades that his team took home:
Last month, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sabrina Paseman ’09 founded the nonprofit Fix the Mask, which has developed a do-it-yourself method for constructing a surgical mask brace using rubber bands. The pandemic has caused a surge in demand for N95 surgical masks, leading to a shortage that has put medical workers at risk of infection, as the surgical masks currently in use do not attach to wearers’ faces tightly enough. The surgical mask brace developed by Fix the Mask significantly improves the efficacy of surgical masks and lowers the risk of infection. The company has posted a how-to video for creating the mask braces, and is working on “Surgical Mask Brace 2.0, a scalable, open source design,” according to its website.
A team of computer scientists including Anand Natarajan ’09 recently published a proof that has solved “a raft of open problems in computer science, physics and mathematics,” wrote Quanta Magazine’s Kevin Hartnett. Natarajan co-authored the proof with researchers at Caltech, the University of Toronto, the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Texas, Austin. The full article contains an in-depth explanation of how the proof was developed.
Harker has designated Feb. 14 as the inaugural Alumni Day of Giving, and one generous lower school family has committed to match gifts up to $1 million.
A strong endowment fund is a hallmark of a school’s financial stability, responsibility and viability, and all gifts made to the school by alumni go to Harker’s endowment fund. For this Feb. 14 Alumni Day of Giving, the school has set a goal of 200 gifts, of any size, from alumni. And one family, Louise and Fouad ElNaggar (Osiris, grade 2; Apollonia, grade 1), is so deeply committed to increasing Harker’s endowment that they have pledged to match each of those 200 gifts – no matter the amount – with $5,000 of their own, to contribute a total of $1 million to Harker’s endowment.
The school is working with GiveCampus to help promote the Alumni Giving Day and #LoveHarker campaign. Founded by a former Facebook engineer, GiveCampus is a platform that, as its website puts it, makes “philanthropy more social, more interactive and more fun … to bring people together in support of the schools, causes and initiatives that they care about.”
“It’s more about participation than the size of the gift,” said Kimberly Lobe, director of advancement. “By contributing to and growing the school’s endowment, alumni are enabling Harker to create even more of an academic advantage through program expansion, scholarships, staff positions, research, facility maintenance, equipment and supplies. They are ensuring that generations to come have the same outstanding experience that they did.”
All Harker alumni will receive a link on Feb. 13 that will point them to the Alumni Day of Giving page at GiveCampus, and the giving page will include ways to share with, text and email classmates of each donor in order to encourage participation. Questions may be addressed to Kristina Alaniz, director of alumni relations, at alumni@harker.org.
A great article published on Medium.com details how Princeton University added a Living Latin class at the urging of Kevin Duraiswamy ‘14.
The Daily Journal ran a nice article on student journalism, mentioning Harker as presenters at the 2019 Journalism Education Association and National Scholastic Press Association (JEA/NSPA) Convention.
Freshmen helped clean up an open space preserve this fall, and the organizer posted a nice article on its website.
Gentry Magazine ran a nice profile of Jason Lin, grade 11, in its most recent issue. Jason has raised tens of thousands of dollars for a great cause. Read all about it and the good work his peers from other schools are doing!
Harker was mentioned in a news articlein the Madison (Wis.) Record, which noted that our math team placed nationally in a math competition.
This article originally appeared in the winter 2019 issue of Harker Magazine.
When Dr. Shalini (Lal) Bhambani ’02 decided to pursue a career in medicine, she didn’t know that she would learn cutting-edge technology that would regularly save the lives of very ill patients. Her post-Harker education took her to Pomona College where she earned her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience before she went to medical school at Harvard University.
She actually thought she wanted to become a pediatrician, because she loves children, but realized that it was very emotionally taxing to see children so sick. Then a rotation through cardiology opened a new world, one that was procedure-based and very brainy, which was appealing to her.
It was so appealing that after her residency at Los Angeles County Hospital+USC Medical Center, she did two fellowships, including one at Stanford University in cardiovascular imaging/echocardiography that gave her special training in 3D echo, strain imaging, interventional echo for structural heart disease and cardiac MRI. This unique skill set allows her to have a greater impact on sick patients by making and confirming diagnoses at Silicon Valley Cardiology, which is part of Palo Alto Medical Foundation.
“Patients come from all over the country to get diagnoses that can only be made with this imaging, so my work is meaningful and impactful,” said Bhambani. “In my practice, I’m the only one with this skill set and I’m fortunate to work with my partners who support and trust me.”
It’s very rewarding work and she appreciates Harker’s role in grooming her for success.
So when Bhambani’s son, Aiden, turned 5 she knew exactly where she wanted to send him to school – Harker (her 4-year-old daughter, Sania, hopefully will attend Harker next year). “Harker wants you to learn to become a better person; it teaches students that life skills are not just academic skills.” Bhambani and her husband, Ajoy, feel that becoming part of the Harker community as a family will have an incredible impact on their children. Her transition from student to parent has been filled with joy because Aiden is so happy at school. “Mommy, I love Harker,” said Aiden, who just started first grade. “How come Harker doesn’t have a college?”
Bhambani laughed at this comment, but is hopeful Aiden will get to experience some of the amazing teachers she had when she attended Harker.
“Shalini came up to me at a recent family picnic with the same smile and an air of kindness she had in high school and told me that her son would be in one of my classes in a little over a decade. So much for retirement,” laughed Robbie Korin, chemistry teacher. “But in all seriousness, Shalini came into my Honors Chemistry class concerned that she would struggle, but she quickly found her footing and became an excellent student of chemistry.”
Bhambani learned so much in Korin’s class, she actually used the notes from his course while studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
“There’s nothing greater that I can do than sending my own children to Harker,” Bhambani said. “I really trust in their methods and am grateful for what Harker did for me and will do for my children.”
Vikki Bowes-Mok is also the executive director of the community nonprofit Compass Collective.
2003
Jess (Cu) Killips had a baby boy. “On July 16 we welcomed Owen Killips to the world. He was a tiny little nugget, coming three weeks early at 5 lbs. 7 oz. His older sister, Haley, started preschool this month and is loving it.” Jess and Andrew are doing well, especially now that Owen is sleeping (almost) through the night!
2007
Chanelle Kasik recently got engaged to J.P. Dimalanta in Cape Cod, Mass. Joining their family is their new Miniature Australian Shepherd puppy Theodore (“Theo”). Chanelle and J.P. reside in New York City.
2010
Vishesh Jain and Rashmi Sharma got married in Pleasanton this past May, 11 years after they started dating during their sophomore year at Harker! Vishesh’s sister, Saachi Jain ’14, played the important role of tying the knot that held them together during their combined Hindu and Jain wedding ceremony. Their best friends and classmates Kelsey Hilbrich, Andrea Lincoln and Nathaniel Edwards attended the wedding. Photo provided by Manali Anne Photography
2013
Danny Wang began medical school in England this fall. Danny and classmates Ashley Del Alto and Michael Chen joined Kerry Enzensperger, Clare Elchert and Jaron Olson for a fun gathering to say goodbye and good luck at a send-off dinner at Gombei in Japantown in San Jose.
2017
This summer Andrew Tierno completed a software engineering internship at Facebook. He fully enjoyed his work at the company and the perks that came with it (ample food options and a luxury residence in Cupertino). He will be returning to Facebook in summer 2020 to continue with his passion of machine learning and data science. Andrew is a junior at Stanford University, pursuing computer engineering with a specialization in machine learning and math.
2018
Rajiv Movva, a Davidson Fellow, is first author on a paper about deciphering regulator DNA sequences published at PLOS: Check out Rajiv’s other accolades and a short description of his project at https://lnkd.in/g-XNqNx and https://lnkd.in/gSVuZR8.
Sumati Wadhwa conducted sessions related to neuroscience at the Splash at Berkeley fall 2019 program. Splash at Berkeley is a student organization that brings local high school students to the University of California, Berkeley, for a day of unlimited student-led learning. Read more, here.
This story originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2019 issue of Harker Magazine.
When someone asks for a volunteer, Roshni Mehra ’06 is often the first person to raise her hand. Her journey from finance to philanthropy was a result of her decision to pursue her passion and willingness to be open to every opportunity that came her way.
Whether it was in Cheryl Cavanaugh’s English class at Harker, where she learned how the power of someone’s passion can ignite your own, or working with disadvantaged students through PIMCO Foundation’s Tools for Tomorrow program, Mehra wasn’t afraid to follow her heart to find what’s right. Mehra attended Harker’s upper school and then went on to the University of California, Irvine, to pursue business economics and international studies. While she was in college, she interned at Merrill Lynch for two years and then joined asset management firm PIMCO upon graduation.
Being the youngest person ever hired and the only woman on the team, she was hungry to learn, working from 3 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day on the trade floor. While she harnessed many skills while working in finance, it was never her passion. The problem was, she didn’t know what her passion actually was – that is, until she got involved in PIMCO’s Women’s Leadership Network and the PIMCO Foundation.
“Due to my early work hours and the late evening afterschool programs I was volunteering with, I started to stretch myself too thin,” Mehra said. “I soon realized that my favorite part of my job was taking place after work. That’s when I knew there was a problem.”
She took the bold step to quit her job at PIMCO and do a year of service and exploration. As a part of this soulsearching mission, she had two goals for the year: first, to build an educational foundation in the nonprofit world, and second, to get as much experiential knowledge as possible doing pro bono work.
She took classes through Stanford University and Coursera.Being on campus, Mehra soon became involved with Stanford’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS), which develops and shares knowledge to improve philanthropy, strengthen civil society and effect social change. “I said yes to every opportunity that came my way,” said Mehra with a bright smile on her face.
But she didn’t stop there. She also volunteered for a locally based, internationally aimed nonprofit called Home of Hope, which advances education for girls in India. In typical Mehra fashion, she joined its board of directors, became the executive director of the English Empowerment Program and director of the Youth Chapter, and even launched a social venture called Mentors Without Borders, which was featured on NBC Bay Area.
“I discovered I was most passionate about creating a lasting impact and igniting empowerment through mentorship and education,” she said. “I knew I needed to be a part of an impact-driven organization.” She’s doing just that at Stanford Graduate School of Business as the associate director of development marketing and communications, where her job doesn’t feel like work because it is so aligned with her passion and desire to have a positive impact in the world.
In addition to creating meaningful impact reports for donors, Mehra also volunteers as a pre-major advisor for Stanford undergraduate students, serving as a mentor and life coach for a cohort of 15-plus freshman and sophomore students as they navigate the transition from high school to college. But that’s not the only way she gives back. She volunteers with a group that brings therapy dogs to campus every month for students, faculty and staff to de-stress.
“Having hired Roshni 4 1/2 years ago, I subsequently promoted her into several other positions. Her capacity to take on increased responsibility has grown consistently,” said Susan Chung, director of development marketing and communications at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “What I appreciate most about Roshni is her approach to getting things done. Whether that be within our immediate team or across departments, her positive impact is grounded in seeking to understand issues and opportunities from multiple perspectives.”
This story originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2019 issue of Harker Magazine.
When Matthew Gehm ’09 was at the upper school, he didn’t know what career path he wanted to pursue – until a pivotal class his senior year. A Harker student since kindergarten, he was strong in math and science, but was also drawn to the arts.
“Matt was not a typical Harker math- and science-focused student, because his visual art classes were a lifeline for him,” said Pilar Agüero-Esparza, art teacher. “As a teen, he seemed to be going through a tough time and art was a way he could channel his creativity and inner self.”
His creativity and bent toward math led him to take an architecture class in the fall of his senior year – and that sealed the deal. His grandfather was an architect, so he had been exposed to the field, but everything clicked in the class, and he realized he wanted to pursue architecture in college.
So after high school, he set off to study architecture at the University of Southern California, which had a highly rated, five-year program. He had found his passion in architecture but also continued his digital artwork, which is focused around the misuse of digital tools used in architecture in pursuit of novel forms and complexity. After graduating from USC, he started Forester Gehm, a multidisciplinary design firm, which allowed him to balance the line between art and architecture by working on larger installation pieces.
He also worked for some architecture firms and then decided to attend graduate school, all while keeping Forester Gehm humming.
“Matt reached out to me after he graduated from USC, and I saw a laser focus and ambition light up in him about his life and career goals,” said Agüero-Esparza. “Soon after our meeting, I saw him reach for new heights, including entering his artwork in exhibitions and then applying to graduate school.”
Gehm decided to attend Harvard University to pursue a Master in Architecture II, a two-year program that extends the base of knowledge of the professional field with particular emphasis on design.
“If you asked me when I was graduating Harker if I ever thought I would go to Harvard, I would have said ‘no,’” Gehm said in his steady voice. “It felt out of reach, but then I found something I really cared about and something I was passionate about and it felt more real.”
One of Gehm’s projects at Harvard, “Tin Whiskers, or The Ghost in the Machine Part II” with Jonathan Gregurick, is a “conceptual hybrid of motion and stasis, which blurs the lines between control and chaos, structure and fenestration or machines and technics,” according to Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design website.
The intellectual challenges of coursework combined with fascinating history courses and students from around the globe consumed Gehm for an amazing two years.
But when Gehm graduated in 2019, he knew he wanted to return to Los Angeles where his girlfriend lived and the beach beckoned. Instead of racing home, though, he spent a month traveling and camping across the United States. He’s an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hiking, camping and going to the beach.
Gehm is now a designer at Gehry Partners LLP, a full-service firm with broad international experience. He just started with Gehry and is involved in designing a skyscraper in Toronto. He plans to build his career in architecture but also continue his artwork.
“I realize that life is not a sprint but rather a series of opportunities,” said Gehm. “I’m lucky to have found my passion.”