Harker students Krish Maniar, grade 10, and Kabir Ramzan, grade 9, together with Saratoga High sophomore Shafin Haque, received the grand prize and several other awards at the HackDefy 2.0 hack-a-thon, held the weekend of March 27. Within 24 hours, the team developed a technology called EyesAIght that analyzes retinal images using artificial intelligence to help ophthalmologists determine the stage of diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can cause vision loss and blindness in diabetics. One in 10 Americans are currently diagnosed with diabetes, and 84 percent of patients are unaware of their condition because no objective assessment tool exists to automate detection, the team explains in its project overview.
EyesAIght also estimates the likelihood that diabetic retinopathy can cause blindness, thereby allowing physicians to determine appropriate treatment options. EyesAIght also produces a convenient summary report for review by physicians by utilizing natural language processing technology, .
In addition to winning the grand prize among 162 participants, comprising both high school and university teams at HackDefy, the team also received the Best High School Hack award. The trio also received awards at other hack-a-thons, including Best Healthcare Project at Merge 2021 and Best Medical Hack at Hack-2-Connect 3.0. For their efforts the team received over $650 in cash prizes and over $5,000 worth of non-cash prizes.
From Feb. 22-25, 139 students from The Harker School DECA Chapter attended the 2021 State Career Development Conference (SCDC). This conference was held virtually due to COVID-19, and students competed by submitting recordings of their events. To simulate the in-person conference feel, SCDC also featured Career Prep Academy Workshops and a Harker DECA chapter social. Overall, Harker performed admirably, with 59 overall finalists and 28 top four written event and top five role-play winners.
“SCDC was the culmination of Harker DECA’s efforts this past year, and I am extremely proud of how far our students have come,” said senior Anvitha Tummala, Harker DECA co-CEO. “Everyone has demonstrated such commendable adaptability with a virtual DECA experience, and due to a competitively successful SCDC, I’m excited to see our chapter compete at ICDC next month!”
The conference started off with the opening ceremony, which our chapter watched through a livestream on Zoom. Students were motivated to find their purpose by keynote speaker Quinn Tempest, a successful entrepreneur who has dedicated herself to helping people reach their life goals. Tempest said, “never stop asking yourself big important questions” and “purpose is the ‘why’ that drives what you do.”
“She discussed her personal motivators and what led her to be a successful entrepreneur, inspiring me to search for my own purpose in the work I do,” said Clarice Wang, grade 11, Harker DECA VP of operations. Since this competition was held online, submissions worked similarly to SVCDC, and members were given two days to record their written presentations and roleplays, put the documents in a Google Drive folder, and turn in the link to the DECA submissions portal.
“Though I’d much rather be presenting in person, it isn’t all bad! I liked that we could re-record if we made a small mistake, and the conference went very smoothly,” said Shreeya Merchia, grade 9.
SCDC activities continued with a Harker DECA Chapter social which took place on March 5. The Harker DECA Officer team prepared a variety of fun and engaging breakout-room activities such as baking cookies, playing Among Us, watching “Wandavision,” participating in sports trivia and more. Members were allowed to hop between as many of the bonding activities as they liked, the most popular being “Wandavision.”
“Although this is our second time competing in an online format, the Harker DECA chapter has been preparing for a virtual competition the entire year through Zoom study sessions. Students submitted videos of their presentations and PDFs of their business plans that were judged asynchronously,” said senior Bryan Zhang, Harker DECA VP of competitions. “Despite not being able to have live competition, we were still able to simulate business case studies and develop ourselves professionally. The virtual format also demanded higher levels of creativity and teamwork to stay ahead of the curve of other teams, which I am sure will benefit all competitors in the long term.”
The competition concluded with an awards ceremony hosted by California DECA on Thursday, March 11. Members joined a livestream as the California DECA officer team recognized advisors and announced ICDC (International Career Development Conference) qualifiers. To simulate stage recognition at an in-person conference, winners were spotlighted when their names were announced. Along with our chapter members’ achievements, Harker DECA was recognized for achieving Gold Level Certification for the Chapter Awards Program, as well as Thrive Level for the Chapter Campaigns and Membership Campaign.
“From kicking off the conference with a motivational message about purpose, our competitors no doubt found their purpose while competing at SCDC. I’m incredibly proud of the officer team for helping run this conference smoothly, and I am looking forward to making more conference memories at ICDC!” said chapter advisor Juston Glass. “Congratulations to all of our ICDC qualifiers. Go Harker Eagles!”
Members qualifying for ICDC are as follows:
1st Place
• Shreeya Merchia, grade 9; Principles of Marketing
• Vienna Parnell, grade 11; Hotel and Lodging Management Series
• Vedant Kenkare, grade 11; Marketing Communications Series
• Bodhi Saha, grade 11, Kaden Kapadia, grade 11; Sports Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making
Plan
• Ananya Bammi, grade 10, Saavi Kumar, grade 10; Finance Operations Research
• Miki Mitarai, grade 9, Medha Yarlagadda, grade 9, Meishin Yen, grade 9; Hospitality and Tourism Operations
Research
• Margaret Cartee, grade 9; Principles of Business Management and Administration
• Bryan Zhang, grade 12; Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series
• Emily Zhou, grade 11, Emily Tan, grade 11; Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making
• Aditya Singhvi, grade 12, Andrew Sun, grade 12; Hospitality Services Team Decision Making
• Annmaria Antony, grade 10, Grace Hoang, grade 10; Marketing Management Team Decision Making
3rd Place
• Emily Tan, grade 11, Emily Zhou, grade 11; Business Services Operations Research
• Leisha Devisetti, grade 10; Sports and Entertainment Marketing Operations Research
• Cynthia Wang, grade 9; Principles of Marketing
• Rohan Varma, grade 12; Automotive Services Marketing Series
4th Place
• Max Xing, grade 9, Carey Chang, grade 9, Kevin Zhang, grade 9; Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research
• Ananya Bammi, grade 10, Saavi Kumar, grade 10; Financial Services Team Decision Making
• April Sun, grade 11; Restaurant and Food Services Management
• April Sun, grade 11; Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling
• Camilla Lindh, grade 11; Quick Serve Restaurant Management Series
5th Place
• Simren Kochhar, grade 11; Entrepreneurship Individual Series
• Sara Wan, grade 10; Human Resources Management Series
• Sujith Pakala, grade 11; Quick Serve Restaurant Management
• Victoria Han, grade 11, Catherine He, grade 11; Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making
• Elvis Han, grade 11, Melody Luo, grade 11; Marketing Management Team Decision Making
Earlier this month, a group of Harker seniors published a website that tracks the rate of COVID-19 vaccination in the United States and the country’s progress toward herd immunity. Created with the feedback of Harker science teachers and epidemiology professors from Stanford University, the website provides a way for the public to monitor the progress of vaccinations in every state, including the percentage of people who’ve received their first and second vaccine doses and the percentage of each state’s doses used.
“In December, as stay-at-home learning dragged on, I found myself wistfully checking the news for updates on vaccines,” said senior Jason Lin, one of the students involved with creating the website. “I was looking for an easy-to-use platform that displays national and state vaccinations and progress to herd immunity. But to our surprise, I couldn’t find any. So I reached out to a few friends, and we got started.”
Lin was joined by a few fellow seniors for the project. “Bowen Yin built the website with his incredible coding finesse; Sara Yen verified data and reached out to professors for input with her journalism skills. Later, we added Claire Luo, who is working on publicizing the site, and Helen Li, who is helping us upscale and add more resources to the site,” said Lin. “We’re hoping that in the future, we might even help people find where to get vaccinated.”
Data for the website was sourced from organizations including the CDC, and experts knowledgeable in public health were consulted to ensure accuracy. Professors from Stanford offered their insight on how to display the progress toward herd immunity as well as how to factor in natural immunity. Biology teacher Mike Pistacchi and math teacher Bune Bloomquist were consulted to resolves issues pertaining to data.
The creators aimed to make the user experience simple and represent the data as accurately as possible. “The fundamental purpose of this site is to allow anyone to keep tabs on the vaccination situation,” said Lin. “We’re now in a stage where we’ve built something we’re proud of, and we want to let as many people as possible know it exists as an accessible resource.”
Girls tennis started off the week with a close 4-3 win over the highly ranked Monta Vista on Monday followed by Tuesday’s 7-0 win against Sacred Heart Prep. The Eagles came together on Friday to put on a dominant showing, ending Menlo’s 24-year, 266 straight league match winning streak by the score of 4-3. The team will be at home against Crystal Springs on Tuesday.
Last week, the Eagles ran a 2.34 mile coed race, clinching the top five, with Anna Weirich leading the way at 13:15!
Golf
The girls golf team defeated Mercy Burlingame 214-276 last week with Natalie Vo, grade 12, scoring a 36. The Eagles face off with Notre Dame on Tuesday.
CareerConnect recently hosted a speaker panel to help students better understand how small businesses have transitioned from the pandemic. On March 5, Susan Dworak and Andre van der Bergh shared their insights on business management and how their companies have pivoted due to COVID-19.
Dworak is the CEO of ID Training, a startup that helps companies and government agencies verify identity. She discussed how her company adjusted the target market and business model to tailor more to individuals and also the future of identification. Meanwhile, van der Bergh, who is the founder of Team ID, introduced his company that offers business education through simulations. He shared the importance of listening to customers and transitioning the curriculum to online modules. In addition, both speakers answered many questions from students, giving insights into managing a startup and the importance of continual innovation.
The event gave students a deeper understanding of the many facets businesses have to consider in light of the pandemic. One student recalled an anecdote that Dworak introduced, “I found it interesting that an incident as small as an underage person ordering an alcoholic drink with a fake ID could lead to significant consequences like the employee being held accountable, which accentuates the importance of distinguishing between a real and fake ID,” said Kevin Zhang, grade 9. Junior Ysabel Chen commented that, “The event was enlightening because it shows just how far the impact of the pandemic reached and how we can’t always control everything, but we should do our best for what we can control.”
In all, the speaker panel was a rewarding experience for students, with everyone gaining a more comprehensive understanding of business operations and decision-making in these challenging times.
University of Southern California music professor Ron McCurdy made the second appearance of his virtual residency at Harker on Feb. 26, discussing the leadership principles illustrated by a number of famous jazz bandleaders.
He began with Duke Ellington, one of the most enduring composers and bandleaders of the 20th century, who managed to stay relevant for half a century and through many drastic shifts in musical tastes. Ellington was known for composing pieces that emphasized the strengths of individual players in his band, even writing down their names on the sheet music. “That’s how intimately he understood what his musicians were capable of doing,” McCurdy said. He also reinvented himself on several occasions. “He realized that what he had done in the 1920s and 30s would not necessarily work in the 1940s,” said McCurdy, citing Ellington’s work for TV and movies, as well as what McCurdy called “art music.”
Ellington also inspired loyalty in his band members, many of whom stayed with his band for decades. “He treated them all with dignity,” McCurdy noted. “He didn’t believe in letting people go. Because of that loyalty, he was able to keep many of his key sidemen in his band.”
Moving on to Miles Davis, McCurdy noted the legendary trumpeter’s belief in the importance of finding one’s own voice, something he encouraged in the musicians who played with him. “[Davis] did not believe in … keeping the same style, playing the same music,” McCurdy said, pointing out Davis’ powerful use of notes that would be considered wrong by other players. “When you learn the theory behind it, hopefully you break the rules,” McCurdy said. “Who’s to say that playing a D natural over a minor chord is a wrong note? The ear can reconcile that sound, but theoretically it’s wrong. If you can play it with conviction, it won’t sound wrong.”
The conviction Davis displayed inspired a generation of now-legendary jazz musicians, including Chick Corea, Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Hancock. “He also trained the next generation of bandleaders,” said McCurdy. “This is the mark of a great leader; you make everyone around you better.”
Another of the leaders McCurdy discussed was drummer Art Blakey, who McCurdy called the “consummate pedagogue.” Blakey was known for keeping members for a maximum of a few years before letting them go to start their own bands and define their own careers. Everyone in Blakey’s band was expected to compose as well as perform. This was also done to keep his own work from stagnating. Blakey and his band, the Jazz Messengers, became known for the talented young performers it featured and helped codify the style that would become known as “hard bop,” which contained elements of gospel and rhythm and blues. Notable Jazz Messengers alumni include Terrence Blanchard, Freddie Hubbard and Wynton and Branford Marsalis.
On Feb. 18, a special panel on fashion was held with Arjun Kilaru ‘19, Jill Milan founder Jill Fraser, and upper school English teachers Nicholas Manjoine and Pauline Paskali. Each shared what initially intrigued them about fashion and, in the cases of Kilaru and Fraser, how they got involved in the industry.
Kilaru, who currently studies at the University of Chicago, where he curated a collection of his own designs, called his foray into fashion a “really big leap. It was challenging but I always felt like I had enough resources,” he said, recognizing the support and feedback he received from people back home. “I made a lot of mistakes and I will never stop advocating for trial and error.”
He said fashion offered him an avenue for self-expression. “I make new statements with how I look and what I hear,” he said, adding that in college, “you’re always in an environment where you can share ideas with your peers.”
Kilaru also started a podcast, affiliated with the university’s fashion magazine, which explores various fashion topics. “This quarter we’ve been really active with posting an episode every Friday,” he said.
Fraser, who is vegan, was working at a startup in 2009 when she decided that the fashion industry needed more ethical brands. Jill Milan was founded in 2011 with the mission of creating an animal-friendly fashion brand. “I hired a very good young designer and we began working in Italy. Mostly it was sort of making a lot of friends.” The designs were well-liked and have been worn at red carpet events by high-profile celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence, Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria.
Her advice to people hoping to break into the industry was to treat people respectfully. “Be very nice,” she said. “There’s always someone around you who could hurt you or help you a lot.” She also recommended seeking opportunities with Fashion Incubator San Francisco, a firm that offers mentorship to designers new to the industry.
Manjoine said he was initially hesitant to make clothes for himself, even though “for most of human history, people have made their own clothes. This is sort of a special moment in history where we rely on other people,” he said, recalling the time he spent in 4H learning how to knit and sew. He also showed off one of the sweaters he made for himself.
For people who find enjoying fashion difficult, Paskali said, “I think it’s really important to wear both what you think is really fun and what feels good on you, what makes you feel strong, cheerful, playful. Clothes should make you happy too.”
“The social convention is that we all wear clothes, so you might as well have fun with it,” Manjoine said. “We might as well make [fashion choices] that present our best selves. Don’t be afraid to mix colors or put on shapes that make you feel like you.”
Last week, Simar Bajaj ‘20 gave a presentation to Harker students to expand on the points made in an essay he co-wrote that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in January. In the piece, he and Dr. Fatima Stanford argue that distrust of COVID-19 vaccinations among Black Americans is the result of decades of systemic racism built into the medical profession, and that too much attention is focused on well-known incidents such as the Tuskegee syphilis study to explain hesitancy among Black Americans to accept the vaccines.
While the horrors of these incidents should not be forgotten, Bajaj said, “you know what challenges you’re facing through the health care institution if you’re a Black individual, especially during this pandemic, which has highlighted a lot of inequities.” Many studies have shown that Black patients are misdiagnosed and are refused treatment and painkillers at much higher rates.
“If you are a Black man in the emergency department and the doctor … is not giving you your painkillers, even though you’re visibly in pain,” Bajaj said. “In those moments … perhaps you are thinking about Tuskegee and historicizing your frustrations there, but perhaps more likely you are thinking about the racist doctor that’s not giving you your painkillers.”
Bajaj said an approach known as “barbershop-based intervention” could help build trust among Black Americans. These interactions, in which Black patients are cared for by Black health care professionals, provide racial concordance that has had very positive outcomes. In one study, barbershop-based intervention brought the blood pressure of 64 percent of Black men to normal levels, compared to just 12 percent of the control group who continued to visit their primary physician. “Barbershops are often forums of camaraderie for Black individuals,” Bajaj said. “There’s this relationship between the barber and those getting their hair cut that is very close.”
He also cited research performed by Dr. Stanford that demonstrated an increased interest in seeking information when COVID prevention messages were delivered by Black physicians. “There’s a lot of information being thrown at us during the pandemic, a lot of which is incredibly important to understand and lot of which can impact health literacy,” Bajaj said. “So you can see the implications here.”
Lay press coverage that zeroes in on Tuskegee and other historical atrocities, Bajaj said, can also further the damaging idea that racism in medicine is mostly in the past. “I found it incredibly frustrating when I would read these lay press articles where they’d try to [explain that] Black individuals don’t trust the vaccine because of Tuskegee or because of J. Marion Sims or because of this or that,” he said. “And I thought such a framing is incorrect and harmful.”
Cellist Lucas Chen, grade 11, recently won second prize in the strings category of the ENKOR International Music Competition. Chen, who won in Category C (ages 16-21), is also the co-principal cellist of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, making his solo debut in 2018 after winning PACO’s Concerto Competition. He has also won first prize in both the United States Open Music Competition and the American Protege International Concerto Competition. Last year, he was one of 16 Harker students to participate in Kronos Quartet’s 50 for the Future Program. Contestants in the ENKOR competition are evaluated by a jury board of more than 500 members from more than 70 countries.
This story was submitted by Radha Mehta, grade 10.
From Jan. 11-14, 135 students from the Harker DECA chapter attended the 2021 Silicon Valley Career Development Conference (SVCDC). Due to the pandemic, this conference was held virtually, and students competed by submitting recordings of their events. SVCDC also featured Multiply Your Leadership Workshops and a Harker DECA chapter social to maintain the in-person conference feel. Overall, Harker performed admirably, with 100 finalists and 35 top three winners.
“I’ve seen our chapter members spend hours on Zoom tinkering with their presentations in the online environment, so I was so excited to see their hard work pay off at SVCDC!” said senior Lisa Barooah, Harker DECA co-CEO. “Our competitive analysis showed record competitive success, which hopefully motivates a new wave of dedicated DECA members. From chapter yoga sessions to celebratory DoorDashes, it was great to have a sense of normalcy and enjoy some DECA bonding.”
On Monday, students began their virtual SVCDC experience with the Conference Kickoff, where attendees from around the Bay Area gathered in a livestream of the opening ceremony. Keynote speaker Scott Williams gave motivational advice to the young entrepreneurs in attendance with his wise words of experience. Williams said, “managers tell it but leaders sell it” and “great leadership is less about the leader and more about the ship.”
“I really enjoyed the speech that Scott Williams gave at SVCDC. Even though it was virtual, it was still both a wonderful and engaging experience, especially for the first time attendees,” said Anika Muddu, grade 10, Harker DECA director of roleplays. Despite this conference being held online, the competition aspect went exceptionally smoothly. Students were given two days to record their written and roleplay events, put the files in a Google Drive folder, then turn in the link to the Google Drive folder to the DECA portal.
“I really liked how easy the submission process was; it made the entire conference a lot less stressful,” said Annmaria Antony, grade 10.
After submitting their competitions, the Harker DECA Chapter attended a mandatory meeting where the officer team announced the Chapter Social. This meeting along with the chapter meeting at the beginning of the conference where Muddu went over roleplay skills, mimicked the in-person conference experience.
“Competing in DECA online was a really interesting experience. I learned how to adapt to unexpected challenges and make the most of limited resources, a skill that I will carry with me through high school and beyond,” said sophomore Ada Praun-Petrovic. A week later, from Jan. 25-27, members were required to attend a Multiply Your Leadership event and a judge feedback session. At the Multiply Your Leadership sessions, students participated in a fun trivia game and received tips about becoming a leader. At the judge feedback sessions, SVCDC judges explained to the attendees what they enjoyed seeing in competitions and what members should avoid during conferences.
The Harker DECA Chapter Social took place Jan. 27 and was designed for students to participate in a fun team-bonding activity. Members were allowed to choose between a guided meditation session with certified yoga and meditation instructor Ben Wexler and a poster making activity with Muddu.
“Harker DECA not only participated in an unprecedented event being virtual, but we also had unprecedented results having the most wins overall for the first time in our Silicon Valley District, despite being a small school. I couldn’t be more proud of the officers who helped make the conference the success that it was and for our competitors who demonstrated sound resiliency throughout the process and delivered excellent results. Now we look forward to the state conference. Go Eagles!” said Juston Glass, business and entrepreneurship teacher and chapter advisor.