Bajaj became interested in science journalism after taking creative writing classes at Harvard, and to date has contributed 24 pieces for various outlets, including Time, WIRED and Scientific American. More of Bajaj’s journalistic work and other writings can be found at his website.
Late last month, senior Amiya Chokhawala received a Youth Leadership Award from St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew. She was recognized for founding the nonprofit organization STEMHer, which inspires young women from less privileged backgrounds to pursue STEM careers through workshops, tutoring and Q&A sessions. Through a partnership with St. Kitts and Nevis’ CARE Foundation, STEMHer brought free coding and artificial intelligence workshops to girls aged 12-16, held both virtually and in-person. STEMHer also created a short documentary on its partnership with the CARE Foundation. Earlier this year, Chokhawala was featured on the Future of the Business World podcast, hosted by the Wharton School of Business.
This story was submitted by Ariana Gauba, grade 10.
On Aug. 13-14, more than 50 incoming ninth graders participated in Harker DECA’s ninth annual DECA Launch. The event focused on introducing students to Harker’s business and entrepreneurship program and the competitive events that DECA offers. By listening to officer-led presentations, engaging in hands-on activities, and taking part in mock competitions, students were able to gain a better understanding of what DECA is and create connections and memories — all in just two days.
“DECA Launch provides the perfect experience for our grade 9 class to get their first taste of the upper school and explore a new interest all at once. Through our mini campus tour and workshop by our upperclassmen mentors, we got to introduce ninth graders to the environment they’ll be immersed in for the next four years. Along with the opening activities, Launch hosted two mock DECA events: an Innovation Challenge and a Roleplay Tournament. Through these competitions, students were able to become a DECA competitor for the weekend and experience the atmosphere of an actual conference. Another great thing about Launch are the friendships. It’s always great to see bonds being forged and connections being made between the students by the end of the weekend. The other officers and I have made some of our most meaningful friendships here at DECA and we’re so excited to continue expanding the community to welcome our new members this year,” said senior Anika Muddu, CEO of Harker DECA.
As students arrived on Saturday morning, officers gave them name tags and swag bags. After enjoying breakfast, attendees made their way into the Nichols Hall auditorium for the opening ceremony.
Muddu and executive vice president Rohan Gorti, grade 12, kicked off the event by giving a formal introduction and presentation to the ninth graders about DECA on the international and schoolwide levels. After that, attendees had the chance to hear from former vice president of competitions Bryan Zhang ʼ21, who provided his insight and experiences with DECA. Then, ICDC competitor and former director of roleplays Cynthia Wang, grade 11, gave her advice to the new students.
Following the opening ceremony, attendees met with their Launch groups and mentors to play an icebreaker game called the marshmallow challenge. As they tried to create the tallest towers with spaghetti noodles, marshmallows and tape, they learned about the importance of working with a team.
Then, attendees took a tour of the upper school campus. After arriving at the innovation center, they listened to an introductory presentation, and officers gave presentations about the five competitive event clusters of DECA: Business Management and Administration, Hospitality and Tourism, Finance, Marketing and Entrepreneurship.
“Cluster presentations are one of the most important presentations of DECA Launch as they explain each cluster in depth and the events that go with it, which help ninth graders narrow down their options,” said director of roleplays Sanaa Bhorkar, grade 10.
Next was lunch, followed by the introduction of the Innovation Challenge — a shortened version of the Entrepreneurship Innovation Plan event that DECA offers. Director of written events Emily Mitnick, grade 10, introduced how to write an executive summary and create a cohesive slideshow presentation. She also introduced this year’s theme — niches — and explained the importance of niches within target markets of a company.
“The DECA Launch inspired me to think outside of the box with a new company pitch and to think on the spot during Roleplays. I learned so much about business and entrepreneurship during just these two days!” said Sophia Bagley, grade 9.
“The Innovation Challenge represented everything DECA has to offer: the creative freedom to communicate our ideas, the extremely supportive community to lean on and learn from, and the endless choices we are privileged enough to receive in our various pursuits,” said Pavitra Kasthuri, grade 9.
For the remainder of the day, students began to brainstorm what product or service they would like to create for the project. Day one concluded with a quick closing about what to expect for day two and commendations.
“DECA wasn’t something I thought I’d be interested in, but after attending the Launch, I think I found something that I would really enjoy doing. I’m so excited to join this program, and I can’t wait to attend future conferences!” said Helen Gu, grade 9.
Day two started bright and early with a cereal bar for breakfast. Next, students had the opportunity to hear from chapter advisor Juston Glass about this year’s new membership theme, “Get the Edge.” He also highlighted Harker’s business and entrepreneurship programs. Additionally, seniors Rohan Gorti and Zubin Khera, founders of TuffToy — a dog toy company started in Harker’s incubator program — gave a presentation about their company and experience with Harker’s entrepreneurship class.
After a short stretch break, the competitions subteam introduced a Kahoot! with questions that might appear on their future examinations. Subsequently, Bhorkar gave a roleplay tips and tricks workshop and performed a live roleplay. After that, attendees listened to a written events workshop as well as a graphic design workshop presented by the public relations subteam.
Then, students continued to work on their innovation plan in their groups. After lunch, students continued to work on their projects until the mock roleplay competitions. Mentors came to teach students about how to present a roleplay, and in pairs each attendee had the opportunity to perform in a mock competition.
“I see real potential in the Class of 2026, not just regarding roleplays, but in general. I can’t wait to see what they achieve in the next four years!” said mentor Sam Parupudi, grade 10.
Shortly after, arrived and enjoyed dinner before attending the alumni panel in the auditorium. Once hearing a summary of Launch from Gorti and VP of operations Chloe Lee, grade 11, they had the opportunity to talk to four alumni Shania Wang ʼ19, Rohan Varma ʼ21, Gianna Chan ʼ22 and Lucas Wang ʼ17 about their experiences with DECA throughout their high school years and beyond.
As the alumni panel concluded, students joined their parents in the auditorium and presented their innovation plans. As the judges calculated their scores, students and parents watched the Launch recap video, highlighting the success of the attendees over the course of the weekend. DECA Launch 2022 concluded with closing remarks from Mr. Glass and an awards ceremony highlighting the attendees’ successes.
“DECA Launch this year was a huge success,” said Glass. “Both the officer team and the attendees worked extremely hard and took on challenges with open arms. I was impressed with the class of 2026’s DECAcation and the amazing ideas they came up with in just two days. I know we are going to achieve great things in the upcoming year, and let’s get the edge!”
Winners are as follows (all students are grade 9):
Roleplay Tournament:
First Place: Arushi Sahasi and Kimi Yashar
Second Place: Brenna Ren and Tiffany Zhu
Third Place: Amishi Gupta and Yena Yu
Others in Top 10: Mindy Truong and Tanvi Sivakumar, Farhan Ansari and Krish Arora, Ishan Mysore and Ethan Lei, Carissa Wu and Helen Gu, Sahil Jain and Krish Goenka, Pavitra Kasthuri and Aya Sugaya, Celina Xu and Jingjing Liang.
Innovation Challenge:
Most Innovative: Mihir Gupta, Carissa Wu, Helen Gu, Sophia Bagley, Justin Yang, Pavitra Kasthuri
Best Presentation: Samuel Tong, Yena Yu, Janam Chahal, Minal Jalil, David Li, Victoria Ma, MacEnzie Blue
The artist lineup for the 2022-23 season of the Harker Concert Series, featuring the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, saxophonist Donny McCaslin and the vocal group Cantus, has just been announced.
For more than 30 years, the San Jose Chamber Orchestra (SJCO), opening the season on Sept. 30, has developed a reputation for presenting exciting music that reflects the diversity and eclecticism of the South Bay. Founded in 1991 by music director Barbara Day Turner, the ensemble has established itself as both world-class performers of works by noted composers (including Hyo-shin Na, Clarice Assad and Joel Friedman) and a place where young up-and-coming artists are given the opportunity to collaborate with established performers and composers. Under Turner’s direction, SJCO has premiered more than 200 works, including six American operas. It is also a frequent collaborator with local organizations including sjDANCEco and The Choral Project, and more recently the group commissioned 11 new works for RESPONSEWORKS, a project featuring composers’ musical interpretations of the many turbulent events of 2020.
Known to the wider music world for his performance on art-pop icon David Bowie’s final album, “Blackstar,” saxophonist Donny McCaslin, appearing Nov. 4, is a Grammy-nominated composer and bandleader who has released more than a dozen albums of original music. Born in Santa Cruz, McCaslin first found music at age 12 and performed with this father, a vibraphonist, in his teens, making multiple appearances at the Monterey Jazz Festival by the time he had reached high school. He moved to New York City after attending Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship. While performing as a soloist for the Mara Schneider Orchestra, he was noticed by Bowie, who hired McCaslin’s quartet to help realize Bowie’s vision for “Blackstar.” McCaslin’s subsequent album, “Blow,” showcased the influence of his collaboration with Bowie, bringing together elements of jazz and alternative rock.
The Twin Cities-based vocal ensemble Cantus, which performs Feb. 3, has received acclaim from across the world for its ability to perform an impressively wide range of music — be it from the Renaissance or the 21st century — at the highest levels. The group has distinguished itself with an approach to learning and creating music that is akin to a group of chamber musicians, working without a conductor and involving every member of the group in the creative process. This system has served the group well, earning it praise from the New Yorker for its “engaging” performances, and from the Washington Post for its “exalting finesse” and “expressive power.” In addition to being world-class performers, the members of Cantus also bring their experience and expertise to more than 5,000 students every year through master classes and workshops, as well as an award-winning high school residency program.
Tickets for each of these concerts will be available through the Harker Concert Series website for $25. All will take place at the Rothschild Performing Arts center, located at Harker’s upper school campus at 500 Saratoga Ave. in San Jose. Prior to the 7 p.m. start time, each concert will be preceded by a 6 p.m. reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages as well as a cash bar for beer and wine
Golf enthusiast Julie Hu, grade 6, had a very active and successful summer, taking second place in the Girls 10 category in her first international event, the U.S. Kids Golf European Championship, held May 31-June 2 in Scotland. She also tied for eighth at the Future Champions Golf Callaway World Championship in Palm Springs in July and placed 21st out of nearly 100 competitors at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in North Carolina in August. Hu has been golfing competitively for just over two years and regularly competes at local tournaments on weekends.
Football’s season opener at Harbor High on Friday ended with a 44-27 loss. Touchdowns were scored by senior Zeke Weng, senior Rohan Gorti, sophomore Rayan Arya and junior Ryan Barth, who ran back a blocked field goal attempt for his first career touchdown. They face Swett High School Friday.
Girls varsity volleyball lost a tough season opener 3-0 to Branham High on Thursday, while JV was victorious in its match against Branham. The varsity team be at Harbor High tomorrow and compete this Saturday in the Spikefest tournament.
Upcoming games:
The Singh Aquatic Center will be the place to see boys water polo’s season opener on Friday against Skyline High from Utah. JV will play at 6 p.m. and varsity is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Girls golf’s season opener is today, facing Notre Dame at Moffett Field. The team will face Sacred Heart Prep and Mercy in tri-match this Thursday.
With preparations to defend its titles league and section titles ongoing, the girls tennis team will not compete until Sept. 27.
Girls water polo opened its season on Sept. 6, while girls cross country is set to start competition on Sept. 17.
At the International Linguistics Olympiad in the Isle of Man in July, Rishab Parthasarathy ’22 received a silver medal and helped Team USA Red place first in individual competition and take the bronze with a tie for fourth in the team competition. Parthasarathy earned his spot on the team toward the end of the 2021-22 school year after placing fourth overall in the North American Linguistics Open Competition. He was also a finalist in the 2022 Regeneron Science Talent Search.
Upper school chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine competed as a member of the United States canoe polo team at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Ala., in July and the 2022 International Canoe Federation’s Canoe Polo World Championships in Saint-Omer, France, in August.
Irvine was originally scheduled to compete in 2020, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put all competition on hold. “When were told the World Games were happening [in 2022] … we had some meetings and got together on Zoom and we talked about what the expectations were,” Irvine said. Despite some setbacks, such as team members leaving and the departure of their coach, the team regrouped and began training with visitors from New York and Texas. Irvine was selected as a member of the team in March.
The team held training camps and participated in a tournament called the Cup of the West with other U.S. canoe polo squads and a team from Canada. Members of the team local to the Bay Area trained every week at Shoreline Lake in Mountain View and the Berkeley Marina.
Going into the World Games, the team was up against some extremely tough competition. “They have programs that start as young as 7 years old, in schools and in universities,” Irvine said. Despite not winning any of their games, the team was able to overcome expectations. “We were more competitive than I think some people expected.”
Canoe polo ended up being the most popular event at the World Games, and Irvine said fans in attendance were highly appreciative and excited to meet members of the team. “We had people asking for our pictures, and someone asked for my autograph,” he exclaimed. “I was like, ‘You’re sure, right?’”
The following month, the team headed to France for the ICF World Championships, which featured a much greater number of teams and categories than the World Games. Team USA was grouped with teams from Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Spain and Taipei, Taiwan. They had three wins total, defeating Hong Kong twice as well as Japan, and recorded a tie against Taipei. “We were actually winning [against Taipei] up until the last minute, and if we had beat them, we would have been in the top 12,” Irvine said.
After the improved performance at the World Championships, “We reflected on how the World Games was like a training session, preparing us for the World Championships,” Irvine said, adding that he felt happy with his performance after seeing the level of competition he and the team were up against and remembering aspects of his performance. “I had some huge, impactful moments on the team,” he said. “I was happy to have found a way to contribute.”
At the USA Fencing 2022 Summer Nationals in July, junior Ishani Sood became the Division IA women’s gold medalist and qualified to represent the United States as part of the World Cadet Women’s Fencing team, which will be competing internationally in the coming months. A competitive fencer for eight years, Sood has medaled 10 times in her career and also co-founded the nonprofit Fun With Fencing, which brings fencing instructional programs to local Boys and Girls clubs.
In May, Vignesh Panchanatham ‘18 was presented with the Halbert White ‘72 Prize in Economics during the Princeton University economics department’s Class Day celebration, which recognized the achievements of the year’s graduating seniors. This honor is awarded to the year’s highest-performing senior economics major, who demonstrates excellence in their coursework as well as their Junior Paper and Senior Thesis.
Wolfgang Pesendorfer, Princeton economics department chair, said that Panchanatham “forged an intellectually challenging path throughout his Princeton economics education by consistently taking and mastering demanding courses and excelling in his Junior Independent Work and Senior Thesis.”