Last week, longtime upper school art teacher Pilar Agüero-Esparza was named one of the 12 most recent Bay Area artists to join the Fleishhacker Foundation’s Eureka Fellowship Program, which has provided funding to local artists since 1986. A national panel of arts experts evaluated the work of each of the 123 artists nominated by local nonprofits. Agüero-Esparza’s award of $35,000 will be received in 2025 as part of the program’s three-year cycle.
A teacher at Harker since 2002, Agüero-Esparza’s work has appeared in many museums and galleries, including the San Jose Museum of Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, MACLA and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, frequently exploring concepts of race and inequality while channeling her own experiences living as a part of a marginalized group. In summer 2022, Montalvo Arts Center commissioned her to create a tapestry mural for their Claiming Space exhibition.
Today, senior Sally Zhu was named one of the top 40 finalists in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search. Zhu’s project, titled “On the Smoothness and Regularity of the Chess Billiard Flow and the Poincaré Problem,” was chosen by a jury of professional scientists. Zhu is now eligible to attend the final stage of the competition, to be held in Washington, D.C., in March. There, the finalists’ work will be judged and the top 10 prize winners will be selected to win cash prizes ranging from $40,000 to $250,000. Each finalist will be awarded $25,000.
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Jan. 10, 2023:
Today, seniors Rohan Bhowmik, Alexander Lan, Krish Maniar, Ashley Ruan, Deeya Viradia and Sally Zhu were named Top 300 Scholars in the 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search. This year’s scholars were chosen from 1,949 applicants from 48 states. Each of the scholars will receive a $2,000 cash prize and schools will receive $2,000 for every scholar enrolled. The top 40 finalists for this year’s competition will be named on Jan. 24, with the final stage of the competition set to take place in Washington, D.C., in March.
In November, 15 Harker students earned high marks at the Berkeley Math Tournament, held at the University of California, Berkeley. The largest university-sponsored high school math competition on the West Coast, it attracted more than 600 students, the most in its history. A total of 18 Harker students (three teams with six students each) participated in the tournament. Individual competitors had the choice of taking a general test or competing in two of the tournament’s four focus subjects: algebra, calculus, discrete math and geometry.
Students who received awards in the tournament are as follows:
Aman Chandra, grade 9 – Honorable mention (top 50 percent) in geometry
Emma Gao, grade 11 – HM in calculus, Distinguished HM (top 20 percent) in discrete math
Jessica Hu, grade 9 – HM in calculus
Alex Huang, grade 10 – HM on general test
Neil Krishnan, grade 10 – HM in algebra, DHM in geometry
Catherine Li, grade 11 – HM in calculus, HM in geometry
Ian Ogden, grade 11 – Seventh and DHM in algebra, HM in discrete math
Caden Ruan, grade 9 – DHM in algebra
Aniketh Tammula, grade 11 – HM in algebra, HM in geometry
Michelle Wei, grade 11 – HM on general test
Stephen Xia, grade 12 – HM in calculus, DHM in discrete math
Olivia Xu, grade 11 – DHM in geometry
Jonny Xue, grade 10 – HM in algebra
Eddie Zhang, grade 9 – HM in algebra
William Zhang, grade 11 – HM in algebra, seventh and DHM in geometry (after a third-to-eighth tiebreaker)
This story was submitted by Ariana Gauba, grade 10.
More than 120 Harker DECA members attended the regional Silicon Valley Career Development Conference (SVCDC), held Jan. 6-8 at the Santa Clara Marriott. SVCDC officially kicked off this year’s competitive season and consisted of testing, roleplay and written presentations, as well as speeches from the state officer team and the election of this year’s California DECA vice president of Silicon Valley.
“This SVCDC was a really memorable experience,” said CEO Anika Muddu, grade 12. “It was our first completely back-to-normal regional conference after COVID, so the energy was amazing, and I could really tell that everyone gave it their all. It was an amazing experience for our first-year members, and I’m incredibly proud of the chapter’s competitive success!”
During the opening ceremony, California DECA’s VP of Silicon Valley, Vineeta Muvvala, and VP of leadership, Nitin Jaladanki, introduced the conference, went through the schedule for the weekend, and introduced this year’s theme, “Get the Edge.” They also honored the late Pam McKenney, who was a crucial part of California DECA. Attendees also listened to speeches from the candidates for this year’s VP of Silicon Valley, one of which is Harker DECA’s director of written events, sophomore Emily Mitnick.
“The Silicon Valley conference was a great experience for me as a candidate because I got to meet and talk to hundreds of students in the span of three days. I had never given a speech to over 100 people before, so presenting my speech to over 800 students and teachers was an important milestone,” Mitnick said. “The two other candidates were both so friendly, and I couldn’t have been happier to spend my time getting to know them and becoming friends with them.”
The next day was dedicated to competition. All competitors participated in their roleplay and written presentations. Harker DECA competed in a wide variety of events, including individual series and team decision-making roleplays, as well as Entrepreneurship, Professional Selling, Integrated Marketing, Operations Research plans and more.
“SVCDC definitely aided in building my confidence when competing. From the time I spent practicing, presenting, and competing there, I built upon my speaking skills and expanded my overall knowledge of business management. Having a competition locally made me more comfortable in the environment,” said attendee Minal Jalil, grade 9.
The final day of SVCDC consisted of awards ceremonies. Students made their way to the grand ballroom on Sunday morning for the Mini Awards Ceremony, where many Harker DECA chapter members were recognized for their test and presentation scores. Harker was extremely successful, with many students becoming finalists and 35 teams placing in the top three for their events.
“The conference itself was a great experience and I really enjoyed learning, presenting my ideas, and spending time with friends. Placing first in my event was one of the best feelings because it felt like all the work I had put into my project had finally paid off,” said sophomore Sahil Varma, a first-place winner in Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling.
“I am so proud of each and every student that competed in this conference,” said Juston Glass, Harker business and entrepreneurship teacher and chapter advisor. “It was obvious that all competitors worked extremely hard on their presentations, and there is no doubt that we got the edge at this conference! From winning glass to Emily being elected VP of Silicon Valley, this conference is definitely a memorable one. I can’t wait to see the great things Harker will do at SCDC!”
Top three award winners are as follows:
First Place:
– Joy Hu, grade 9: Integrated Marketing Campaign – Event
– Sahil Varma, grade 10: Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling
– Claire Luo, grade 11: Professional Selling; Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series
– Sathvik Chundru, grade 11: Innovation Plan
– Annmaria Antony and Grace Hoang, both grade 12; Independent Business Plan
– Ashley Hong and Metrica Shi, both grade 11: Franchise Business Plan
– Tanisha Singh, grade 11: Business Service Operations Research
– Valerie Li, grade 10: Buying and Merchandising Operations Research
– Alicia Ran, grade 10, Tiana Salvi, grade 10: Finance Operations Research
– Meishin Yen and Medha Yarlagadda, both grade 11: Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research
– Saahira Dayal, grade 10: Automotive Services Marketing Series
– Sanaa Bhorkar, grade 10: Business Services Marketing Series
– Meishin Yen, grade 11: Hotel and Lodging Management Series
– Andrew Au and Edward Huang, both grade 11: Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making
– Ariana Gauba and Shaila Tandon, both grade 10: Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making
Second Place:
– Shiven Balaji, grade 10: Integrated Marketing Campaign – Product
– Caleb Tang, Jonathan Wang and Bowen Xia, all grade 10: Franchise Business Plan
– Krish Arora, grade 9: Principles of Finance
– Maya Affaki, grade 10: Hotel and Lodging Management Series
– Chloe Lee, grade 11: Marketing Communications Series
– Caleb Tang, grade 10: Quick Serve Restaurant Management Series
– Roshan Amurthur and Angelina Antony, grade 9: Marketing Management Team Decision Making
Third Place:
– Saahira Dayal, grade 10: Financial Consulting
– Allison Huang, and Ruhi Banerjee, both grade 9: Buying and Merchandising Operations Research
– Gary Jin, grade and Jason Yi, both grade 10: Sports and Entertainment Marketing Operations Research
– Joy Hu, grade 9: Principles of Business Management and Administration
– Aashvi Ravi, grade 9: Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
– Sophia Ou, grade 9: Principles of Marketing
– Alicia Ran, grade 10: Apparel and Accessories Marketing Series
– Vedant Balachandran, grade 10: Food Marketing Series
– Keren Eisenberg, grade 10: Marketing Communications Series
– Medha Yarlagadda, grade 10: Restaurant and Food Service Management Series
– Grace Hoang and Annmaria Antony, both grade 12: Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making
– Gary Jin, grade and Jason Yi, both grade 10: Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making
Boys varsity basketball is on a three-game winning streak going into today’s home contest against King’s Academy, its second league game of the season. Saturday’s victory over Monta Vista was earned in dramatic fashion with a late game-winning layup by senior Abhi Namala in overtime to take the game 45-44 and grant coach Alfredo Alves his 100th career win.
Girls varsity soccer suffered its first loss to Menlo on Thursday and now has an overall record of 7-1-1. They’re up against Notre Dame Belmont today at Davis Field, where they also will face Priory on Friday. Boys soccer, meanwhile, hopes to bounce back today against King’s Academy after losses to Menlo and Crystal Springs
Girls basketball is headed to Pinewood tonight following losses to Menlo and King’s Academy. The team will play Notre Dame Belmont at home on Friday.
This story was submitted by Jia Jia Jiang, grade 10.
On Wednesday, Harker’s CareerConnect club hosted an event with entrepreneur and venture capitalist Atit Jariwala, who reflected on his high school, college and work experiences. He spoke to students about how he was able to transform his success from his early years into the business world. Additionally, he provided insightful advice on the transition from school to work and how students could better their opportunities. Jariwala graduated valedictorian of his high school. He then earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University and an MBA from Stanford University. Since then, he has founded startups in real estate and technology, opened a restaurant chain and worked in the venture capital industry. Jariwala also shared about some recent projects he had been working on in states including Missouri and New York, and discussed the change from in-person to online work.
The event was helpful for many students who wanted to hear personal advice from a working professional. Sophomore Deeya Verma, reflecting on Jariwala’s journey to success, commented, “Learning about the route he took to success was interesting and plausible for anyone with determination and passion, making it an overall eye-opening and informative experience.” Sophomore Sam Parupudi believed that “his knowledge about all things business combined with his academic skills and an easy-to-follow manner of speech made this the perfect event.” Overall, the attendees enjoyed listening to Jariwala’s story and experiences and were glad to hear from someone with knowledge in many industries.
Girls varsity soccer remains undefeated with a Monday win over Crystal Springs and yesterday’s 1-1 tie with Notre Dame San Jose in their first league game. League play continues tomorrow with an away game against Menlo School.
Meanwhile, boys varsity soccer picked up their second win this week over Eastside College Prep. They have two away games this week, facing Menlo today and Crystal Springs on Friday.
Girls varsity basketball is 7-4 after Tuesday’s loss to Menlo and last week’s overtime win against Christopher High. By securing a .500 record in non-league play the team has qualified to apply for the CCS tournament. They will face King’s Academy on Friday in their first league game of the season.
Boys varsity basketball rebounded from last week’s loss to BASIS to defeat Crystal Springs Tuesday in their first league game, improving to 11-2 overall. They will host Woodside High tomorrow at the Athletic Center and play Monta Vista in an away game on Saturday.
Last month, sophomore Emma Milner published a feature on Harker Aquila about Robert Rothbart MS ’00, who now plays basketball professionally in the Israeli National League. The story was selected as Best of SNO by Student News Online and was praised by Rothbart, who said, “I have been interviewed hundreds of times in my career, and this is hands down the only article I cherish.” The story goes into Rothbart’s early life in former Yugoslavia and his difficulty adjusting to American life after joining Harker as a fourth grader when his mother was hired as a basketball coach. Rothbart began playing basketball at Harker that same year and soon decided he wanted to be a professional player, following in his parents’ footsteps.
At the 2022 US Open Table Tennis Championship, held last month in Ontario, sixth grader Sophie Shen and her partner took first place out of 66 teams in the U3100 doubles event. This was her first international tournament.
Shen also continued competing in cross country after the school league season. At the 2022 USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, she set a personal record of 11:50 in the 3K race in 11-12 age division, placed 81 out of 350 runners and helped the travel team place fourth out of 27 teams. The team also placed first in both the Pacific Association and Regional Championships in the national qualifier round.
Members of the Class of 2002 got together at the upper school campus on Dec. 17 for their 20th anniversary reunion. The event was held in the campus’ auxiliary gym, which brought back fond memories for the alums of the upper school’s first graduating class.
“It’s not like your 20-year high school reunion happens all the time,” said Isabella Liu ’02, who helped organize the event. “And we were the first graduating class. It always comes up whenever we’re together.”
In addition to reminiscing with each other over food and drinks, the alumni also met with longtime faculty members and visited some of the campus facilities that have sprung up since their graduation.
“I have such warm memories of my entire Harker experience that I made a point of coming back for the reunion,” said Alex Janofsky ’02. “Now that I have school-aged children, I am increasingly reflecting on my own grade school experiences to share with them.”