As our 2018 grads arrive at their institutions of higher learning, we are beginning to pick up nuggets of info, like this nice notice that Vivian Wang has joined the Princeton swim team.
Huge news in July: Harker’s new athletic center was awarded Gold certification by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The certification system, created and maintained by the U.S. Green Building Council, is administered by Green Certification Inc. Read the story in Harker News!
The Mercury News mentioned Harker middle school’s Sriram Bhimaraju, rising seventh grader, for being named a Top 10 Finalist for the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.
The Harker community was delighted to hear that Surbhi Sarna ’03 sold her medical device company, nVision Medical, for $275 million to Boston Scientific, but the real story is about Sarna’s journey to help women who were being underserved in health care. The story is well-told in the Forbes article that announced the sale, and the Harker community has had the moving experience of watching Sarna travel her path to help others. CBS also did a news story on her.
After graduating from Harker, Sarna studied molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and worked as a clinical scientist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. After graduating from Berkeley in 2007, she worked as an engineer for medical device companies Abbott Vascular and BioCardia. In 2009, only six years out of Harker, she founded venture-backed nVision Medical, dedicated to developing technology to help gynecologists more quickly detect ovarian cancer. Following a successful clinical trial, the company received FDA approval for its device in November 2015. Harker has been honored to follow her progress.
In 2013 Sarna took time from her busy schedule to be the keynote speaker at the Harker Research Symposium, where she related the circumstances that fueled her drive to a crowd of about 400. After suffering from an ovarian cyst in her early teens, she became determined to create better conditions in the field of female health.
In January 2014, Sarna was named to Forbes prestigious “30 Under 30” list in the medical category. At that point, her company had raised $4.5 million from Catalyst Health Ventures, Draper Associates and Astia, a group that assists female entrepreneurs.
Sarna noted at the time, “It is a great honor to be chosen as one of Forbes ’30 Under 30.’ I know Harker has a lot do to with my drive to be an entrepreneur and I’m grateful for all of the teachers that inspired me while I was there.”
In the summer of 2016, Sarna was interviewed for an article in Harker Quarterly on alumni in science, in which she spoke of FDA approval for her device. “It was lots of work, but it couldn’t be more worth it. … From a dream, to a slide deck, to a prototype, to raising money and hiring a team, to first use in a person, to 90 patients successfully treated, to FDA approval!” she said in the article. Offering advice to other recent graduates interested in pursuing STEM and research education, she stressed the importance of seeking out mentors and advisors.
In 2017, Sarna was presented with the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award by Harker’s Office of Alumni Relations and was honored at Homecoming halftime.
In the 2016 Harker Quarterly article, Sarna had advice for anyone with a quest like hers. “Take meetings with everybody, even when you don’t understand the direct benefit in doing so. Cast your net wide to open up doors,” she said. It is also important to follow your own passions, she added. “I started out as a patient, and I had to believe there were better options out there for women like me. I wanted to make a mark, and at the end of the day you have to follow your passions. It’s extremely rewarding to now be in a career providing service to others.”
Alexis Gauba ’17, now attending the University of California, Berkeley, is part of a team awarded $10,250 for in-depth research on blockchain protocols specifically focusing on alternative consensus. Blockchain is a method of secure storage originally developed for cryptocurrency and now under development for a variety of uses.
The Blockchain Lab at the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology (SCET) at Berkeley posted the news yesterday. Gauba is one of seven members of the team that will investigate blockchain use and development. The team’s grant application was titled “Framework for Cryptoeconomic Incentives in Proof of Stake (PoS) Systems.” Three other teams also received awards, for a total of $50,000.
In its announcement the Blockchain Lab noted, “We are awarding each of these teams to help to support applied and fundamental research that will reduce barriers in the adoption of blockchain and its inclusion in an increasingly digital world with new possibilities for fairness, transparency and efficiency in both financial transactions and information sharing.”
Gauba, who is working on a combined degree in electrical engineering and computer science, is taking the initiative to organize what is expected to be the largest conference to date for women in blockchain. Blockchain at Berkeley is hosting She256: Women in Blockchain Conference on April 23.
Gauba noted, “We want to highlight and connect communities within the blockchain industry that strive for inclusion, equality and professionalism, and are partnering with all similarly committed individuals and organizations in this objective.
“We have designed a program that will explore the groundbreaking research, protocols and specific applications of blockchain, especially in projects led by women in the space. We want to foster collaborations between researchers, professionals and students to help women get access to the right resources and enter the industry with confidence, while also highlighting the achievements of prominent strong women already established in the space. No prior experience in technology, blockchain or computer science is required. We encourage everyone to come, regardless of major or experience level. Celebrate and learn with us!” she added.
Browser security is something nearly everyone is interested in, but Frank Wang ’08 and a team at MIT are doing something to improve it. The team has developed a tool called Veil that will help keep data safe by encrypting websites prior to viewing on the screen. The full story is available at news.mit.edu. Wang was kind enough to share a bit about Veil and his path since leaving Harker.
“Once I graduated from Harker,” Wang said, “I went to Stanford where I was heavily involved in residential life. Then, I went directly to MIT to do my Ph.D. in computer science focused on computer security. On the side, I am heavily involved in the entrepreneurship scene in Boston. I am part of a Rough Draft Ventures, a student-run venture initiative out of General Catalyst that funds student startups. I also started my own summer program, Cybersecurity Factory, for early-stage cybersecurity companies, with Highland Capital (read the Wired story). I am currently in the last year of my Ph.D. and figuring out what’s next.
“My passion is about building practical and secure web platforms. Veil fell into that classification, and I got really excited about it. The project started initially when James Mickens, now one of my co-advisors, visited while he still worked at Microsoft Research. We were both excited about web security and he had some ideas for improving private browsing, which led to this project. Then, he moved to Harvard, and we continued to work on this project, trying to make the web more secure.”
Wang was instrumental in the project’s development. “I was part of the whole process!” he said. “I did a lot of the work building the platform and brainstorming ideas. I also helped write the paper. I was the main spearhead behind the project as the first author.
“The most interesting part was actually building a system that ended up working. A lot of times in research, you work on a project, but the broader community is not as interested. All this press makes me more excited because it seems like people are really interested in my work.”
Three Harker alumni were named to this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 lists, which feature 600 young stars in 20 different industries. Siddarth Satish ’06, founder of Gauss Surgical in Cupertino, was selected in the health care category. Forbes noted, “Using the iPad’s built-in camera and computer vision algorithms, Siddarth Satish has developed an FDA-cleared app to monitor blood loss in the OR. It’s been used for thousands of patients to make childbirth safer. The company has raised $24.6 million.”
Chadwick Manning ’07, co-founder of ElectrIQ Power Inc. in Palo Alto, made the list in the energy category. ElectrIQ (pronounced “electric”) is an energy storage, monitoring and management company. It innovates integrated hardware and intelligent software solutions to help homeowners and small businesses access more affordable and sustainable electricity, Manning explained.
Following his appointment to the Forbes list, Manning noted “success is a road always under construction. You fail many more times than you succeed. The ones who make it typically aren’t the most intelligent, but they are the ones that have true grit, they admit when they’re wrong and change course, and they surround themselves with passionate, trusting people with complementary skill sets.” When he’s away from the office, Manning gets outdoors and travels as much as possible. “Hiking, skateboarding, biking, tennis and golfing are my favorites,” he said.
Meghana Dhar ’06 is director of retail partnerships for B8ta, located in San Francisco, and is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in the retail and e-commerce category. Her Forbes profile notes, “The eBay alum is responsible for opening 700 stores for B8ta by 2018. The company launches brick and mortar stores for trendy tech products and provides them with customer engagement and interaction data.”
In late December, the Class of 2007 packed the house to celebrate its 10-year reunion at classmate Jason Martin’s restaurant, Lefty’s A Taste of Boston, in Campbell. Bradley Stoll, Dan Molin and Harker chef Steve Martin joined the fun, while class dean Diana Moss sent her well wishes via video. Pizza and spirits were aplenty and all enjoyed catching up while ’07’s very own DJ Anton Sepetov provided the musical ambience for the evening’s festivities. Huge thanks to Jason and Steve for the use of your fabulous spot; Audrey Kwong for the beautiful signage; and Cassie (Johnson) Kerkhoff, Chanelle Kasik and Lucille Hu for their planning and organization, and for being such lovely hosts!
The Class of 2012 celebrated its five-year reunion on Dec. 30, also at Lefty’s A Taste of Boston. More than 50 people gathered, including beloved class dean Doc Harley, as well as Bradley Stoll, Joe Rosenthal and Harker’s new head of school, Brian Yager. All had a great time mingling and reconnecting! Big thanks to class agents David Fang and Will Chang for all of their efforts in organizing this first of reunions for the class. Great job guys!
This article originally appeared in the winter 2017 issue of Harker Magazine.
Alumnus accepted his need for structure, discipline and went from rebellious teen to passionate police officer
Today, William Courchesne ’07 is a police officer with the Charleston Police Department, a cum laude graduate of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, and a married man. But if you knew Courchesne when he was a student at Harker (2003-07), that might surprise you.
“He was a wild child,” said Tony Silk, mathematics department chair and Courchesne’s freshman Algebra II teacher. “I remember Will very well as he was a unique student who brought so much to the classroom.”
Courchesne’s rebellious side was complemented by a sly sense of humor, which came out in a variety of ways, including addressing Silk by his first name. “I would be walking across campus and hear Will yelling ‘Tony!’,” remembered Silk with a smile. “I would remind him to address me as Mr. Silk, but I also understood that this is who he was.”
Silk, a former military man, found Courchesne’s antics amusing rather than frustrating and, as long as it didn’t disrupt the classroom, he was willing to allow him his freedom. It was this understanding and acceptance that connected Courchesne to Silk. “I kept coming back to him for advice,” recalls Courchesne. “He is a lot of the reason I went into the military.”
At Harker, Courchesne was on the yearbook staff, ran track and field, and participated in the Junior State of America. These activities helped Courchesne stay busy and focused. He remembers that he “wasn’t the greatest kid,” but he had an epiphany his junior year. He accepted that his academic record may not get him into a top-tier school, and realized that military school, in particular The Citadel, was a good option for him since he needed structure and discipline.
When he strode in to Silk’s office to ask for a recommendation, he was greeted with shock. Silk said he never would have connected Courchesne with the military. But then Courchesne explained that if there are strict rules and firm boundaries, he would commit to those rules.
“The summer before Will’s senior year, I visited a friend at The Citadel and realized that this would be a great fit for Will,” remembered Silk. “After he started college, we talked on the phone and he asked if he should refer to me as Commander Silk and I told him, ‘At this point, you can actually call me Tony.’”
The two stayed in touch and Courchesne even invited Silk to attend his graduation from The Citadel. Silk couldn’t make it, but Courchesne’s identical twin, Steven ’07, and his parents were there cheering him on. After graduation, Courchesne returned to California to pursue a career in business, which he had studied in school.
The economic downturn made job offers sparse, but a friend from The Citadel told Courchesne that the Charleston Police Department was always looking for strong candidates. Courchesne certainly qualified with his Citadel credentials plus his work in the California National Guard as a military police platoon leader, which is where he met his wife, Kristyne.
The two decided to start fresh in the South and have found a wonderful community. They got married in June 2017 just after Kristyne finished her undergraduate degree. It’s been a busy time for the newlyweds, but Courchesne is committed to his career in the police force. “Police work is an underrated profession,” he said. “My goal every day is to go work, keep the public safe and never have to use my gun.”
He recently went on a call to help a woman who was threatening to commit suicide. When the police arrived on the scene, she was clearly distraught and had multiple weapons. Courchesne and his partner calmly communicated with her and ultimately saved her life. This is the police work that rarely gets reported but is what being a police officer is all about for him.
“I want to help people and my career allows me do that every day,” said Courchesne.
Contributor Vikki Bowes-Mok is also the executive director of the community nonprofit Compass Collective.
The American Mathematical Society today announced that Ashvin Swaminathan ’13 was awarded the 2018 AMS-MAA-SIAM Frank and Brennie Morgan Prize for Outstanding Research in Mathematics by an Undergraduate Student! Swaminathan received the award for exceptional research in algebraic geometry, number theory and combinatorics. His work has appeared in numerous well-regarded professional level journals.
Swaminathan also has been awarded Princeton’s Centennial Fellowship, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and the David B. Mumford Prize (for most promising mathematics concentrator at Harvard). Some of his research has been in the University of Minnesota Duluth Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program and the Emory University REU program.
For more information on this award and Swaminathan, see the AMS press release.
The Harker football team continued its historic season by defeating Lindhurst High 34-6 on Friday. The 8-0 Eagles were led by 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Aaron Smith, grade 11; 255 yards passing and three TDs from Nate Kelly, grade 12; and fine defensive games by James Pauli, grade 12, who racked up 11 tackles and two sacks, and Jadan McDermott, grade 12, with 10 tackles and three sacks. The Eagles finish off the regular season at TAK Stadium in Fremont against Irvington High this Friday.
Cross Country
The cross country team competed at the second WBAL meet last week at Baylands Park and showed great improvement. Most runners improved at least 30 seconds over their season-best marks. Ryan Adolf, grade 11, led the varsity boys, cutting a minute off his time from the first WBAL meet. Anna Weirich, grade 9, placed sixth in the varsity girls race, running her personal best by 30 seconds. The runners now prepare for the WBAL finals, to be held on Nov. 3 at Crystal Springs Cross Country Park.
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team picked up its third and fourth straight wins last week as it defeated Pinewood 7-0 on Senior Day and Castilleja 5-2 later in the week. This week, the girls take on Castilleja on Monday, Sacred Heart Prep on Tuesday and Menlo on Thursday.
Girls Golf
Last week, the girls golf team knocked off Sacred Heart Prep on Senior Day 262-186, with Katherine Zhu, grade 12, taking the top spot by shooting a 33. Later in the week, the Eagles defeated Notre Dame Belmont, Mercy Burlingmae and The King’s Academy in a quad match. Zhu earned medalist honors again as she shot a 35. Right behind her was Katelyn Vo, grade 10, who shot a 37. It’s a big week for the Eagles as they finish the regular season against Castilleja and Sacred Heart Prep on Monday before taking on the entire WBAL in the league championships on Wednesday.
Boys Water Polo
The boys water polo team picked up a 9-8 win over Mona Vista last week, before falling to Los Altos 2-17 and Los Gatos 10-15. This week, the boys will compete in the SCVAL Tournament at Lynbrook.
Girls Water Polo
Last week, the girls water pol team lost to Wilcox 6-4 before defeating Santa Clara 6-5 later in the week. In the win over Santa Clara, Abigail Wisdom, grade 11, led the Eagles with five goals. This week, the Eagles compete in the SCVAL Tournament at Fremont High.
Volleyball
Last week, the girls volleyball team defeated Mercy Burlingame in three games, led by 16 kills from Lauren Napier, grade 12. Later in the week, the Eagles fell to ND Belmont in three games, with Isabella Spradlin, grade 12, leading the Eagles with 10 kills. The Eagles finish up the regular season this week as they host Mercy SF on Senior Night on Tuesday, before traveling to Menlo on Friday.
Alumni
Joelle Anderson ’17 continues to play well as she scored three goals last week to help move Pepperdine into the No. 10 spot in the national rankings.
Not to be outdone by his little sister, Jeremiah Anderson ’15 earned Golden State Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row.
Last week, the girls volleyball team dropped a four-game match to Menlo. This week, the Eagles host Sacred Heart Prep on Tuesday, before traveling to Notre Dame San Jose on Friday.
Football
The Eagle football team keeps on rolling as it took care of visiting Tamalpais 38-0 on Friday night to set a school record for most wins to start the season. Nate Kelly, grade 12, threw five TD passes, two each to Floyd Gordon, grade 12, and Anthony Contreras, grade 12, and one to Jared Anderson, grade 11. James Pauli, grade 12, led the defense with eight tackles, and Anderson added an interception. This week, the 7-0 Eagles host Stellar Prep at 7 p.m.
Also last week, Jadan McDermott, grade 12, was named Super Lineman of the Week, and Aaron Smith, grade 11, was named Game Changer by Get Sports Focus. Check out the tweets:
The girls water polo team picked up two big wins last week. In a 5-2 victory over Lynbrook, the goals were evenly distributed between Meghana Karinthi, grade 12, Alicia Xu, grade 10, Claudia Opris, grade 11, Cas Ruedy, grade 10, and Samantha Yanovsky, grade 11. Later in the week, the Eagles took care of Cupertino 11-2, with five goals from Abigail Wisdom, grade 11, two goals each from Arushi Madan, grade 10, and Xu, and one goal each from Anika Tiwari, grade 10, and Ruedy. This week, the girls host Monta Vista on Monday at 5:45 p.m. and Fremont on Tuesday at 6:15 p.m., then travel to Monta Vista on Thursday.
Cross Country
The cross country team traveled to the Crystal Springs Cross Country Course last week to compete in its first league race of the season. Gloria Guo, grade 12, and Lilia Gonzales, grade 11, both finished in the top 40, while Anna Weirich, grade 9, placed sixth in her first varsity league cross country meet. Over the weekend, the Eagles competed at the Artichoke Invitational at Half Moon Bay High. Ryan Adolf, grade 11, and Henry Wong, grade 11, led the boy’s varsity squad, while Weirich placed seventh in her first varsity invitational and had the 10th best girls time among the 552 runners. Also, new Harker coach Annie Tomlinson took first place in the coache’s race. Next up for the Eagle runners is another WBAL meet, this time at Baylands Park on Oct. 19.
Girls Tennis
The girls tennis team split two matches last week. The Eagles defeated Evergreen Valley High 4-3 before falling to Menlo 1-6. This week, the girls take on Scotts Valley on Monday, Crystal Springs Uplands on Tuesday and Castilleja on Thursday.
Boys Water Polo
The boys water polo team dropped two matches last week. Early in the week, the Eagles fell to Lynbrook 5-9, then were defeated 15-11 by Homestead. This week, The Eagles host Palo Alto at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, then travel to Monta Vista on Thursday.
Girls Golf
This week, the girls golf team has matchups with Castilleja on Wednesday and Sacred Heart Prep on Thursday. Currently, the Eagles are tied for first place in the WBAL with a 7-1 record.