Last week, two manuscripts co-authored by Simar Bajaj ‘20 were published in medical journals Nature Medicine and The Lancet. The Nature Medicine piece covered the widespread attempts to suppress voting rights and why medical professionals “champion patients’ right to vote to protect health and deracinate inequitable medical practices, building on the efforts of organizations such as Vot-ER and VoteHealth 2020.” The piece, by Bajaj and co-authors and medical doctors Alister Francois Martin and Fatima Cody Stanford, details why protecting voting rights is a health issue and therefore needs the support of health care professionals.
For The Lancet, Bajaj, Dr. Stanford and Lucy Tu published a piece on the historical and continued racism and misogyny faced by Black women medical professionals, including the outsized scrutiny and expectations placed upon them. “Black women physicians are simultaneously considered superhuman, but never enough. We suggest this double bind leads to a sense of disquietude as Black women’s identity conflicts with their success,” the authors argue. They go on to express support for measures such as implementing diversity, equity and inclusion work as a requirement for promotion.
Last week, Harker athletic coaches Ie-Chen Cheng and Theresa Smith were each named Coach of the Year for the Central Coast Section in girls golf and girls volleyball, respectively, by the National Federation of State High School Association’s Coaches Association. The two longtime coaches were recognized for the positive effects they have had on Harker athletes during the 2020-21 school year. They are now eligible to be recognized as top coaches at both the state and national levels. Congratulations to both of these amazing coaches!
An estimated 2,500 people visited the upper school campus on Oct. 9 for the inaugural Harker Day, which combined two Harker traditions – the Family & Alumni Picnic and Homecoming – into a full day of games, food, sports and more.
Attendees traversed the campus, playing a variety of games, including Dance Dance Revolution, air hockey and Skee-Ball. Ms. Carly’s Café, Yoshi and ABVE the Basics served many different kinds of food throughout the day and people packed the Patil Theater to watch performances from lower, middle and upper school performing arts groups. Mini Cat Town, a San Jose-based cat rescue organization, had one of the more popular attractions at the event, as guests flocked there to play with adorable kittens.
Students in attendance were glad to see the community reunite in person after so many months away. “I think the community bonding here is a really nice thing,” said Harshini Chaturdevala, grade 10. “Everyone from all the campuses getting together, it’s a really fun experience.”
Loren Due MS ’85, who lounged at the special alumni meetup area, enjoyed returning to Harker to see “all the teachers and students and staff. It’s great seeing all the activities here.” Due noted that he had seen how the original Family & Alumni Picnic evolved and looked forward to seeing what was in store for Harker Day. “It’s a good carryover from Howard Nichols’ original idea of bringing a community together,” he said.
In the afternoon, the Harker Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place, honoring Cole Davis ’10, Drew Goldstein ’13 and Jessica Khojasteh ’11 for their athletic achievements as well as the example they set in becoming global citizens.
In addition to the Homecoming football game, the JV and varsity boys water polo, JV and varsity girls volleyball and varsity girls water polo teams were also in competition, with fans showing their support. Varsity boys and girls water polo, JV boys water polo and JV girls volleyball all picked up wins, while varsity girls volleyball fell to Castilleja.
Toward the evening, guests moved to Davis Field for the start of the 2021 Homecoming festivities, including the tug-of-war contest between the freshman and the sophomores, which was won by the Class of 2024. After two intense quarters of football between the Eagles and visitors Marina High School, audiences enjoyed performances by the Harker cheer squad and the Harker Dance Company and watched the tug-of-war finals between the classes of 2022 and 2025, in which the seniors emerged victorious. The Homecoming game ended with the Eagles falling to Marina with a final score of 26-42.
As the Harker community reveled during the festivities of Harker Day this past weekend, alumni Cole Davis ’10, Drew Goldstein ’13 and Jessica Khojasteh ’11 became the latest inductees into the 2021 Harker Athletic Hall of Fame during a special ceremony held at the Harker Athletic Center.
Dan Molin, Harker’s athletic director, introduced each of this year’s inductees to the assembled audience of parents, friends, teachers and coaches. The first to be introduced was Davis, a three-sport athlete who competed in football and wrestling for his entire upper school career and in wrestling for two of those years. A Harker lifer, Davis was described by Molin as “tough, physical and a team player.” As a football player, he helped Harker reach its first ever playoff appearance and had a career-high 20 tackles against San Jose High. He was a formidable wrestler as well, and in his freshman year pinned a senior who reportedly went on to be a state-level competitor. In swimming, he was an All-American in his sophomore, junior and senior years and placed second in CCS in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle.
Goldstein, the next inductee, was described by Molin as “the definition of ironman. Not only did this gentleman play three sports for all four years at Harker, he played just about every position in the sports of football, basketball and baseball.” He captained the baseball team in his junior and senior years, and was captain of the football team in his senior year. Goldstein’s incredible work ethic led to the creation of the Drew Goldstein Commitment Award, which is awarded to Harker athletes who compete in three sports per year for all four of their years at the upper school.
The final inductee, Jessica Khojasteh, “was always on top of our list” of eventual inductees, Molin said. She was one of Harker’s most successful swimmers, earning four varsity letters and becoming the school’s first CCS champion in any individual or team sport after winning 2010 CCS championship in the 200-meter individual medley. She was also named to the 2011 Scholastic Championship team, was a four-time All-American, a three-time league MVP and in 2010 was named Harker’s Female Athlete of the Year. She also set no fewer than six Harker records: in the 50-, 100-, 200- and 500-meter freestyle events; the 100-meter breaststroke and 200-meter IM.
After receiving their awards, the inductees together removed the curtain to reveal the newly updated Hall of Fame display, which sits in the Harker Athletic Center.
Today, Harker celebrated the birthday of Howard Nichols (1940-2008), the former Harker president who with his wife, Diana, was instrumental in developing Harker into the school it is today. Every year, the community celebrates Howard’s birthday, which falls on Oct. 10, by enjoying chocolate chip cookies, a reference to his practice of keeping a jar of cookies in his office to let passersby know that he was always available for a chat. During the day, students also learned about Howard’s life and accomplishments. At the morning middle school meeting, the student leadership council gave a special presentation on Howard, and lower school teachers used their homeroom periods to teach students about his vision and leadership.
Last month, the Harker Key Club was named Organization of the Year in the city of Cupertino’s 2021 CREST (“Cupertino Recognizes Extra Steps Taken”) Awards. This annual award is given to Cupertino residents who’ve made positive impacts on their communities. In a statement, Cupertino Mayor Darcy Paul noted the effort shown by this year’s awardees, saying, “Giving back to your community is an honorable thing to do at any time, but continuing to do so during a pandemic shows incredible dedication and commitment.” On Monday, Harker Key Club officers (from left to right) Anishka Raina and Lucy Ge, grade 12, and Reshma Kosaraju and Olivia Xu, both grade 10, were filmed on campus by the city of Cupertino’s media team for a short film that will be shown at the Cupertino CREST Awards ceremony on Oct. 14.
On Friday, Daniela Lapidous ’12 visited the upper school to speak to Harker’s Green Team about her personal experiences in environmental activism, with a focus on her efforts to get her alma mater, Columbia University, to divest from funding in the fossil fuel industry.
Lapidous, who is now a deputy field director at Green New Deal Network and worked for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, discussed how she became involved with the organization Barnard Columbia Divest (later renamed Columbia Divest for Climate Justice) after her first year at Columbia and began participating in protests, including one in Washington, D.C., attended by 10,000 people.
One of the most significant protest actions she participated in was the eight-day occupation of Columbia’s Low Library in 2016. She and other CDCJ members staged a sit-in at the library in an effort to persuade university president Lee Bollinger to make a pledge of divestment from the top 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies. Lapidous said the occupation was supported by many students, who provided food to the occupiers and attended teach-ins on climate justice.
Earlier this year, Columbia ended direct investment in publicly traded oil and gas companies. Lapidous noted that while there are some caveats (exceptions may be made for companies with a “credible plan” to bring business to net zero emissions by 2050), the progress was heartening. She also highlighted the massive mobilization that took place over nearly a decade for the progress to happen.
Members of the Green Team sought advice from Lapidous on how to achieve their own goals. “In my own organizing, I have found that having conversations with decision makers is great,” she said. “When you come to a difference of values or priorities then it is helpful to have support from students and faculty.”
She also said that setting an example can be inspiring to others: “Even if you start small, seeing other people doing the work can inspire more people to come in.”
Earlier this month, Wajahat Ali MS ’94 appeared on the “On Being” podcast, hosted by journalist and author Krista Tippett. Ali, now a journalist and columnist for The Daily Beast, shared his views on hope as framed by his daughter’s experience beating cancer after being diagnosed at age 3. He spoke with theologian Kate Bowler, who herself was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at the age of 35. The podcast in its entirety and a transcript are available at the “On Being” website.
On July 3, beloved former upper school English teacher Marc Hufnagl passed away at his home in Switzerland following a brave battle with prostate cancer. He had been living in Switzerland with his husband, Juerg, after his retirement in 2016. He was accompanied by Juerg, his sister, Jan, and his dog, Nico, at the time of his death. “We are heartbroken from the loss of our beloved Marc, but we know he will live on in the hearts and minds of all those who knew and loved him,” Jan said.
Hufnagl joined Harker in 2001 and taught English at the upper school for 15 years. An avid musician and songwriter, he released multiple albums of original music, and in 2014 performed a selection of his own songs for students. He was a big fan of Joni Mitchell, as evidenced by the poster of the cover art from her album, “Hejira,” that he had hanging in his classroom. After his diagnosis, he contacted upper school English teacher Charles Shuttleworth to request that it be shipped back to him, which Shuttleworth graciously did.
“He was a great, great person,” said Shuttleworth.
During his time at Harker, Hufnagl commuted to his job from Oakland each day, just one example of his remarkable dedication to teaching. “In one of my last conversations with him, he said that he felt great pride in being part of this institution and in seeing the students excel the way they do while at Harker and after Harker,” said Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs. “Knowing that he even had a small part in the students’ success filled him with great pride.”
A Caring Bridge page has been set up for people to leave dedications, and several Harker alumni have posted remembrances of their former teacher. “As a former student, he filled my heart with love for a subject I never thought I could love,” said Edward Sheul ’16.
Sahana Narayanan ’16, who is studying at the New England Conservatory for her master’s in jazz voice, said, “In my formative years, you modeled a contemplative life of endless artistic and spiritual self-inquiry. Thank you for your kindness and time.”
Those wishing to make a donation in Hufnagl’s honor have been asked to support Cancer Support San Francisco Bay Area and the Swiss Cancer League. A celebration of Hufnagl’s life is planned for Friday, Oct. 15, at 5 p.m. at the Lake Chalet Seafood Bar and Grill, located at 1520 Lakeside Dr. in Oakland. As space is limited, attendees are encouraged to RSVP by emailing juero@att.net.
It’s been a busy several days for Harker alumni athletes. Golfer Maverick McNealy ’13, pursuing his first PGA win, took second place at the Fortinet Championship over the weekend with a score of -18, just behind winner Max Homa. Current Harker golfer Allison Yang, grade 9, met McNealy before competition on Sunday. “She wished him good luck and [told him] to play Harker smart,” said Harker golf coach Ie-Chen Cheng. “Allison was stoked that Maverick took the time out to talk to her.”
Meanwhile, Emily Cheng ’20 helped MIT women’s volleyball win the MIT Invitational on Sept. 11. Also playing in that event was Ashley Jezbec ’20, who played for Bowdoin College. Cheng was named the MVP event with 47 assists and 14 digs.