In one of its best-attended years to date, the Harker Research Symposium attracted about 800 visitors from across the Harker community to recognize the school’s dedication to the sciences and encourage sustainable lifestyles and policies.
Sustainability was the main theme of this year’s event, which fittingly began with upper school vocal groups Cantilena and Camerata performing J. David Moore’s “We Belong to the Earth” under the direction of music teacher Susan Nace. The first keynote speaker was Max Holmes, deputy director and senior climate scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, whose talk detailed how the behavior of rivers around the world can offer insight into global climate change.
Sustainability themes also were prevalent at the exhibitors area at the Nichols Hall atrium, which remained a popular attraction throughout the day. A student-run booth detailing the ways in which people can make their lives more environment-friendly greeted visitors as they walked through the front doors of Nichols Hall, alongside booths showcasing marine life, new technologies and the crucial role bees play in our daily lives (as well as the dangers presented by their decreasing populations).
At the Nichols Hall auditorium, a panel of Harker graduates shared their career retrospectives, including how their time at Harker influenced their trajectories and crucial lessons learned through their experiences. “Your career path is going to be windy and you’re going to be meeting a ton of…different people along the way,” said Shephalie Lahri ’05, associate director of marketing and reimbursement at the genetic testing company Natera. “Carve your own path and make sure you have the right advocates and champions,” she advised. The Nichols Hall rotunda was also busy, as upper school students at the Stem Buddies stations showed young science lovers how to purify water, create a DNA helix and find microplastics in ocean water.
The auxiliary gym once again hosted middle and upper school poster presentations, as students explained and answered questions on their research on a variety of topics, including zoology, physics and social science.
Surbhi Sarna ’03 returned to the Harker Research Symposium as this year’s alumna keynote speaker, giving a talk on her journey from being a patient at the age of 13 to becoming a medical technology entrepreneur and developing a device for early detection of ovarian cancer. Her company, nVision Medical, was purchased by Boston Scientific for $275 million last April.
This year’s afternoon keynote was given by David Haussler, an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical institute and distinguished professor of biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Haussler took the afternoon audience on an “Odyssey in to the Human Genome,” examining the field of genomics and how the human genome has evolved.
From March 6-9, eight Harker upper school students joined thousands of students from around the world in New York City to participate in the National High School Model United Nations conference, the world’s largest Model United Nations conference for high school students.
Harker students represented a variety of nations in a number of specialized committees, debating international issues and trying to work to diplomatic solutions. While the conference deemphasizes awards, it does recognize several delegations for their exemplary work in research, country representation, communication and diplomacy. Seniors Logan Bhamidipaty and Helen Yang were recognized as the top delegation, as the sole recipients of the Award of Distinction, for their work representing Indonesia in their security council body.
The conference also included keynote speeches from ambassador Jonathan Cohen, acting permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations, and Anucha Browne Sanders, UNICEF’s chief engagement, advocacy and global programs officer. The students also engaged in committee sessions full of lively formal and informal debates and negotiations. For some students in specialized committees, such as the security council, this also included a middle-of-the-night crisis committee meeting.
On Saturday, March 16, more than 100 students attended BEcon, where they spent the morning exploring company booths, listening to the keynote speaker, and attending professional workshops and sHarker Tank, Harker’s own version of “Shark Tank.”
Winners of sHarker Tank are as follows:
First place: Promelle – Riya Gupta and Nishka Ayyar, both grade 12
Second place: The Minty Boutique – Mahi Kolla, grade 11
Third place: Pillbot – Johnny Wang, grade 12
Fourth place: Nanoseed – Jason Huang and Suraj Pakala, both grade 12
Students first interacted with a variety of company booths from around the Bay Area, such as Gualala Gadget, which manufactures 3D-printed marble machines, and Contrary Capital, which provides funding for student-led projects and businesses.
Afterward, students were led into the Nichols Auditorium for the keynote speaker: Yoram Bauman, the world’s only stand-up economist. Bauman performed his routine, eliciting laughter from the crowd with jokes about economists, capitalism and other topics while still educating students on various economics topics and about his efforts toward climate change legislation. Following Bauman, students transitioned to attend professional workshops on a variety of topics, including Blockchain, Business Analytics, Game Theory and Behavioral Economics. Students learned about different fields in business and economics, and developed new mindsets and skills to tackle business situations.
Students then attended the mentor luncheon, where professionals, including a number of Harker parents, from many fields ate with the students, told them about their daily lives in the workplace, and helped them build their professional networks. The mentors offered valuable business advice and answered questions posed by students.
After the lunch, the students migrated back to the auditorium for sHarker Tank, Harker’s own version of the popular TV show “Shark Tank.” The event was sponsored by venture firm Next47 and their CEO Lak Ananth. Honors Entrepreneurship students presented their companies and ideas to a panel of judges, competing for $15,000 in seed money, $10,000 of which was graciously provided by @Next47.
First to present was The Minty Boutique, which sells customizable and stylish personal planners, notebooks and more. The next company was Pillbot, an automated solution to medicine dispensing with a tamper-proof design and overdose protection. After Pillbot, Promelle gave a pitch for its mobile peer-to-peer clothing rental service. Finally, Nanoseed presented its nonprofit efforts of microfinancing loans in rural China. The winners were presented with oversized checks and met with ringing applause for their achievements!
BEcon 2019 was a success, offering students an opportunity to learn about new business and economics fields, expand their professional networks, and enjoy a Saturday morning filled with fun!
Amy Jin ’18, now attending Harvard, stopped by Harker to talk about her journey and life after high school, as well as answer questions about her path and the project that has brought her several prizes. In 2018, while still a senior, Jin was named one of five students nationwide to receive the Cutler-Bell Prize in High School Computing. She also was named a 2018 Davidson Fellow Laureate in the technology category for her project, which gives surgeons with a way to assess their technique by analyzing their movements and providing feedback on a variety of criteria, such as economy of motion and bimanual dexterity. Read more here: https://staging.news.harker.org/amy-jin-18-awarded-prestigious-davidson-fellowship-for-project-on-tracking-surgical-tools/
And here are two further articles of interest about Jin:
CareerConnect held its annual mentorship banquet in mid-March. The goal of the mentorship program is to connect students to industry professionals who can help them gain valuable insight into industries of interest to them. The program lasts from March to the beginning of fall. During that time students establish a consistent dialogue with their mentors and meet with them about three times, as well as have a workplace visit if possible. The mentorship banquet gave students the chance to meet with their mentors, discuss their interests, and complete their “cup activity,” in which students write what they want to achieve or learn from their mentor on a coffee cup and give it to the mentor to keep.
“The mentorship banquet was such a great experience. I learned so much from my mentor, and I’m excited to talk to her again to learn more about her work,” said Andrea Thia, grade 9.
Sophomore Rohan Varma noted, “This experience was really nice for me, as I was able to gain insight from an industry professional who has dabbled in several industries and expressed to me the factors that helped guide her to where she is today.”
Overall, the banquet was a great success! Students had an exciting time at the event and are looking forward to learning more and meeting their mentors again!
Harker incubator students ran pitches by Lak Ananth, CEO and managing partner of Next47, and principal Ching-Yu Hu today in preparation for the real thing this weekend. Next47 is a global venture firm, backed by Siemens, that is committed to turning today’s impossible ideas into tomorrow’s indispensable industries. The firm has supplied $10,000 in prize money for Harker’s incubator entrepreneurs, which will be awarded after they pitch at the sHarkerTank at BEcon this weekend. Ananth will be one of the investor judges at the exciting event!
The Harker speech and debate team had excellent results in all four divisions it entered at the Western JV and Novice National Championship this past weekend. The tournament, hosted by San Francisco State University on March 9-10, attracted 32 schools from three states.
In JV Lincoln-Douglas debate, Harker students set a record! Harker was the first school in the history of the tournament to have the top six finishers in any event.
Deven Shah, Akhilesh Chegu, Karoun Kaushik and Arnav Dani, all grade 9, along with Krish Mysoor and Ansh Sheth, both grade 7, closed out two quarterfinals and all of the semifinals, making them co-champions. Shah was also the top speaker in the division.
Angela Gao, grade 9, was the champion of the novice Lincoln-Douglas debate. Freshmen Ayan Nath and Dhruv Saoji were in the finals of JV public forum debate, where they lost on a close 2-3 decision. Aimee Wang and Alina Yuan, also both grade 9, were in the quarterfinals of JV public forum. As the higher seeded Harker team, they were walked over Arjun Gurjar and Kabir Buch, both grade 7. In novice public forum, Caden Lin and Vedant Kenkare, both grade 9, made it to semifinals. The tournament was also special because so many upperclassmen attended as mentors and judges. The middle school and upper school coaches were very proud of the extraordinary work of all of the students!
By Elaine Zhai, Harker DECA director of communications
Over 100 students from The Harker School DECA chapter traveled to the Anaheim Marriott to compete in the 2019 State Career Development Conference (SCDC). Harker performed respectably, with 44 teams as overall finalists and 21 top four winners.
“SCDC was a very formative experience for our chapter this year,” said Shania Wang, grade 12, Harker DECA CEO. “It was really rewarding to see so many of our freshmen place and qualify for ICDC and seeing their overall excitement. All of the attendees were able to really learn from it and, although they may not have been able to place, they scored well and really showed that everything they worked for this entire year really paid off. I think as a whole, it was a very great experience for our chapter and it was a pretty good way to end the year for most people competitively.”
Members placing in top 10 are as follows:
First Place
Michelle Si and Helen Zhu, grade 10, Marketing Management Team Decision Making Event
Second Place
Ronit Gagneja, grade 11, Automotive Services Marketing Series
Naveen Mirapuri, grade 11, Business Services Marketing Series
Radhika Jain and Allison Jia, both grade 11, Community Service Project
Sasvath Ramachandran, grade 9, Personal Financial Literacy
Rishab Parthasarathy, grade 9, Principles of Finance
Rohan Varma, grade 10, Principles of Marketing
Third Place
Thomas Rainow, grade 11, Automotive Services Marketing Series
Aditya Singhvi, grade 10, Business Finance Series
Andrea Thia, grade 9, Entrepreneurship Business Growth Plan
Mahi Kolla, grade 11, Entrepreneurship Individual Series
Fourth Place
Claire Luo, grade 10, Business Finance Series
Jacqueline Au and Stephanie Shen, both grade 10, Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making Event
Nishka Ayyar and Riya Gupta both grade 12, Business Growth Plan
Enya Lu and Shania Wang, both grade 12, Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making
Rishi Dange, grade 11, Financial Consulting Event
Arvin Nidadavolu and Sujith Pakala, grade 9, Finance Operations Research Event
Pranav Varmaraja, grade 9, Principles of Business Management and Administration
Tina Zhong, grade 9, Principles of Finance
Radhika Jain, grade 11, Quick Serve Restaurant Management Series
Aditi Ghalsasi and Allison Jia, both grade 11, Travel and Tourism Marketing Team Decision Making Event
Fifth Place
Nishka Ayyar and Riya Gupta, both grade 12, Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making Event
Michelle Si, grade 10, Entrepreneurship Franchise Business Plan
Sayon Biswas and Suraj Pakala, both grade 12, Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making
Ronit Gagneja, grade 10, and Enya Lu and Shania Wang, both grade 12, Learn Earn Project
Sinaya Joshi, grade 9, Principles of Marketing
Sixth Place
Rishi Dange, grade 11, Accounting Applications Series
Anay Karwal, grade 11, Automotive Services Marketing Series
Ishaan Chandra and Mahi Kolla, both grade 11, Entrepreneurship Promotion Plan
Clarice Wang, grade 9, Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
Eighth Place
Andrew Sun, grade 10, Business Finance Series
Luisa Pan, grade 10, Financial Consulting Event
Andrea Thia, grade 9, Principles of Business Management and Administration
Sidharth Dudyala and Anay Karwal, both grade 11, Public Relations Project
Thomas Rainow, grade 11, Professional Selling Event
Lisa Barooah and Anvitha Tummala, both grade 10, Travel and Tourism Marketing Team Decision Making Event
Ninth Place
Bryan Zhang, grade 10, Finance Operations Research Event
Phil Han, grade 11, Hotel and Lodging Management Series
Fonda Hu and Anvitha Tummala, both grade 10, Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research Event
Dhruv Saoji, grade 9, Principles of Business Management and Administration
Elaine Zhai, grade 10, Professional Selling Event
Competitive events began early on Friday morning, and teams made use of the leisure time before their competitive events to practice and receive some last-minute feedback from their officers and mentors.
After finishing their role-play event, members were given the rest of the day to explore Anaheim, visit Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm, or stay in the hotel to prepare for their written event the next day.
Early Saturday morning, all participants then competed in their respective written events until 4 p.m., and students then had some free time before the chapter reassembled. Members could visit Downtown Disney or grab some dinner and relax. The chapter reconvened at 6 p.m. for the Mini Awards. In total, with a number of teams staging for their role-plays and the test scores in their events, the event was a huge success for Harker DECA.
Furthermore, throughout the weekend, all participants were required to attend two workshops and participate in the Protégé examination, where many of our competitors placed and were recognized on stage. These students were Rishi Dange, grade 11; Michelle Si, grade 10; Karan Bhasin, grade 10; Ishaan Parate, grade 9; Suraj Pakala, grade 12; Gigi Chan, grade 9; Dhruv Saoji, grade 9; Arun Sundaresan, grade 11; Stephanie Shen, grade 10; Richard Hu, grade 11; Vishnu Jaisim, grade 11; Shomrik Mondal, grade 11; Clarice Wang, grade 9; Arushi Saxena, grade 10; Allison Jia, grade 11; Nishka Ayyar, grade 12; Radhika Jain, grade 11; William Chien, grade 9; and Jason Hoang, grade 10. Workshops covered topics from productivity to communication skills, and members were able to gain more experience and practice in business and entrepreneurship from seasoned professionals on top of their competitive events.
“I attended a workshop about confidence and found the speaker incredibly engaging and interactive,” said Vienna Parnell, grade 9. “He provided realistic and helpful tips on improving speaking skills, and I’m excited to apply this new knowledge to DECA and my academic life.”
Afterward, California DECA offered entertainment in the DECA activity room, including a dance, arcade games and several stations. Participants could network with students from schools throughout California to build and strengthen their networks.
On Sunday morning, the Grand Awards began, and Harker DECA performed respectably, sending 44 teams to the stage.
“States this year was really fun, and I had a great time competing and spending time with my friends,” said Mirapuri. “I’m really glad that my work paid off and I got top 10 in both my events. I’m super excited for ICDC [International Career Development Conference]!”
In preparation for States, Harker DECA held weekly study sessions in the Innovation Center, where students were able to practice their role-plays in front of an officer, receive live feedback for their written events, and take mock exams to hone their skills and perform to the best of their capabilities.
“I had a lot of fun at states this year! I’m really proud of [me and ] my partner for all that we achieved, and the work that we put in throughout the school year really showed in this conference,” said Zhu. “I’m looking forward to attending future conferences and continuing DECA for the next few years.”
After the Grand Awards, Lu, VP of Silicon Valley DECA, announced the termination of her service and reflected on her experience. “States was a really nice ending to my state officer team. I’ve learned to look at it is as something I’ve completed, not something that I’ve lost. I’m really proud of Harker DECA, and I love that they cheer on every Harker competitor.”
Overall, SCDC for 2018-19 was an enormous success and a rewarding experience for all Harker DECA competitors and officers. From this competitive conference, all participants gained useful preparation skills for the upcoming States competition and left feeling accomplished and inspired to continue with their DECA journey.
To prepare for the International Career Development Conference in April, Harker DECA will hold individual practice sessions with advisor Juston Glass. With the conference being held in Orlando, Fla., attendees will have the opportunity to face strong competitors from all across the world! Stay tuned for more updates about ICDC.
“This year’s SCDC was a perfect way to finish the 2018-2019 competitive season,” said Juston Glass, Harker DECA chapter advisor. “I am extremely proud of all of our members and the effort that they have put into their events and DECA these past few months. With ICDC only weeks away, I am so excited to see students prepare and grow as competitors. Go Harker DECA!”
About The Harker School DECA Harker DECA is an International Competitive Business Organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Our DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.
CareerConnect was given the opportunity to bring nine female students to the 2019 Watermark Conference for Women under the Young Women’s Program. The conference gave students the opportunity to listen to lauded keynote speakers, network with professionals and learn about different companies’ initiatives.
As part of the interactive opportunities of the conference, students got a chance to attend two workshops. The first workshop was centered on community change and was led by Krista Suh, one of the creators of the Pussyhat Project. The second workshop was led by Kati Mortin, a therapist and YouTuber, who discussed adolescent mental health.
Students also were able to hear from inspiring keynote speakers, including Gloria Steinem, Brené Brown, Amanda Southworth, Whitney Wolfe Herd and Serena Williams, who discussed their experiences as women in the workplace and the changes they are making in different industries.
“Seeing all these empowering women inspired me to stand up for what I believe in and speak with confidence as a woman,” commented freshman Andrea Thia. “Learning from each individual’s speaking style and wisdom was such a unique experience.”
Junior Tiffany Zhao expressed that Watermark “showed me that I am not alone in my aspirations for female empowerment in the workplace. This is an issue that has troubled me for very long, and this experience has made me realize that I have an entire community of strong and capable women fighting to solve this issue alongside me. Ultimately, this experience has given me hope, optimism and faith that women’s current role in the workplace will change for the better.”
Overall, students had a fantastic and educational time at Watermark and came back with lessons on how to take initiative in their own career pursuits.
Last week, the lacrosse team opened up its 2019 season with a 19-11 win over visiting Willow Glen. The Eagles host Newark on Monday and Mountain View on Wednesday.
Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team went 2-0 last week to kick off the season as it defeated Homestead 3-0 and Cupertino 3-0. The Eagles host Branham on Tuesday in their home-opener, then travel to Mountain View on Wednesday and Lynbrook on Friday.
Baseball
The baseball team opened its season with a 26-0 win over San Jose High. Big games from every Eagle, but Nick Coulter, grade 10, led the way with four hits, four runs and four RBIs. The Eagles travel to Prospect on Wednesday and Oak Grove on Friday.
Boys Golf
The boys golf team opened its season with a 184-265-275 win over The King’s Academy and Crystal Springs Uplands. Aditya Tadimeti, grade 10, and Jaimin Bhagat, grade 11, tied for medalist honors, each shooting a 36. The boys head to Livermore this Wednesday to compete at the Cowboy Classic.
Boys Tennis
The boys tennis team officially gets the season started on Monday as it hosts Nueva before hosting The King’s Academy on Tuesday and traveling to Sacred Heart Prep on Thursday.
Softball
The softball team gets its season going on Tuesday as it travels to Gunderson, before its home-opener on Thursday against Notre Dame Belmont, and then it’s back on the road on Friday to face off with Cupertino.
Track and Field
The track and field team will be off and running on March 13 as it opens the season with the first WBAL meet of the year at Sacred Heart Prep.
Swim
The Harker swim team begins its season traveling to the Palo Alto Invitational this Friday.
Boys Soccer
Last week, the boys soccer team’s season came to an end as it fell to King City High 4-1 in the semifinals of the D4 CCS playoffs. Congrats on a great season!