A contingent of Harker’s upper school biology and journalism students joined a sell-out crowd at this year’s local YWCA luncheon, where Dr. Jane Goodall gave the keynote address to an audience of more than 1,200.

Goodall is founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and serves as a UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees, she is best known for her trailblazing studies on chimps, which resulted from the years she spent living among them in the Tanzanian jungle in the early 1960s.

The YWCA of Silicon Valley’s annual luncheon features guest speakers who serve as role models for women and girls. Held in October at the Santa Clara Convention Center, event proceeds help support the group’s much-lauded services.

Harker regularly hosts a table for upper school students who have a special passion for that year’s topic. The Harker group who attended this year’s event were senior biology students Lea Daran, Anna Levine, Sarai Rojas and Elizabeth Teng, along with journalism students Meena Chetty, grade 12, and Apoorva Rangan, grade 11. Accompanying them were Head of School Chris Nikoloff and upper school biology teacher Kate Schafer.

Each year, more than 40 companies and hundreds of individuals sponsor the YWCA’s luncheon. Past speakers have included Isabelle Allende, Gloria Steinem, Sally Ride, Janet Reno and Mary Lou Retton.

The mission of the YWCA is to empower women, children and families, and to eliminate racism, hatred and prejudice. The organization provides programs in the areas of sexual assault intervention and prevention, counseling services, domestic violence, child care, youth programs, family services, and social and racial justice.

The YWCA of Silicon Valley serves nearly 18,000 Santa Clara County residents each year, and has provided countywide services for more than 100 years. More information can be found at www.ywca-sv.org.