By Claire Luo, grade 11

In late September, CareerConnect held a lunch-and-learn session, featuring Harker alumnus Ethan Agarwal ’03, founder and CEO of Aaptiv, a provider of digital fitness content. During his presentation, Agarwal discussed his journey as an entrepreneur and gave valuable advice to the students. Furthermore, he talked about how his years at Harker influenced his choices in college and career. In particular, he mentioned how valuable his relationships in high school became in his career and advised students to create meaningful connections.

Additionally, Agarwal spoke about his motivation for founding Aaptiv and what helped him overcome challenges along the way. Wanting to improve his lifestyle and make fitness available to anyone, Agarwal decided to start his company. Despite obstacles encountered, he kept pursuing his goal and remained dedicated to his mission.

Students learned a lot from Agarwal’s presentation and appreciated the experiences and pieces of wisdom that he shared. “It was really inspiring to see someone who was in the same position as us 16 years ago,” said Riya Arora, grade 10. “I found it most helpful that he related everything back to when he was in high school and how he gave us advice.”

Additionally, students appreciated Agarwal’s candidness as he talked about the ups and downs of starting a company. “He was really realistic about the process. … He also highlighted what it means to be a Harker student and face all those challenges,” remarked Amrita Pasupathy, grade 9.

In all, the event was a great success and helped students learn about the entrepreneurial experience.