Senior of the Year: Emilia Kniestedt

By ANGELA HE ‘27

Originally from San Antonio, TX, Emilia Kniestedt serves as student council co-secretary as well as a member of the community conduct committee. She was born in Mexico in Monterey, and has been living in San Antonio since she was in the fourth grade. Previously, she ran on the track team as well as played on the field hockey team. She is one of the New Hampshire Teen Poet Laureates who organizes poetry events in NH.

Growing up in northern Mexico, Kniestedt found community and comfort within her close-knit family. As the daughter of a young single mother, Kniestedt was raised by her grandparents, mother, aunt and uncle in the small town of Monterrey. Though different, their arrangement provided Kniestedt with unconditional support. In Kniestedt ‘s words “just because something is unconventional, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t special.”

At age 10, Kniestedt’s life took an unexpected turn. With her father absent from her life, she and her mother made the difficult choice to immigrate to the United States, where Kniestedt’s mother had recently remarried. Leaving behind the only home she had ever known, as well as the tight-knit family network that had helped raise her, was an immense transition.  “I almost had a second set of parents that were my grandparents and then also my mom and her brother,” Kniestedt said.

When Kniestedt’s stepfather adopted her in 2017, he vowed to provide opportunities they never had. This prompted their move to Texas. “Moving away and removing myself from that situation where it was so close to me, longing for and being nostalgic for that, really shaped how I look for different ways to compensate for that.”

“My step-dad didn't go to college and my mom attended college in Mexico, then worked when she was really young to support our family. She was around 24 at that time. My grandfather also worked extremely hard because we were a big family in one house,” Kniestedt said. “I grew up in an environment where the people around me came from humble backgrounds and worked really, really hard in order to excel as best as they could. And so when I moved to the U.S. and came to Exeter, I felt the need to compensate for the opportunities that my parents, my grandparents, and the family before me were not given.”

Through these sacrifices, Kniestedt strived to become the best version of herself, with support for her to access the best education possible. When first learning of boarding schools from her field hockey teammate, Kniestedt recognized their potential to fulfill this dream. “I looked more into Exeter, into boarding school, and it seemed like a really great fit for me. Applying to Exeter and being able to go here has definitely allowed me to do just what my younger self wanted: to have a space full of people that would encourage me, where I could be who I wanted to become and continue whatever I wanted to pursue.”

“I was really hungry for more. I felt like boarding school was the perfect scenario where I could go hunting for something bigger,” Kniestedt remarked.

Coming into Exeter, Kniestedt began with a strong mindset. “I need to do them justice—my parents and all the people that came before me have worked so hard and have sacrificed so much for me to be here, at Exeter and in the U.S.,” she said. “When my step-dad adopted me, he constantly reminded me, “I'm not just your stepfather. I'm your dad and I'm going to give you the best opportunities possible.”

At Exeter, Kniestedt has found community through athletics. She began playing field hockey and running track in middle school. While always considering herself “very clumsy,” Emilia loved supporting her teammates and found motivation through their success.

Through these teams, she has experienced an unparalleled level of competition, coaching, and friendship. “The sense of community and collaboration here is really, really unique. Being able to be a part of different teams and student groups throughout my time here has been so transformative,” she said.

Field hockey coach Samantha Fahey remarked, “I have never seen Emilia not smiling. Everything she does she puts her best foot forward and comes with an open attitude. She is extremely kind to her classmates and is always willing to listen to help.”

In the realm of academics, Kniestedt talked about her love for Exeter English classes: “Exeter exposed me to a radical way of thinking and taught me to reach beyond the surface, beyond what a regular English or History class would teach you. Especially when we would get to read poetry; I remember those were always really profound conversations that I felt so passionate about.”

However, English was not the only subject that caught Kneidstdt’s attention. “Over time, I developed a love for history that I'd never had before. Actually, I used to hate history. Oh my goodness, I never would have thought that I would ever develop this passion, but now it's something that I'm even considering majoring in in college. Writing my 333 was definitely an integral part of my learning and growth at Exeter. It genuinely solidified my understanding of what I'm passionate about.”

Even more, an integral part of Kniestedt’s Exeter career was the epistemology class she took. “Take Epistemology! It will change the way you think about the world around you,” she suggested enthusiastically. “That class forced me to think about the way I think, which is extremely difficult. Epistemology was probably the most difficult class and the most rewarding class that I've taken at Exeter. Even now, the ways that I go through my life every day have been permanently altered by Dr. Hofheinz’s wisdom.”

Another significant aspect of Kniestedt ‘s journey at Exeter has been her active involvement in affinity spaces and clubs such as LAL, LES, and the Feminist Union. These spaces provided Kniestedt with a platform to engage with individuals who were proud of their cultural identities and stories. Through her participation in these clubs, Emilia not only found a sense of community but also discovered her voice and the power of using it to advocate for important issues both on and off campus.

In particular, Kniestedt’s dedication to the Feminist Union stands out as a defining aspect of her time at Exeter. Starting from her prep year in the club to her senior year as a co-head, Kniestedt remained committed to having these meaningful discussions and advocating for change. “From the beginning, I felt like Feminist Union was one of those spaces where I didn't have to push myself or I didn't have to overcome a fear to use my voice and to talk and be heard. That was a space where I knew people valued what I had to say,” she said.

One notable event that left a profound impact on Kniestedt was the Vanity Fair protest, where student leaders from various clubs came together to address issues of sexual assault and institutional response at Exeter. “Slowly, I started hearing about these bigger issues that I was shielded from when I was at home. I think Exeter exposes you to a lot of difficult, important things.” This experience served as a reality check for Kniestedt, emphasizing the importance of standing up for what is right and actively working towards a safer and more inclusive community.

Kniestedt also found a sense of purpose in her participation in the Community Conduct Committee and Student Council. Joining CCC in her lower year and continuing her involvement through her upper years, Emilia saw the committee as an opportunity to directly assist students who may have been facing challenges or made mistakes.

Explaining her genuine wish to help, Kniestedt said, “I know that it can be a stressful environment for some more than others. Especially as someone who used to be much quieter in my first two years here. It can be so difficult to advocate for yourself and to really speak up for yourself. On the committee, I felt that I could serve as a voice for students that had made a mistake. I just wanted to advocate for others, to give students a voice, and to help the teachers on the committee truly listen to the students meeting with them.”

When running for Student Council co-secretary, motivated by her experiences on CCC and a desire to address perceived inequalities in the disciplinary process, Kniestedt took on the challenge of advocating for CCC reform within the framework of Stuco. “here are a lot of things in the system that seemed incorrect to me, that I couldn't necessarily change as just a student member on the CCC. I believed that the CCC reform I could do in student council could really be really important to me. During cases when the committee realized that there was an underlying mental health issue at hand, they just brushed it off to the side because the committee doesn't necessarily have a proper protocol for how to handle mental health situations. I wanted to change that.”

“I wanted to improve Exeter in as many ways as possible, even if they were really small. This place has given so much to me, and that’s the best way that I can think of giving back,” she said.

And what has Exeter given Kniestedt that she so dearly appreciates? To begin, the people she met were one of the biggest things. “Exeter alumni that are now in college were my mentors when I was going through Exeter,” she shared. “Janessa Vargas, who graduated two years ago, was one of those people that I had met at LAL and fem club that I really looked up to. I try to embody all that she has taught me about letting my voice be heard and giving power to other stories that need to be heard. I look up to Janessa like an older sister. She is one of those people that I look up to and think “that's who I want to be.”

Another memorable figure in Kniestedt’s exeter career was her proctor, Anjali Ferri. “Anjali lived next door to me and she was one of my best friends. I remember for weeks after the car crash, I would go into Anjali’s room and I would just lay on her couch or do my homework with her. Every time, she would be there for me and listen. And I knew she was often busy and stressed out, but she still made time for me, to listen to me and to care for me.”

“The kindness people have shown me while I've been at Exeter, through my ups and downs, taught me so much about the person that I want to become,”  Kniestedt said. 

As a friend, upper Natalia Ulbin described Kniestedt as “one of the most genuine people you meet. You always feel comfortable when you are around her. I admire her ability to listen and support you when in need.”

Senior Allegra Reza couldn’t agree more. “Emilia was the light, the sun, in a way that everyone was attracted to her with her smile and warm personality. When I first met her, what really struck me was how happy she was, and how happy the people around her were.”

As Kniestedt would say, “My spirit animal is a koala. I always just want to go and hug people and be close to my friends. I do that a lot, actually.”

“In the end, I think that the essence is resilience,” she reflected. “And I don't think that was something that I understood when I came to Exeter. At first, I thought I had to come here and be the best. I was driven, but it was very unrealistic. Over my years at Exeter, I've learned that it's so much more than that. It doesn't just boil down to how you did in a class. It's about how Exeter teaches you how to push through and stay standing.”

In one word, Kniestedt described her Exeter experience as irreplaceable: “I like to think about who I was in my first months here, and how I only have a few months left now.  This experience has changed me so much and I really wouldn't trade anything for it. Even as frustrating or difficult as it has felt at times, it's a culmination of so many small steps that has just transformed me. It's been very, very evolutionary, and for that reason, I wouldn't replace it for anything.”

When asked about what she wishes to see herself pursuing in the future, she talked about passions for reading and literature, as well as becoming a lawyer. “In the future, I would love to be a writer,” she said. “I would love to put out my own collection of poetry or to write a book. I'd love to be a lawyer and advocate for justice in that role.”

Though in the beginning, this didn’t start off as such a clear goal. “I felt like so many people around me knew what they wanted to do and knew who they were, but I didn't. I came to Exeter so that I could figure out what I love doing. I had a lot of random outlets that were available to me that I knew I liked, but I hadn't chosen a specific path that I wanted to take. My time at Exeter has allowed me to evolve as a thinker and as a learner in order to be better prepared to know what I want to do in the future,” Kniestedt said. 

Beyond career choices, Kniestedt talked about the legacy she wants to leave behind. “I hope to be someone that people remember,” she reflected. “For even just one person to remember me for the way I made them feel. I feel like there are so many kind things that people at Exeter have done for me in the past that I still remember. So I want to give that same experience to others.”