Mrs. Reyes

For over 25 years, Community Service Coordinator Elizabeth Reyes has dedicated her career to guiding communities and individuals alike. Whether her work called for generating awareness among disadvantaged groups in Africa or establishing opportunities for empowering youth, Reyes has utilized her passion for service to drive improvements throughout many demographics.

This passion for service was first kindled after college when she served with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Reyes worked in a variety of capacities, specifically targeting inner-city children and teens, to help them envision a better future for themselves. Reyes’ field of work emphasized bridging the gap between potential and basic resources necessary for success.

With many years in the United States under her belt, Reyes grew interested in development overseas and joined the Peace Corps. She was sent to Namibia to train teachers in a nearby college. Yet, the experience proved to be even more beneficial for herself. “After two years I returned home having learned so much more from the community in which I lived than I could have ever taught them,” Reyes said.

“I can say with certainty that Mrs. Reyes is the backbone of ESSO. She works hard to think about every aspect of each club and event and makes sure that everything runs smoothly."

On campus, Reyes works with students looking to get involved and help others in the community with the Academy’s Social Service Organization (ESSO). Reyes referred to working with the board as  a “ privilege.”  Members learn from one another, always thinking of ways to build opportunities for expanding involvement of non sibi. She often finds the highlight of her week when working with the student board as there are many new, uplifting stories to be shared.

“Ms. Reyes has always been a very supportive figure for everyone on the board. ESSO not only helps the community but fosters student leadership. Ms. Reyes truly focuses on each and every one of us, helping us gain leadership capabilities that will not only be used here, at Exeter, but in the future as well,” On-Campus Coordinator upper Jackson Parell said.

ESSO co-President and senior Sarah Brown remembered how welcoming Reyes was when the new board was decided and described how Reyes plays the important role of holding the entire board together.

“I can say with certainty that Mrs. Reyes is the backbone of ESSO. She works hard to think about every aspect of each club and event and makes sure that everything runs smoothly. She focuses on the positive, thinking through what we could do to make change and how we can create a large impact. She contributes to Exeter like no other. When I talk to her I know she is listening deeply to what I say,” Brown said.

Reyes additionally expressed her gratitude for what she considers to be one of the best jobs at the Academy. What she finds to be a valuable aspect of her position is the opportunity to work with students of many backgrounds and interests while also interacting with faculty and staff from a wide spread of departments. “It is never a dull moment in the ESSO office whether we are preparing for the ESSO opening Assembly, interviewing for the ESSO Board, working with the principal’s staff or collaborating with a number of departments to help Exonians be the best we can be,” she added.

To ESSO board member upper Emmett Shell, Reyes’ role on campus expands past her job description. Shell added that her dedication to ESSO is distinctively displayed through the effort she puts in to keep ESSO running smoothly on a daily basis. “It’s always been clear to me how much Ms. Reyes truly cares about ESSO; it seems like much more than a job for her,” he said.

With the ESSO board, Reyes oversees a little over 60 student clubs designed to educate students about the importance of meaningful service and how to identify service needs and impact, both positive and negative. She provides guidance and support for students to successfully offer service to the local community and student body. Reyes added, “Accountability and sustainability are two of our biggest focus points. I try to quietly teach life skills including, how to listen to others needs, make changes as needed while things develop over time and how to set up a program to be successful after they graduate.”

Parell said, “Considering ESSO is over 60 clubs, it takes someone really special to be able to run an organization effectively as big as ESSO.”

Besides her responsibilities with ESSO, Reyes taught the Senior Studies course: Social Innovation this fall. Working around the Harkness table with 11 students motivated to make a positive change has since given her new ideas and insights for her role as teacher and ESSO coordinator.

Simply put, Reyes’ contributions have been invaluable to the community. Senior and ESSO Children’s Coordinator Evan Xiang agreed.

“She’s always coming up with new ideas for ESSO to improve, so I would say that she is one of the main driving forces behind how far ESSO has come over the past few years,” Xiang said. “She’s really such a great person—I can’t see anyone else taking on her role as well as she has.”