'Savy' Savannah

With her deeply compassionate personality, ability to connect with individuals from all walks of life, and humorous nature, senior Savannah Gardner—a dedicated humanitarian and performer—has a vibrant presence across campus.“In a convenience store, if she were to ask the cashier how his day was, and he replied ‘good,’ the classic Savannah move would be to say, ‘Are you lying to me? Is it really good?’” senior and friend Hope Logan said. “ She is one of the most kind, extraordinarily smart people I’ve ever met. When you meet her or talk to her she genuinely listens—she’ll go that extra mile that some people won’t.”Gardner will graduate as co-head of Dramat, Cor Unum, Support the Troops, and Indaba, as well as a dedicated Student Listener, participant in Democratic Club, Gay-Straight Alliance, ESSO music lessons for kids and a DivCo board member.Dunbar dorm head Todd Hearon spoke highly of Gardner’s character and approachability. “I love Savannah’s humor, her laugh, her energy, her contagious enthusiasm, the fact she likes banjo, the way she rallies good times about her, and her loyalty to her friends. Dunbar is made a better place by her presence,” he said.Growing up in Los Angeles, California, which has the largest homeless population in the U.S, Gardner developed a deep passion for helping the homeless and raising awareness of their experiences from an early age.“It was really bizarre for me to serve homeless or low income families as if they were below you. You’re given this mindset that you’re doing them a favor, when, in actuality, that experience is meant to serve you more than it’s meant to serve them,” Gardner said of her experience working at Cor Unum Meal Center in Lawrence, MA.Gardner’s Cor Unum experience led her to spend last summer filming a documentary with fellow senior Agnes Zhu in Venice, California, which focused on the toxic relationship between the government and the homeless population. The pair personally conducted interviews with individuals in the city, including the homeless, the local government, tourists, local stakeholders, and people on the street.Gardner spoke of the variety of interview subjects in the project. “We chose to highlight this issue that is perpetuated by the people around it. The ‘houseless’ that we interviewed ranged anywhere from veterans, to the mentally disabled, to people that chose that life, to people that were sent there on a one way bus ticket,” Gardner said.The duo filmed for 10 days, sometimes waking up at 5 a.m. to interview homeless people on the beach. “We came with a narrow idea of what the issue was, but it was actually huge, and very polarized,” Zhu said. “There were people who felt that the homeless were harming the community and that they should be jailed, and there were also people who felt that they should be helped more.”Zhu said Gardner was able to connect with anyone they encountered in the community. “Whether you’re a politician or a homeless person, she’ll treat you the same, and be just as open,” she said.They will present the documentary to the Exeter community at the end of the year, and hope to also share their work with the Venice community to raise greater awareness in the area.Gardner’s passion for humanitarian service is multifaceted. Her prep year, she became a part of Support the Troops, where she saw troops off at the airport and welcomed them home. “I think it’s an aspect of life here that we don’t really cover. We don’t celebrate Memorial Day or Veterans Day. We didn’t take a time of silence on 9/11. It’s an important part of the school that is kind of forgotten,” she said.She has also influenced many through her work in Indaba and the Student Listener (StuLis) program. “I've become closer to my dorm community through StuLis, and the broader Exeter community through Indaba. Our school almost perpetuates an unhealthy mental environment, and these two clubs focus on changing that experience, one individual at a time.,” she said.Logan spoke of Gardner’s notable dedication. “When someone doesn’t want to do something, Savannah will always do it. For the clubs that she is head of, like Dramat, I always see her receiving a call or an email saying ‘I can’t do this can you do it?’ and she’ll always do it. She pulls slack in a lot of places and she really deserves the positions that she has, and is an active part of them all.”A Dramat co-head and actress, orchestra member, singer, and talented writer, Gardner has also made her mark on the Exeter arts scene.“Dramat is like a little world,” she said. “Every niche that you find here, there’s someone in that who is involved in Dramat. It’s more of a family than a lot of other clubs. I got to know seniors I never would’ve known otherwise, and it’s a chance to be on stage without the pressures of a big production.”Members praised Gardner’s ability to keep the group both laughing and focused. “She’s very competent. The great thing about Savannah is that she’s a nice person, and she has the capability to be extraordinarily funny, but she also keeps us very on top of things. At board meetings, she jokes around quite a bit, but simultaneously is making sure everything works correctly,” upper and Dramat board member Augustus Gilchrist said.Senior Nik Bergill spoke of her impressive dedication to the club. “Dramat is a massive club, and the person who leads it has to be organized, passionate, and willing to put in an absurd amount of hours behind the scenes. It’s a hard job and she does it maturely and with just the right amount of humor. I couldn't ask for a better Dramat co-head,” he said.Dramat advisor Sarah Ream echoed Bergill’s sentiment. “All board members get a voice, the cast and crew of the show under review receive specific, positive feedback, and the whole process is well organized. She leads by bringing out the best in those around her.”Gardner’s deep investment to all she does as a leader extends to the classroom as well. “I had her for her upper winter, and it was a tough class, one with a quiet dynamic,” English instructor Ralph Sneeden said. “I couldn’t tell if people weren’t doing the work, or if they were just being bashful, but Savannah was in class every day just soldiering through some of the very challenging literature we were reading. She’s got such an unpretentious way about her, and always sets a great example,” he said.Gardner spoke of her positive experience with the Exeter community service program. “We have no required community service, and the fact that a huge percentage of the school opts out of it is hard to watch,” she said. “I wish that everyone could have the experiences that I’ve had in Cor Unum or in Support the Troops or teaching someone voice lessons. Those are the things you just wish you could pass on.”“I would have never known that I had such an interest in the military and international relations if I hadn’t gone to that one Support the Troops meeting my prep year on a whim,” she added. “There are way too many opportunities here to close yourself off.”