Big Man on Campus

Three hundred words. That was the most Victor Wang had written for an English essay prior to arriving on campus. Nobody would have ever guessed that he would someday become the editor-in-chief of the oldest preparatory school newspaper in the nation. His hard work and perseverance throughout every aspect of his life exemplify the ideals that every Exonian wishes to achieve. For this, he has earned admiration and respect across campus.Although Wang has many accomplishments under his belt, he remains modest and readily attributes much of his success to his peers. “I was really influenced by the upperclassmen in my dorm as a prep,” Wang said. “We had two editor-in-chiefs as well as many other board members. They helped to shape how I viewed the paper.”With English as his second language, Wang faced multiple challenges early in his time writing for The Exonian and even quit at one point during his Lower year. However, with the support of his peers, Wang steadily improved his writing and earned the position of editor-in-chief.“It’s such a valuable lesson that I have learned from the experience of falling down and getting back up. Even if I didn’t get editor-in-chief, my experience in The Exonian would still have been a valuable life lesson for me,” he said.Although Wang claims that the quality of his writing revealed his inexperience, senior and former sports editor of The Exonian Nikhil Chuchra explained that what Wang lacked in writing skills, he made up for with a dedication that exceeded that of his fellow writers.“During our underclassmen years, it always astounded me how hard of a worker and how well Victor wrote when it came to Exonian articles,” Chuchura said. “While most of us were taking on 2-3 articles a week it was common for Victor to take double or triple that workload. He didn't take any of these articles lightly, and the articles that he wrote improved week after week.”English instructor and advisor of The Exonian Erica Plouffe Lazure commented on her time with Wang while he was the editor-in-chief. “As editor, Victor brought much needed leadership to our newsroom. We met or beat deadline nearly every week, and the writers and editors working under him did their best to meet his expectations,” she said.Lazure was appreciative of Wang’s ability to be an effective leader while maintaining a relaxed persona in the office. “He is good natured—I think the cover of the April Fool's Issue proves that—and he, along with his executive board, did their best to up the quality and structure of the newspaper,” she said.Senior and former news editor Shannon Hou also emphasized Wang’s ability to lead the paper with dedication and efficiency. “Victor is a fabulous journalist and writer. He’s great to work with,” Hou said. “As an editor-in-chief, Victor always had a level head and was able to clearly communicate how he wanted to produce our pages and the paper.”Although many associate Wang with his time at The Exonian, his accomplishments cover a diverse range of activities. He is a proctor in Ewald, co-head of the Diversity Council, and skilled in the Classics, to name a few.He began studying classics his prep year, and it has since become one of his greatest passions. Several fellow classics scholars commented on Wang’s strength as a student inside the classroom.“Victor is unique, in that a certain sense of casualness and detachment pervade every comment,” senior Angus Gorman said. “He is the one student that leaves everything on the table; he doesn't care if he's right or wrong, and he's also exceptionally intelligent.”“My fondest memories of Victor come through the Classics Department and our constant struggle for success in Latin and Greek. Victor's success in Latin and Greek show how great of a student he actually is,” Chuchura said. “All in all, I would describe him as an academic specimen.”Although The Exonian and classics are two areas in which Wang is arguably most invested, dorm-life has been the crux of his time in Exeter.“My experience at Exeter would be very different if I didn’t live in Ewald. I think that’s the most thankful thing I have about Exeter—being part of Ewald. It really is more than a dorm, it's like a family,” Wang said.“Ewald has shaped my perspective on Exeter. It has the reputation of an outsider and is so apart from being an Exonian. I am an Ewalder and that has a different connotation from being an Exonian purley. It gives me and other people in the dorm a different perspective on what it means to be an Exonian.”Regarding Wang’s dorm life, past and previous members of Ewald readily shared their experiences with Wang.Modern language instructor and dorm head of Ewald Hall, Fermin Perez-Andreu, commented on Victor’s adaptation to life in the dorm and how he quickly became a well-liked member of the dorm.“When Victor arrived to Ewald as a prep, he connected right away with all the older students,” Perez-Andreu said. “They loved him and I can see why. Victor is very easy to relate to and is somebody who appreciates other people’s sense of humor.”Former dorm mate Andrew Seo ‘13 said that his favorite quality about Wang is his loyalty, noting the time Wang spoke for a dorm mate in a DC case. “Seeing him speak as a student friend for someone who got DC'd just really showed how much he cares about the people he is close to,” Seo said.Cade Margus ‘13 also explained that Wang’s loyalty is the quality in which he most appreciates and admires. He shared that it was he who Wang spoke for in the disciplinary case. “While he’s an amazing leader, he's also a loyal friend at a more personal level,” Margus said. “He committed himself to defending me when I made mistakes and got into trouble last year and for that, I'm eternally grateful.”According to Wang, moments like these were the hardest for him during his Exeter career, but he emphasized that these moments also were what helped him grow as an individual and a friend.“Being part of Ewald, I have experienced many highs and lows at Exeter and some of the lows are lots of my friends getting DC cases and some of them getting kicked out. I think that’s one of the toughest adversities we have to deal with at Exeter and by chance, I think Ewald is one of the dorms that has experienced it more,” he said.“I think the best way to honor the memories of those who have been kicked out is to never forget about them and to always cherish them as successes and friends instead of failures of Exeter and also to honor their memories and not make the same mistakes as they did and to appreciate your own Exeter education and help the rest of your dorm get back on their feet,” he added.Upper Mason Polk added that Wang has been a leader to all and a valuable friend in the dorm.“Through all the stress of living and being a student here at Exeter, Victor has managed to come out alive and helped many, me included, along the way. As someone who I look up to and someone who has changed my experience for the better, I recommend getting to know him.”