Stepping Into Victor's Shoes
A group of students, wearing black shirts with red bold printed words that read “Outkast,” steps onto the Assembly Hall stage greeted with a thunderous applause. As the crowd’s cheer quiets down, senior Victor Garcia stands at the center of the stage and prepares to commence the step performance.
Garcia has been an active member of Outkast, an all male step group of the Academy, performing with the club for three consecutive years since his lower year. He explained that being part of Outkast has developed into one of his most important activities, because it helped him get rid of his initial shyness when he arrived to Exeter; however, his passion encompasses so much more.
Since his prep year at Exeter, Garcia has participated in various clubs including PEAN, the school’s yearbook, in which he served as a senior page editor, and ALES, the Afro Latino Exonian Society, for which he was the president. He has always been an experimental adventurous student, exploring all areas of extra curricular activities as well as the courses offered in Exeter.
“Being at Exeter, I have tried to take advantage of everything the academy offers, and I’ve taken advice from people to step out of my comfort zone,” Garcia explained. “I did mock trial to work on public speaking, football step to grow more confident, and other activities similar to that.”
His explorative nature was especially recognizable during his lower year, when Garcia participated in a term abroad program in Costa Rica.
“Thanks to Exeter, that was a total out of the box experience. Living in rural Costa Rica with no technology and a blaring dry season for 3 months was an amazing experience, and I totally loved it,” Garcia said. “I came back to Exeter with a clear mind and I was just ready to take on the next step.”
Shanae Dixon, senior and friend of Garcia, commented on Garcia’s adventurous personality, which she described as one of his greatest strengths.
“He is very open and up to try new things which makes him very fun to be around,” Dixon said. “For example, we tried hot yoga, something we both never tried before or knew anything about, for the first time this year and loved it. I love that Victor rarely says no and is up to try anything at least once.”
Along with his diverse extracurricular activities, Garcia has been actively involved in athletics as well. He has been a member of the boys’ junior varsity football team and for three years, has been a shotput and discus thrower in the track team.
Another essential aspect of Garcia’s Exeter career has been dorm life. To Garcia, who has been living in Main Street Hall for four years, the dorm community not only has supported him, but also created precious memories.
Upper and dormmate Brian Byun reflected upon the three years he has spent with Garcia in the dorm, and commented on Garcia’s role as one of the proctors and an empathetic friend in the dorm. “Victor is always a calming presence in the dorm. he's really easygoing and helps me get through the day without feeling too stressed,” Byun said.
Similar to Byun, other students noted Garcia’s personable qualities and attributed his sociability to his ability to be composed in any circumstances.
Senior Crystal Clemens echoed Byun’s sentiments. “He is a natural leader. He’s never aggressive. People [just] respect him and look up to him, and I think thats what makes him a great leader,” Clemens said. “Victor is also a really outgoing person. He really makes an effort to get to know everyone.”
Although Garcia’s diverse accomplishments are impressive and admirable, his initial educational background was not auspicious.
“When I was in the fifth grade, I was accepted into a program in Seattle called Rainier Scholars, which aims to take low-income inner city minority children and put them through college,” Garcia explained. “I did two years of intense summer school and a year of after school classes. I did schooling similar to Exeter, applied for summer school and attended the 2009 summer session. I absolutely loved it, so applied for regular session and fortunately was accepted,” he added.
Since his arrival, Garcia said that Exeter has helped him grow as an individual in all facets of life. He emphasized that the most notable accomplishment he has made in Exeter, however, is the people he has grown to love in Exeter.
“The connections I have made here are amazing, and I won’t find them anywhere else and that makes me a bit sad but I am happy to have made them. And I hope they will last a lifetime. I am happy to have made them and enjoyed them while I was here. I’ve learned a lot here through academics, extracurriculars, interactions with people that have made me a better student, a better person and they really have prepared me for life and college and my future career.”
After Exeter, Garcia plans to major in political science. Currently, he is taking one of the senior English electives, titled “Law and Literature,” and explained that the course has inspired him to possibly delve into the study of law in Carleton College in Minnesota, which he will attend next year.
However, Garcia emphasized that Exeter will stay with him as a crucial turning point of his life.
“When I think about my Exeter experience, I am extremely nostalgic and I try not to think about leaving, but I think its time to move on,” Garcia said. “Although I would have done a lot of things differently, I wouldn’t change a thing about my decision to come to Exeter.”