Featured ESSOnians
Self identifying female Exonians flock to the church basement every week to paint pumpkins and sing karaoke alongside the Gals, or women with special needs. Since their prep year, seniors Miranda Hall and Maya Basak have been dedicated to Exeter Student Service Organization (ESSO) through the club Gal Pals. Because of their continued commitment to improving the club, Hall and Basak have been named ESSOnians of the Month.
The mission of Gal Pals is to facilitate a warm environment for its members, enabled by the all-female nature of the club. “Gal Pals is an awesome club where female-identifying PEA students can spend time with women who have special needs from the Seacoast area,” senior and ESSO Co-President Grace Gray said. “When we meet together, we do confidence-building exercises—we have made some pretty snazzy power poses—and talk genuinely with each other about our lives.”
Each week, the co-heads have different roles that keep the club running smoothly. Hall is in charge of notifying all external parties, like parents, of scheduling. She also helps publicize the club with adviser and Health Instructor Elizabeth Hurley. Basak plans weekly activities which range from baking cookies to drawing.
Both Basak and Hall have been involved with Gal Pals since the beginning of their Exeter careers. Each co-head has a specific passion in working with people who have disabilities. For Basak, having a relative with special needs means that the club plays an important role in her life.
Hall explained that her father’s occupation encouraged her own involvement in Gal Pals. “My dad works with special-ed kids and that work is an important part of my life,” Hall said. “For me, getting the chance to work with them and talk with them is something that is really important for people to do.”
The purpose of ESSOnian of the Month is to showcase the hard work that the organization does, according to Gray. “The ESSO Board implemented ESSOnians of the month last year to highlight Exonians who were putting their utmost work into ESSO and genuinely trying to make this world a better place with each meeting,” Gray said. “In awarding the ESSOnian of the Month, we hope to inspire other Exonians to embrace ESSO and all its possibilities of giving back.”
Senior and ESSO Co-President Jenny Yang described the process in choosing ESSOnians of the month, detailing that Hall and Basak exemplified the qualities the board was looking for. “They are good, responsible co-heads. They always send out their emails on time, and they communicate well,” Yang said. “Hall and Basak are also dedicated to the details like organizing activities or supplies. They were very involved and really took the club to the next level.”
Many attendees of the club like lower and Gal Pals member Annie Smaldone appreciate how Basak and Hall run the club. “Miranda and Maya do an awesome job of choosing activities that really get everyone involved, and at the beginning of each meeting we introduce ourselves and say something about ourselves which is a really nice ice breaker,” Smaldone said. Spanish Instructor Ellen Glassner, who joined Gal Pals this term as an adviser, was particularly impressed by Basak and Hall’s leadership. “They have everything under control,” she said. “They are responsible, reliable and, especially important for a club such as this one, approachable and caring.”
Gray reminisced about her experience in Gal Pals and spoke to the club’s impact on its participants. “Although we will only be here for four years, I know the friendships and love I’ve seen in Gal Pals will always stay with us, and that’s what makes the club so important—and all of this love is possible because of Miranda and Maya’s club leadership,” Gray said.
Smaldone shared similar sentiments to Gray, elaborating on the friendships that have grown between the Exonians and the Gals. “Mostly the same gals come every week, so Maya and Miranda have formed really good relationships with them,” she said. “Everyone is comfortable talking to the co-heads, and they’re always super excited to be there and make it a friendly atmosphere.”
Basak concluded that these relationships are vital for club members. “I think it’s important for the women to be able to gain access to a nurturing environment,” Basak said. “I hope we’re fostering a long lasting relationship. It starts in the church basement, then we get their phone number or their Facebook and it naturally blossoms into a friendship.”