Chandler Jean-Jacques
Every week, four-year senior Chandler Jean-Jacques sits down in the WPEA broadcasting booth to co-host her eclectic show, Chandora’s Box. As she discusses humorous articles and Buzzfeed quizzes, listeners are drawn in by her vivacious personality and easygoing nature. Jean-Jacques’ natural individuality shines out in her famous pair of sparkly silver Converse shoes as she walks all around campus, leading Exonians in everything from sports to social justice.
Upon her arrival to Exeter, Jean-Jacques quickly discovered that she had a passion for activism and current events. Since her prep year, she has been a member of the Afro-Latinx Exonian Society (ALES) and Woke, a club which explores the intersectionality of feminism. Her interest in advocacy grew substantially after she became a member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK) Committee her upper year. “[MLK Committee] made me start thinking more about how I could impact my community through organizational efforts,” she said. Her endeavors to promote social change on and off campus have led her to become a cohead of Woke, a board member of the dialogue-centered magazine Unite and a member of the the Equal Justice Initiative Thanksgiving break trip this past fall.
Jean-Jacques bolsters her commitment to social activism by keeping up with current events. After finishing the U.S. history sequence her upper year, she was looking for a way to apply her new knowledge to current events. She was able to further explore the news through the class American Politics and Public Policy with History Instructor William Jordan. “I really enjoyed that class because we got to talk about U.S. policy in U.S. history in a more nuanced way and apply it to current day situations,” she said.
Jean-Jacques loves to have these conversations outside of the classroom as well. “One of the reasons I like Exeter is because the people here are willing to have conversations about different topics, whether that be news or current events or just what we are learning about in class,” she said.
In fact, these conversations led to a friendship with fellow senior Malobika Syed. Syed and Jean-Jacques met in an English class lower year and got to know each other through their discussions. “Our discussions in class eventually blossomed into a friendship,” Syed said. “Our discussions during meal times are always iconic.”
Jean-Jacques’ ability to connect with others can also be seen in her athletic prowess. As the captain of both the girls’ varsity lacrosse and squash teams, she aims to bring her teammates closer together while helping them hone their skills. Her advice comes from a place of experience since Jean-Jacques has played lacrosse, her main sport, for twelve years. “I would say that, throughout my years of lacrosse, the four years at Exeter have been the best with lacrosse so far,” she said. “I really appreciate how not only the coaches, Ms. Breen and Mr. Hayes, have been supportive, but people on the team have been much more supportive compared to past teams that I have been on.”
Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Christina Breen praised Jean-Jacques’ leadership abilities, and the growth she has seen in Jean-Jacques since prep year. “Chandler joined the team as a prep when she was reserved and quiet––more willing to observe than to chime into the action,” Breen said. “Now, she is front and center with all team events, both on the field and off.” Most of all, Breen said, “Chandler leads by example.”
Lower Marymegan Wright, a dormmate and lacrosse teammate of Jean-Jacques, noted Jean-Jacques’ contribution to the team as a valuable player and supportive captain. “Chandler always works as hard as she can in practice, and she’s very supportive of all of her teammates,” Wright said. “She always has great advice to offer and is such an approachable person that you can really go up and ask her about anything.”
Fellow lacrosse captain and senior Bella Hillman emphasized the impact of Jean-Jacques’ positive energy as well as her innate ability to “always lift up the people around her.”
Dormmate and senior Isadora Kron also praised Jean-Jacques’ hard work and dedication for their weekly radio show. “She is always prepared for the show and works really hard to make sure it goes well, and her sense of humor makes it fun for me as her co-host to participate as well,” Kron said. “When we do Chandora’s Box, it always just feels like an hour spent hanging out with Chandler, one of my closest friends, not like the radio show that it actually is.”
Although Kron has known Jean-Jacques since her prep year, she believes that Jean-Jacques’ good-natured personality has not changed. “I think that she is one of the most positive, exciting people at Exeter. You can tell that she is excited because it comes across in everything about her,” she said. “The excitement she gives off is very tangible, and I think that she makes the people around her happy with her presence.”