Exonians Support Relay for Life
Upper Jasmine Liao, who volunteered to bake and sell cupcakes for Moulton House’s booth, shared Fernandez’s enthusiasm. “Personally, this fundraiser has meaning to me because I do know people with cancer,” she said. “I really hope that the money we raised that night can fund research.”
The Afro-Latinx Exonian Society (ALES) booth offered chocolate-covered pretzels and strawberries. Lower Senai Robinson, who hosted the booth, emphasized the importance of recognizing the effects of cancer. “This fundraiser has meaning to me [because] one of my close friends did suffer from breast cancer. She was able to defeat it … so every year coming to this event is very inspirational,” he said.
“The hardest thing to plan was the Luminaria service,” Cohen said. The Luminaria service consisted of a series of student performances from singers, speakers and dancers. Lower Marymegan Wright, the chair of the subcommittee, was in charge of planning and finding speakers and performers. The service started with a performance from lowers Nina Weeldreyer and Julia Dobbins, accompanied by prep and pianist Kiesse Nanor. Wright and prep Michelle Park delivered raw speeches about their personal experiences supporting loved ones against cancer, as attendees listened with candles lit in solidarity. Lower Audrey Yin and prep Shantelle Subkhanberdina moved the audience with another singing performance. Upper Kelly Mi contributed with a powerful dance.
Subkhanberdina was inspired to sing at the fundraiser by her family members’ experiences with cancer. “I think what really spurred me on was … loss and its effects close to heart, especially with the recent passing of my grandmother and godfather. I think that I really sang this song for them,” she said. She expressed gratitude for the Luminaria proceedings, in particular, crediting them with a “profound notion of community and, despite being thousands of miles away from home, a closer connection and deeper respect for my family.”
Upper Yuchen Cheng found the unity of the participants to be touching. “It’s one of the few times at Exeter you felt like everyone in the room was dedicated to the same cause and the same feeling,” Cheng said. She found people’s openness to sharing their stories and emotions to be something rare and valuable. “It’s not a common topic that we talk about on a day-to-day basis. Having a time set out, dedicated to that cause, I think, is very important,” she said.
Robinson agreed with Cheng on the importance of communication. “Having this conversation and going to an event like this is just really important and I’m just proud that Exeter made this a part of their culture,” Robinson said.
In order to honor those who have passed to cancer, luminary bags were set up in the rink for Exonians to walk around at the end of the Luminary service. “They're set up like a track with lights and bags … which have names of cancer survivors or people that have been affected by cancer in our community or that people know,” Cohen explained.
For most Exonians, Relay for Life is an opportunity to share their experiences and donate to a cause that has affected people they care about. Yuchen Cheng hosted a booth for Exeter Meets UNICEF (EMU) at the event and expressed her gratefulness for the opportunity. “The booths and performers did a wonderful job; I felt closer to this event, and it touched me deeply.”