Alisha Simmons

Senior Alisha Simmons stands at the intersection of art and social justice. Through her commitment to activism and expression, she has left an indelible mark in her three years at the Academy.From a young age, Simmons explored a wide variety of artistic passions. “I've always been a performer—basically since birth. I started singing as soon as I could talk,” she said. On a whim, Simmons entered a local pageant at seven years old, and won the talent portion.Since then, Simmons has continued to experiment with different modes of expression. “I did the school announcements in middle school. That was my public speaking thing,” she said. “Still, I never really got the chance to be fully immersed in theater … We didn't have a drama department at my school.”Simmons arrived at Exeter determined to take full advantage of the Academy’s vast artistic and extracurricular programs. She signed up for DRAMAT, the Gender-Sexuality Alliance and a cappella on her first Club Night lower year. “Those were the three things that my old school didn't provide. I knew I wanted to do them coming in, so I dove in headfirst.”Now, Simmons participates regularly in theatrical productions, which have taught her how to empathize better with others’ experiences. “It's like a superpower. It's like shape-shifting and being able to become someone and really understand someone,” she said. “You learn how to understand this other person, tell their story. And then, once you’re on stage, it feels effortless.”Simmons is an active musician at Exeter. “I have been writing songs—that has always been my emotional outlet,” she said. “Over the summer, I wrote and produced an album, and it's one of the most personal things I've ever done. It tracks my journey to self-love.”Simmons’ twelve-track album, it’s not me, it’s u, cycles through various styles and genres to tell her story. Outside her own musical endeavors, Simmons serves as co-head of In Essence, one of Exeter’s a cappella groups.Much of Simmons’ artistic talent is rooted in her creativity and courage. “We went to Cuba and we had just gone to a salsa class earlier that morning,” senior Khine Win said. “Suddenly, we saw this band playing and Alisha said, ‘Let’s dance.’ And then we just danced, right on the street. There were a lot of tourists there, but they were all clapping for us.”Simmons uses art as more than an outlet for herself; in fact, art is the medium through which she instigates social change and shares pertinent messages with a wider audience. Recalling her first DRAMAT show, For Colored Girls by Ntozake Shange, Simmons said, “It really shaped my entire Exeter experience. It’s a play that highlights the experiences of black women... To see all of my peers with me on stage and to tell these stories was powerful.”Since then, Simmons has directed Unsilenced, acted in last year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Day play Hottentotted and performed poetry for Bullets into Bells, a recent poetry reading featuring reflections on gun violence.Upper Nahla Owens became closer to Simmons while co-starring with her in Hottentotted. “We were able to relate about the highs and lows of being black women in America, and it was inspiring to see someone who has been through still be willing to do the work to improve the lives of black women in America,” Owens said.Beyond artistic advocacy, Simmons lends her voice to a number of other causes. Last spring, she was an active participant in a three-hour student sit-in protesting the Academy’s history of mishandling sexual assault. “It was a really important moment in the community because it highlighted an issue that is otherwise kind of hush hush,” she said. “That statement actually made a difference. We made a difference and set an example for younger students.”Simmons’ work in social justice also includes participation in the Gender-Sexuality Alliance. “The queer community here is much larger than I had ever seen before. They helped me realize that I'm normal, that I'm not alone in my experiences and that it's okay to be gay,” she said. “I want to pay that forward.”English Instructor Mercy Carbonell reflected on her experience serving with Simmons on the MLK Committee. “[Simmons] has brought her commitment for racial, economic, and LBGTQ+ justice to the fore. She has revealed her gift at organizing others as she did in her creation of Unsilenced [and] has proven her ability to make essential distinctions for program change,” Carbonell said. “She comes up with ideas, writers' voices, dreams … a creative, critical and celebratory pulse that allows the work we have done to feel wonderfully alive.”The impact of Simmons’ advocacy has not gone unnoticed. “Alisha has given much to our community in her time here,” Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Reverend Heidi Heath said. “Whether on stage at the theatre, performing at Evening Prayer, one-on-one in conversation, delivering stunning poetry on gun violence [or] asking for more accountability from our leaders, she has been a crucial part of making Exeter better than when she found it.”Senior Elizabeth Kostina agreed. “Alisha is fun-going, hardworking, generous, kind-spirited—but, most importantly, an activist in every sense,” she said.Simmons emphasized the importance of leading by example. “I want to be something to younger students. I make statements to show them that anybody can make a change, [that] anybody can speak up and everyone’s voice matters,” she said.Simmons continued, “I'm also a student listener—it’s special because it’s about being there for people who might otherwise not have someone to talk to. In these ways, I can be that person that I wish I had when I was younger.”Her capacity for heartfelt empathy is one of the most radiant aspects of Simmons’ personality. “Alisha's spirit captures you as soon as you meet her. She is smart, has a razor sharp wit and seeks to connect deeply with each person she enters into conversation with,” Heath said. “She is hilariously funny, never afraid to tell it like it is and doesn't back away from the hard conversation. In other words, she's a person you absolutely want to know.”“It is hard for me to imagine us without her here next year,” Heath continued.Win similarly emphasized Simmons’ ability to connect with others. “She’s super bubbly—easy to talk to, always there to listen and super wise, but humble about it,” Win said. “I've worked through a lot of things with her help.”Today, Simmons continues to impart the lessons she’s learned at Exeter to the next generation of Exonians. “I want to emphasize to all of the preps and new lowers that everything will be okay,” she said. “I've definitely had moments where I felt like I'm not supposed to be here, that I shouldn't be here. But I want to tell them that they are supposed to be here. They will find their place.”Carbonell summed up Simmons’ presence in a few, heartfelt words. She said, “She is a beautiful soul, one who walks into a place and offers the chance for transformation, for stillness, for humility, for wild and generative ideas.”