Exeter Connects: Merrill Hall
By Otto Do
“Once I logged on … it was overwhelming; there was so much joy,” lower Bona Yoo reflected. Recently, residents of Merrill Hall reconnected virtually—for the first time since students left campus last month.
“I loved seeing the whole dorm because they have become sisters to me,” Yoo recalled. “It was particularly meaningful to me because I felt like there was a certain normalcy restored.”
The idea for a virtual gathering came about during a FaceTime call between lower Grace Ding and senior Janalie Cobb. “While we were talking about how much we missed our dorm, we came up with the idea to host a virtual call on Zoom to mimic a dorm meeting. We brought it up in the Merrill group chat, and people seemed to like the idea,” Ding said.
Senior Olivia Wantanabe noted the immediate excitement from Merrill residents. “The proposal received a lot of traction in the group chat, so we looked for a time that worked well for everyone in their respective time zones. Our proctor, [senior Katya Davis], took it from there,” she said.
“In the call, we mostly just talked about missing each other … but at the same time, it was nice to talk to everyone and hear everyone’s voice, as if we were just all together in a dorm meeting,” Watanabe said.
Afterwards, many Merrillites expressed a desire to meet again. “It was definitely nice to talk with everyone and catch up, especially since Merrill is such a tight-knit dorm. It meant a lot to me that we were able to have that meeting and schedule recurring meetings based on the success of the first one,” Ding said.
Yoo noted the importance of continuing these meetings. “I think we can all agree that these are some stressful times. I don’t think that Zoom classes are really able to offer any normalcy … And while I think it’s necessary that people acknowledge the situation and remind students that things are different, there is a unique relief that comes with being able to reconnect with your dorm, complete a check-in challenge and getting scolded for checking in ‘late,’” she said. “It makes you smile."
Yoo stressed that part of the meeting’s success came from Merrill Hall’s connected nature. “My seniors are my queens—they are role models and warriors and beautiful people. I feel like we talk a lot about our appreciation for our dorms, but any description that I write will never do it justice. There is such a security knowing that … you have a … beautiful home to return to, like a happy ending every single day,” she said. “The people that I live with have shaped me into who I am today—there is absolutely no denying it.”
When the day winds down, Merrillites will always be there for each other—either digitally or in person. As prep Ki Odiums reflected, “Being a part of Merrill means you have a group of people that really supports you and wants to stay connected to each other.”