Senior of the Week: Freddie Chang

Mari Chaparro / The Exonian

By CARLY CANSECO, MARVIN SHIM, HENRY WISE, and MEGHAN TATE  ZEE

A puzzle awaits on the back page of The Exonian, tucked in between the latest sports updates and the caricatures and humor articles. At first glance, it seems like a simple grid of black and white squares and a few clues to figure out, but it’s so much more for those who look closer. It’s a little challenge hidden in plain sight, an invitation to think, laugh, and puzzle through clever twists of language. It’s a delicate balance between difficulty and clarity, a dance of letters that asks the solver to engage their minds in ways they might not have expected. It’s about rhythm, symmetry, and connection, bringing a puzzle to the reader, one word at a time.

Just as a book plunges the reader into the author’s imagination, this unassuming grid is the bridge between the creator and the solver. Senior Freddie Chang’s true artistry with words and design comes to life in her crossword puzzles. Each puzzle she fashions is more than just a collection of cryptic clues and hidden answers; it reflects her personality and perspective, a glimpse into the mind behind the grid. She invites the reader into her world through her crosswords, not through an interview or biography, but through the puzzle itself. The readers step back to appreciate not only their completion of the puzzle but also the intricate work of a true cruciverbalist, someone who connects not just through words but through the design of the crossword itself. Through this artistic expression, Chang openly expresses herself. 

Chang’s presence on campus is expansive. She is a proctor and student listener in Amen Hall and the communications co-director of the Exeter Student Service Organization. As aforementioned, she served as the cruciverbalist of the 146th board of The Exonian, the layout head, and the assistant art director for Exeter’s yearbook, PEAN. In the winter, she manages the girls’ squash team; in spring, she plays tennis. She entered Exeter as a new lower from a boarding school in the United Kingdom.

Off campus, she lives in Wilson, Wyoming. “I live right next to a super popular ski mountain, so I’m trying to get better at skiing. I also really like going on hikes in the park in the summer,” Chang shared. “I go on long drives a lot when I’m at home. That area is super pretty, and I love the mountains.”

Taking strolls isn’t just a pastime she reserves for when she’s back home. “My friends and I go on many walks around Exeter on Friday and Saturday nights just before check-in. We listen to music and have deep conversations. I think I will miss these next year,” Chang said.

Several noted their appreciation for Chang’s bright, optimistic personality. “When we’re around Freddie, there’s no complaining, we’re always happy with her,” senior Aria Suchak said. “Freddie brings so much light to whatever she does now as squash manager. She always brings the mood of the environment up. She’s always open and positive whenever we talk.”

Her acquaintances and friends commended Chang’s skill to make anyone laugh.“I love her energy and optimism and, most of all, her humor. She brought life into the Web Board [of The Exonian]. Every time she comes in, there’s this energy, and it makes everything more enjoyable during the day,” senior Byran Huang remarked.     

Suchak added, “I’m so glad I met her. She’s like a breath of fresh air for Exonians. When I’m with her, all my worries disappear, and we’re just in the moment. Her personality just allows anyone to do that.”

“Having run a club together, I’ve found that Freddie is very conversational. Either working with other coheads or members of the lower class in general, a lot of times she’s like the ‘hype’ person,” senior Davido Zhang noted. “Because of her personality, I will never feel that her jokes are offensive.”

“I appreciate Freddie’s humor and always think she’s genuine. She’s a devoted person, even with her humorous nature,” upper Whitney Pickett said. “After we started talking, we got so much closer so fast as we understood each other’s humor. I just enjoy hanging out with her during after-hours. All her friends love her very much for her person, and we’re always there for her.”

Chang reflected on her growth and lessons learned throughout her three years at the Academy. “Exeter has made me more social and forced me to put effort into my friendships to form more genuine and meaningful relationships with people. Since we change classes every term and everyone has unique schedules, I’m surrounded by different people, forcing us to put more effort into finding time to see the same people. Also, since everyone here has a different background, it takes lots of conversations and interest to get to know people truly. In this way, I think I’ve formed better and more worthwhile friendships since I’ve put more work into them,” Chang continued.

Her dorm, Amen, has provided her with several integral experiences. Chang described her appreciation and highlighted a dorm tradition that she believed encompassed meaningful experiences throughout her tenure at Exeter: “Every fall, we have a Secrets Under the Stars event where we walk out to the football field after check-in on a Friday night, and the seniors go around and tell stories about their time at Exeter. It was really interesting as a lowerclassman way back listening to the stories, and then this year, I realized I’m a senior, and now I get to tell my stories.”

As a proctor and student listener, Chang tries to help her dormmates and lowerclassmen from her own past experiences and has become a treasured figure throughout the dorm. “I appreciate her positivity,” Instructor in Mathematics and dorm faculty Fan Huang said. “Whenever I see her, she’s always upbeat. I think she is a wonderful role model — someone who is responsible and brings positivity to the community around her.” Huang recalled an example from the start of the term: “When we reviewed dorm rules — a typically less engaging part of the process—she managed to make the experience enjoyable for everyone. I truly appreciate that.”

Lower Beverly Dolo said, “Freddie was in my advisory, and when I was a prep, she offered me a lot of guidance regarding classes and teachers. And I was excited when she became a proctor because I couldn’t wait to hang out with her — Freddie’s like a sister to me.”

Dolo continued, “Not only is she funny, but she also gives a lot of snacks. Once, I was dying of thirst, and she went into her room on the fourth floor and got a Capri-Sun for me. She’s such a sweet person and someone you can always rely on. She will always be there for you no matter what.”

Huang emphasized Chang’s remarkability at the Harkness table as well. “In class, when there were challenging moments, she seemed to take them well, have a growth mindset, and try to think about how to improve.”

Overall, Chang’s legacy is one of positivity, genuineness, and humor. She has left a laudable impression across campus, whether within her dorm, in a class, or through crossword puzzles in the back of every The Exonian issue. Senior Juliet Stein concluded with a note to her in the future, “I appreciate you, Freddie. I love you. You are such a great friend and will kill it at Vanderbilt.”