Senior of the Week: Mario Meneses

Levi Stoll / The Exonian 

By LOGAN BECKERLE, ALEXA MOREL, and KEVIN THANT

One Main Street dorm room attracts dormmates like no other. While a computer monitor and snacks might lead many to spend an evening in senior Mario Meneses’s room, it’s his remarkable personality and openness that keep students coming back. 

Meneses takes on a variety of roles in the Exeter community as co-head of both La Alianza Latina (LAL) and the Association of Low-Income Exonians (ALIE), as well as student listener, dorm proctor, and proud organizer of the annual Dia de Los Muertos Festival. Meneses has excelled in all these areas and more, and he has certainly made an outstanding impact on the Academy. Like senior and fellow Main Street resident Diego Fuentes-Alvarado said, “He’s done so many amazing things.”

Before coming to Exeter and even during his prep year, Meneses was not the same outgoing person he is today. “I was a quiet kid. I rarely left my room or participated in Harkness discussions,” Meneses reflected. 

“Mario’s grown up a lot in the time that I’ve known him. Our prep year, he was pretty quiet and he wasn’t really hanging out with us that much,” added senior Norman Rice, one of Meneses’ best friends.

Needless to say, Meneses has outgrown his shy personality and has become a pillar in the Exeter community. Along with leadership in clubs like LAL and ALIE, Meneses attributes his change to the mentorship he has found in his dorm community. “What truly changed my experience was the support I received from the student leaders in my dorm. The dorm proctors and student listeners became like the older brothers I never had,” he shared. 

His appreciation for mentorship in his community is what makes him want to do the same for others. Meneses’ life in Main Street has been nothing short of profound, marked by his dedication as both a devout proctor and an attentive student listener. His fellow peers and underclassmen have often noted his soft but guiding reflections. “Mario is a massive anchor who supports me when my grades are tapering to the lower side of my academic career,” said lower Marc Viscogliosi. “As the mental health committee co-head, he understands the importance of vulnerability and is there to listen to any rants I have concerning my school, social, or mental performance.”

“There have been times when Mario has needed to take the reins of the Main Street underclassmen, and he undeniably does it with care and finesse unthought of by proctors of other dorms. His ability to ‘gentle-parent’ those around him allows them to reflect on their mistakes and, through his initiated reflection, grow into better people,” Viscogliosi continued.

This wouldn’t be possible without Meneses’ genuine care for building the community around him and getting to know everyone. “He remained in close touch with students who were seniors his lower year, and he is very close with current lowers,” Tyler Caldwell, a dorm faculty member of Main Street and Meneses’ advisor, commented. “His ability to span, or to bridge, that age range is impressive and speaks to his genuine desire to connect with and get to know people.”

“Leadership was never about being perfect or larger than life, it’s about being present, approachable, and willing to support others,” Meneses stated.

This “gentle parenting” and care for the community has not stopped Meneses from having fun with those around him. When lower Hamdan Khan was asked about Meneses’s approachability, he gave a striking answer. “He’s a warlord,” Khan explained. “15-0 in one FIFA Match.”

“I’m 10-1 in open matches over him. He’s only beaten me once in penalties, and I’ve beaten him 10 times,” Rice elaborated. Meneses’ room clearly seems to be the Main Street FIFA headquarters.

Fuentes-Alvarado shared a fonder outlook. “Mario’s a really big member in the dorm. His room is actually a kind of shared space where a lot of students go and meet up to chill, watch stuff on his monitor, play games on his TV, and play FIFA. It’s a fun place to be. It’s very welcoming to everyone who wants to be there.” 

Meneses’ leadership however, extends itself beyond the Main Street community. As co-head of both LAL and ALIE, he’s responsible for making Exeter a more inclusive community, and he applies the same philosophy to the role as in the dorm. 

One of his biggest contributions on campus was popularizing the Día de los Muertos Festival. Along with senior Danixza Pinto, he took over from Kodi Lopez ‘23 — the previous planner — with the aim of making the festival larger than ever before. After months of close preparation with the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), they pulled off the largest Día de los Muertos Festival in Exeter history. “It took months of hard work, but seeing it all come together was one of the proudest moments of my time at Exeter,” Meneses expressed.

This year, they set an even higher goal, working with a team of both student leaders and faculty. The event resulted in a festival larger than the previous year’s success. “I’m eternally grateful to everyone who supported the festival at any stage of its development,” Meneses reflected.

It was through LAL that Meneses was able to plan the festival, and the club is a major part of his Exeter story. “I wanted to meet people who shared similar experiences and create connections,” he explained. As a co-head, he makes the club a more welcoming space, just as he does in Main Street. “I feel nothing but pride and joy in working with my peers to foster an environment where everyone feels safe exploring and embracing their identity in a community as diverse as Exeter,” he shared.

His contributions also extend to the ALIE, where he and his fellow co-heads, senior Erin Chen and lower Daniella Méndez, have created a more welcoming space. “One of our biggest hurdles was participation,” he described. “I wanted to change that. I admired how LAL had cultivated a balance between serious discussions and fun, inclusive events, like dance parties and large-scale gatherings, and I wanted to bring that energy to ALIE.”

Using LAL as a model, Meneses began hosting more events in order to garner participation. “I wanted ALIE to be a space where students could not only work on improving the low-income experience at Exeter, but also build a sense of trust and camaraderie,” he reflected. “A space that uplifts low-income students while also creating a home where everyone feels valued.”

“His contributions have been invaluable to both OMA and to the broader campus community,” said Kevin Pajaro-Marinez, Assistant Director of Equity and Inclusion.

Meneses has surely made his mark in his community, becoming not only a leader but a friend to all. It’s a lot of growth for someone who started Exeter as a shy and quiet kid. Meneses concluded with a powerful piece of advice: “For current and future student leaders, one of the most important things to understand is the profound impact you can have on younger students.”

In his room on most nights, you’ll often find students playing FIFA, watching soccer, and laughing. It’s the same room where many underclassmen go whenever they need advice and the same room where many meetings of LAL and ALIE are planned. In the center of it all is senior Mario Meneses. Whether in Main Street or in OMA, the community he brought closer is a testament to his impactful presence at Exeter.