Elena Gosalvez-Blanco Leaves Exeter Summer

In her twelve years at the Academy, Elena Gosalvez-Blanco has worn many hats. Beginning Feb. 22, she will be putting on a new one: Director of the prestigious Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS)program for high-achieving high school students.

Gosalvez-Blanco, who currently serves as Director of Summer School and an Instructor in Modern Languages, is soon to depart Exeter for Yale University. A search is underway for her successor. Headed by Dean of Faculty Ellen Wolff, Assistant Principal Karen Lassey and Dean of Enrollment and External Relations William Leahy, the committee has restricted candidates to members of the Academy community. Principal Bill Rawson invited faculty to nominate themselves or their peers to the rotating position. The next Director will serve for a minimum of five years. Although Gosalvez-Blanco plans to depart before her successor is named, no Interim Director will be appointed during the transition.

Gosalvez-Blanco’s colleagues expect the new director to continue the Summer Session’s tradition of excellence. “The new Director will have to work hard to maintain enrollment levels and bring in additional funding for scholarships,” Viviana Santos, Associate Dean of Summer School and Instructor in Modern Languages, said.

In her time at the Academy, Gosalvez-Blanco has been eager to immerse herself in professional development opportunities. English Instructor Mercedes Carbonell organized summer Harkness lessons in which Gosalvez-Blanco took part. “In that space, she was alight with possibility, with the joy of discovery, with the contemplation and flight of surprise,” Carbonell said. “I appreciate the ways in which her enthusiasm has a critical edge to it.”

Gosalvez-Blanco’s background, however, is not in high school education. While she taught courses in graduate school, before Exeter, Gosalvez-Blanco served as literary editor at a publisher in Spain, working with notable authors such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Camilo José Cela, Ana María Matute, Javier Marías and Antonio Gala—many of whose pieces are in the Academy’s curriculum. “My department thought outside the box, and they took a teacher who was a little bit less experienced in the classroom but had life experience,” Gosalvez-Blanco jokingly said. Armed with immense literary knowledge, she ventured into the classroom.

Gosalvez-Blanco soon felt that her work in the classroom was not as impactful as she had hoped, however. When a position as Associate Director came up, she seized it. “I felt the power to transform our summer program had. There, students were opened up to a new way of learning…They were opened up to how big the world is,” she recalled. Three years later, she was appointed Director—the first female to serve in the role.

In her capacity as Director, Gosalvez-Blanco emphasized diversity, affording more students the opportunity to engage with the Academy’s pedagogical resources

“I recruit a lot in the Native American lands, both in the Navajo Nation—like [my predecessors] did for many years—and, now, South Dakota,” she said. “I started bringing in Syrian refugees, inner-city kids and focused on many [New Hampshire] schools, too.”

This cultural diversity has been critical to the experience of summer alumni. “Ms. Gosalvez-Blanco’s speeches at morning assemblies fostered a very welcoming and inclusive environment. Having come from a different cultural background herself, her words of wisdom allowed me to embrace my own identity,” lower Scarlett Lin said.

Gosalvez-Blanco also pushed for the summer program’s name change. “I thought it would help to take out the word ‘school,’” she said. “Sometimes, in other areas of the country, students think summer school is something to do if you’ve been bad…Instead, it’s definitely a program for high-achieving students that are very academically motivated.” This rebranding has drawn more high-achieving students in.

Instructor in Health and Human Development and Summer Session Dorm Head Michelle Soucy appreciates Gosalvez-Blanco’s flexibility. “As a Director, she’s very open to trying new things and to listening to different perspectives,” she said. “If you bring an idea to her, she’ll let you try it. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, then at least we tried it.”

For Gosalvez-Blanco herself, personal life at Exeter has consisted of trying out new things. “I had never lived in a dorm in my life,” she said. “I went to a day school growing up in Madrid. In college, [I lived] at home.” After serving as a Dorm Affiliate at Hoyt Hall, she found herself the Dorm Head of both Hoyt and Merrill Halls.

Former residents remember her fondly. “She was like the ‘Merrill Mom’ when I was there,” said Carissa Chen ’17. With Gosalvez-Blanco’s assistance, Chen was able to dive more wholly into the Exeter experience.

A knowledgeable presence, she further helped to address student concerns. “She was really good at giving advice,” senior Niko Amber, a former advisee, said.

Other students credit Gosalvez-Blanco’s Exeter Summer tenure as a driving force behind their decision to apply to the school, as it granted them a glimpse into the life of an Exonian. “I came to love the Harkness style, which is one of the reasons I chose Exeter,” lower Haruka Masamura said.

Gosalvez-Blanco’s impact has not gone unnoticed. “Under Elena’s watch, Exeter Summer has seen record numbers of applications from around the world,” Rawson said. “Elena and her team have masterfully welcomed thousands of students to campus who otherwise would never have had the opportunity to experience Exeter and the Harkness method of instruction. In short, Elena has made the Exeter Summer program a leader in summer secondary school experiences.”

As the search for her successor continues, Gosalvez-Blanco departs with a legacy of lasting and meaningful change.