Alumni Return For Leadership Weekend

Senior class president Audrey Vanderslice and General Alumni Association (GAA) president Ciatta Baysah ’97 welcomed the class of 2020 to their first student-alumni dinner during Exeter Leadership Weekend last Friday.

Every year, alumni representing decades of Exeter history return to the Academy during Exeter Leadership Weekend to reunite with age-old friends and give back to the school. Students no longer, alumni assume the role of mentors, advising current Exonians and answering questions about the paths they have taken with their Exeter diplomas.

This weekend, alumni attended various events acknowledging the ways Exeter has changed and the Academy’s plans for the future. Director of Institutional Advancement Morgan Dudley met with English Instructor Jason BreMiller and Manager of Sustainability and Natural Resources Warren Biggins to discuss Exeter’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Dudley then met with alumni to discuss the school’s mission in diversity, equity and inclusion. “[We want] to ensure that every member of the community has a feeling of belonging,” Dudley said.

To start off the dinner, GAA Director Katherine Calvert ’91 presented the President’s Award to Susannah Clark ’84, Regional President of the New England Association, and Emily Stone ’03, Regional Volunteer, for their exceptional service to the Academy.

Vanderslice described the alumni she met and the conversations shared at the dinner as valuable sources of inspiration. “We have some phenomenal alumni that have done some amazing things, and I think having them as a resource is really a privilege,” she said.

Beyond Exeter Leadership Weekend, the Student Alumni Relations Council (STARS Council) works to connect alumni and students through events such as career interest night, class reunions and invitations for alumni to attend classes. “[STARS] helps the upper class students really understand the transition to becoming alumni and giving back in various ways,” said Baysah, who has been working to encourage alumni and students to meet more frequently.

STARS is working on a new initiative to connect young Exonians with alumni in order to give students more insight into life after Exeter. Currently, the alumni directory gives new alumni opportunities of mentorship from older alumni; STARS is now working on extending this service to current students as well.

Baysah explained how alumni can also meet newly admitted and prospective students through local events that alumni attend or host. “Those are the ways in which the GAA and working with this as usual advancement try to develop a link between alumni and students,” she said.

“I think a lot of the benefits are that seniors get to make connections with people who went to this school,” senior Selma Unver said. “These connections can help them in the future.”

Senior and STARS Council member Noel Gomez explained how his conversations with alumni reaffirmed his gratitude for the continuous support offered by the Academy. “Once you graduate, you’ll be going on your own journey,” he said. “Although none of us know where that’s going to take us, we will always have this network of alumni that we can reach out to.”

Seniors were not the only class to benefit from Exeter Leadership Weekend. The event enables alumni to connect with current students and be updated with campus news. “[Mentoring students is] one of the best aspects of what I do every day,” said Kauz Shrestha ’91, who participates in the newly formed mentoring program.

Shrestha furthermore praised the actions Exeter has taken to connect students and alumni. “First of all, it helps me feel close and connected to the Academy, which is great, but, selfishly, it also keeps me young, because it’s wonderful to hear what Exonians are up to these days, and it’s a trip down memory lane,” he said.

While Exeter has retained much of its original identity and core ideologies like the Harkness method, alumnus Davis Robinson ’57 expressed that the Academy’s improvements have made it a much more welcoming community for students and alumni alike. “It’s a much warmer environment, to say the least,” he said.