Afro-Latinx Exonian Society Hosts 55th Anniversary

By EVAN DIERBERG, ETHAN DING, ERIN HAN, ELLEN JIN, and LILY RAMPE

On the weekend of Oct. 27, numerous Black and Latinx alumni, trustees, directors, and volunteers alike returned to campus to attend the Afro-Latinx Exonian Society (ALES)’s 55th anniversary. Months of preparation went into the event to connect current members of ALES with past alumni, such as hip-hop musician John Forté ‘93 and world-leading anesthesiologist Emery Brown ‘74, and to celebrate the club’s history. During the event, the ALES community shared meals, hosted speakers, held an alumni panel, and shared personal projects they were working on.

Many people were involved in the planning of the quinquennial celebration. “A committee of 27 alumni, including trustees, general alumni association directors, past leaders, and other alumni volunteers, met over the course of nine months to define goals and objectives for facilitating this celebration,” Director of Alumni Relations and Institutional Advancement Michelle Curtin said. “It’s been a huge team effort that included alumni, Academy leadership, and campus partners.”

“The extensiveness of the committee and the coordination and collaboration between the alumni committee and the campus community made a significant impact on the development of the program,” Curtin added.

“All participants [involved] in the planning of the event had a mutual understanding of the purpose,” trustees and celebration co-hosts Paulina L. Jerez ’91; P’21 and Wole C. Coaxum ’88; P’24 said jointly.

For seniors and ALES co-presidents Alex Rosen and Sofia Contreras, preparation for the event has also been long in the making. “We first began talking with faculty and alumni about this event [at] the end of last year,” Rosen said. “Since then, we’ve met a few times over the summer and have now made it a point of meeting with [ALES advisors and OMA faculty regularly],” he continued, “Overall, a ton of work went into this project, including [with] alumni, and we’re super happy to have contributed to it.”

“I really feel it could not have been better, and I am deeply appreciative of the efforts of the planning committee who designed the program and made it all possible,” Principal William Rawson ’71; P’08 said. “Seeing Black and Latinx alums connecting across generations, reflecting on their time here as students, and celebrating together was absolutely wonderful.”

When looking back on the event, Rosen noted its significance and what alumni brought to the celebration. “One of the things I most enjoyed about this event was learning about why alumni chose to come back. All of the alumni I met talked about the importance of the community they felt from participating in ALES and their desire to make sure that ALES continues to be there for future Exonians. One of the alumni I talked to mentioned that we should feel a sense of ownership over Exeter; that we should be active in changing it to make sure it fulfills our needs.”

“55 years of ALES is a powerful reminder that Exeter is a community that welcomes everyone,” Coaxum added. “Furthermore, it offers an opportunity for ALES alumni to reconnect cross-class in ways that traditional reunions did not provide, thereby reinforcing a positive element of many’s Exeter experience.”

At the celebration, upper Kat Lopez said it was interesting to learn about what it was like to be an Exonian of color in the past. Although she believes the school has made progress, she still thinks more can be done.“I thought it was a very nice event. I was able to meet people with similar backgrounds that have walked the path that I’m currently on,” Lopez said. “With regards to diversity, equity, and inclusion, I’ve thought that we’ve made some progress, but there’s still so much to improve. I feel a lot of people here are out of touch with respecting the various different backgrounds that people have.”

“We’re trying to say that we’re inclusive and diverse, but a lot of the people here have mistaken me and my friends for other people of color,” Lopez continued. “I think that as a school, if we say we have these values of [diversity, equity, and inclusion], then we should try our hardest to practice [them]. In addition to being an enjoyable reunion for all the alumni, I think the celebration was a good example of how we as a school community can ‘practice what we preach.’”

Upper Beverly Oleka echoed Lopez, saying that she believes interactions with alumni revealed that “as a person of color [on-campus], specifically like Black or like Latinx, it’s really hard to show your voice or show your color, and it’s really hard for people to see you for what you are.”

“[Some] advice alumni gave [me] was just to go into Exeter or any space just working hard without thinking that you need to prove anything to anyone,” Oleka said. “If people believe a certain thing about you, let them believe it and work hard so you can prove them wrong.”

By the end of the celebration, Contreras walked away feeling inspired by the accomplished alumni who returned to campus to share their stories with current students. “It was honestly so powerful to witness,” Contreras said. “All of the stories that they shared, watching them come back to campus, recalling their memories, and listening to them reconnect — it was just so sweet.”