Senior Spotlight: Kehinde Odusote, Citizen of the World, Angel of Exeter

Whether choreographing hip-hop moves for Imani, directing the Gospel Choir or serving as a role model in McConnell Hall, three-year senior Kehinde Odusote exhibits all the qualities of non sibi. Dean Russell Weatherspoon, a mentor of Odusote, describes her as having an impact on campus with “a strong laugh and a big heart.”“Attuned to her friends’ ups and downs, she can become a mothering figure when someone’s tears flow or spirit’s broken,” he added.As former treasurer of the Afro-Latino Exonian Society (ALES), current director of Gospel Choir and church proctor, co-head of Imani, dorm proctor, co-head of Recreations Committee and varsity track and field athlete, Odusote plays an active role in the Exeter community. Her personality charms the hearts of many across campus and contributes to her presence at the Academy.Born in England, Odusote came to Exeter after living in Nigeria for the majority of her life. Her passion for African American culture has provoked her interest in many clubs at Exeter. As a former treasurer of ALES, Odusote appreciated the opportunity to interact with other Exonians who share the same spirit.“ALES was the first club I joined on campus, and the diversity at Exeter is something I’ll definitely miss when I leave,” she said. “Planning events and organizing different occasions for the club was a rewarding experience.”In addition to her interest in African American culture, Odusote felt that ALES helped her adjust to life at boarding school.“[ALES] was part of my success at Exeter,” she said. “It helped me transition into this very different society.”A devout Christian, Odusote serves as a church proctor for Phillips Church and is the second director for the Gospel Choir, which she describes as one of her single greatest achievements. “I go to church every week, so I though becoming a proctor would be another great way to spend more time in the church,” she said. “As for Gospel Choir, I was scared starting out because I had never been a choir director before, and I kept telling myself that I couldn’t do it.”“If you know me, you know I don’t have a phenomenal voice; but Rev was awesome, and the choir organist was really helpful,” she added. Now Odusote teaches the music to the choir, which she says has taught her a lot about being a leader.Odusote applies these leadership qualities and her love of music into teaching new moves to the members of Imani as a co-head of the dance group. Her passion for Imani is obvious to everyone who watches her dance on stage.“If you’ve ever seen her around, 90 percent of the time she’s dancing,” senior Susan Ojukwu, a member of Imani, said.“She’s always dancing and searching to find new music for Imani,” senior Marygail DiBuono said. “A lot of people look up to her because she’s such a good mentor, not just in Imani, but in every single activity that she’s a part of.”Thelma Imouokhome, a fellow co-head of Imani, commented on Odusote’s knack for making every performance the best that it can be.“She has a lot of fun with [Imani], but she still gets down to business when she has to,” she said. “If it wasn’t for her, we would be having some really bad performances this year.”Weatherspoon believed that Odusote’s serious attitude balanced with her playful nature has contributed to her success as a co-head.“When playful, she’s loud, sassy and ready to dance to the beat thumping in her head,” he said.Odusote said that being a proctor has helped her become more involved in her dorm, which she described as her home.“Mrs. Soucy and the friends I made here were also instrumental to my success here,” she said.McConnell dorm faculty Michelle Soucy felt that Odusote “just fit right into the dorm.”Dorm faculty Viviana Santos believes that Odusote benefits the dorm and promotes a positive environment.“She’s very supportive of everyone in the dorm,” she said. “Sometimes when we’ve had students in trouble, she’s had good thoughts about what they should do and gave them great advice.”Soucy said that Odusote’s personality fits the mold of a good proctor.“She’s naturally not afraid to speak up and voice what’s right or wrong in a situation,” she said. “In a proctor, what we look for is someone who isn’t afraid to call someone out on their actions. With Kehinde as a proctor, we, as dorm faculty, could always count on her to say ‘hey, knock it off’ if another student was doing something wrong, which is a really good thing.”Though Odusote never participated in sports before coming to Exeter, she is now an active participant in varsity track and field. Her inspiration to try this sport stemmed from a former captain of the team, who encouraged her to join. Since then, Odusote has challenged herself in events outside of her comfort zone. Ojukwu said that Odusote does a good job at handling the transition between throwing and running, her two main events.Odusote treasures her time spent on the field and appreciates the activity.“I’ve made good friends on the track team,” she said. “It’s nice being part of an athletic group, and getting to spend time with the people on the team is great.”Odusote works hard at every practice and aspires to break her 37.4-foot throwing record before she leaves the Academy.With an outgoing and amiable personality, she never fails to make a memorable first impression.“She was the first person I met when I got to Exeter,” DiBuono said. “She was extremely friendly, and she helped my family and I move my stuff into my room. Now she always comes to visit me and checks up to see how I’m doing, and I really like that she cares so much about her friends.”Reflecting back on her experience, Odusote is grateful for her time at the Academy and cherishes her memories.“You don’t really notice what a privilege it is to be [at Exeter],” she said. “I’ll miss everything about this place, from the courses to the close relationships I’ve made here.”As Odusote will miss Exeter, the community will miss her when she graduates this year. “She’s someone everybody should get to know before they leave [Exeter],” senior Zoë Ene said.