Aspiring Director: Nick Diao
Senior Nick Diao is driven in all his pursuits, consistently working diligently on each of his passions to go above and beyond expectations. His friends, teammates and teachers described him as “incredibly smart” and a “wonderful and talented musician and athlete,” but added that because of his modesty, few know of his successes. Every teacher and friend interviewed stressed that they were “lucky” to have him as a friend or student. Though his time at Exeter has been short, it has also been characterized by success and close friendships.
Diao’s sincerity with regard to his work does not inhibit his sense of humor, which his friends said was always present and kept conversation lively. “Nick is great, I always have a blast joking with [him],” upper and friend Rex Tercek said. While Diao was initially friends with Tercek’s older brother in New York, now that both are at Exeter he said their friendship “has budded like a white lily in the heat of a nutrient-rich spring.” Tercek added that Diao’s humor is witty and “hilarious” without “bringing others down,” a trait that he and others admire.
Close friend and upper Yena Cho said that “[h]e has the ability to make those around him smile.” She also said that she reaches out to Diao first when she needs someone to talk to because he is always available to listen. “I’m so lucky to have him as a friend,” Cho said.
Senior Philip Chang concurred with Cho. “Nick is, without a doubt, a genuine and loyal friend,” he said, while also noting that he is reliably supportive and helpful.
Newly-elected Student Council President and upper Rebecca Ju said that his passions and talents create an ideal mix and he is often met with success because of his hard work. “He is so kind, compassionate and thoughtful,” she said.
Chang went on to say that Diao “also cares deeply about music, tennis, filmmaking and his passion does not go unseen. I’m thankful to be one of Nick’s friends.”
As varsity B tennis captain, Diao has served as an exemplary role model and leader to younger team members. Prep Pedro Sanson said he appreciated the energy Diao consistently brings to the courts. “During warmups, he is always the person to cheer us up and get us pumped to practice. During matches he will also talk to everyone, making sure everything is okay,” Sanson said.
After his upper year, Diao applied for and was granted the Exeter Summer Research Fellowship to work on and develop an independent project over the course of the summer. His mother, who is a middle school teacher, inspired him to direct, produce and score a documentary about the public education system and its impact on young students in the Bronx.
Diao worked closely with Exeter piano instructor Jon Sakata to develop scores for his work in film and composition. Sakata described him as a unique student with “that rare, insatiable drive to evolve his work by engaging every problem, detail of sight and sound, critical evaluation as an opportunity to expand and deepen himself through tireless, determined work.”
Science Instructor James DiCarlo also praised Diao for his inquisitive nature and interest in class. “[He] has a fantastic curiosity about the way the world works, and he has the mathematical firepower to ask and understand deep questions,” DiCarlo said. He added that at the table, Diao is a terrific addition to a class. “He is thoughtful, cheerful, tenacious and generous with his talents,” he said.
English instructor Willie Perdomo agreed with DiCarlo, adding that Diao’s approach to Harkness discussion in class was nothing short of ideal. Perdomo added that the connections Diao drew between texts were another bonus. According to Perdomo, Diao’s senior meditation was “extraordinary… his paper was a tour de force. I was lucky to have Nick as student.”
Tercek said that during the college application process, Diao “worked incredibly hard day in and day out to not only complete the normal application, but to also submit his art supplement. I know that sounds a little silly, but it speaks to Nick’s ability to sink himself fully into whatever he does, and that extends to academics as well.”
Sakata said that with each week’s lesson, Diao displayed progress, and his attention to detail immersed him in the problems and complexities of each of his projects, making him “finely attuned to new dimensions of creative and political awareness and action.”
Diao has also worked with Sakata in re-scoring old films and looking at sound and its contact with the visual in a new way, “removing sense of time and structure to create sounds that embody something that can connect visually,” moving beyond the realm of most music and its compatibility with film and imagery.
Diao and his friends — Tercek, Chang and fellow senior Jon Regenold — have also formed the band “Partial Hallelujah,” in which Diao is the lead singer. They recently finished their debut album, now available on Soundcloud, and are soliciting producers for a wider release.
He hopes to further his pursuits in film and music and work next year as a Film Studies major at Pomona College in California, the founding member of the Claremont Colleges. It is renowned for its selective film program, of which Diao is looking forward to becoming a part.
This coming summer, Diao plans to create another documentary about the creator of the viral online portrait blog Humans of New York, Brandon Stanton. He hopes to connect this film with his first documentary by encompassing the work Stanton has done in raising money for New York public schools.
He is also a leader in Dow House, where he serves as the sole proctor. Senior Brendan Graniez lauded Diao’s leadership. “He’s a really good influence on everyone in the dorm,” Graniez said.
Religion Instructor Thomas Simpson who is Diao’s adviser and affiliate of Dow House, said he is extremely grateful to Nick as he is the only returning student in the dorm. Simpson said that Diao “has done an incredible job helping our ten new students get their bearings and feel right at home,” which is characteristic of his kindness and care for everything in which he takes part.