Ceaseless Cesar

The day of the New Hampshire primary began early for senior Cesar Zamudio. Rising from his bed at 4:30 a.m., Zamudio prepared for a morning of excitement and frenzy—Dem Club fives.Co-head of Exeter’s Democratic Club, Zamudio has solidified his passion for politics and human relations throughout his Exeter career. In addition to canvassing Exeter’s neighborhoods to remind residents to vote on election day mornings, Zamudio also participates in Exeter’s Council for Equity and Social Justice and leads the Public Relations (PR) committee of Student Council (StuCo) as the committee’s head. Also a member of this year’s MLK Day Committee and co-founder of GenEx, a club to support first generation students as they make their way through the college process, this three-year senior is a compelling leader on campus.A proctor in Browning Hall, Business Manager for PEAN, and former Web Chair of The Exonian, Cesar Zamudio still finds time to introduce visiting students as an admissions head tour guide. Whether it’s articulating his political beliefs through the Democratic Club, participating in the MLK Committee, addressing issues in student council or initiating heated debates on Facebook, one can easily find a subject that Zamudio passionately supports.

"Cesar is a great contribution to the MLK Committee and the student body as a whole. He is always on top of current issues, he does his research and is unafraid to speak his mind and ignite difficult conversations amongst his peers.”

Senior Bridget Higgins, a good friend of Zamudio, said, “Cesar is very competitive, intense and argumentative, but he has incredible energy and is a good friend. He has always been a voice of reason whenever I need advice.”Senior Maegan Moriarty reiterated Higgins view while adding that in Zamudio’s spare time, “he can be found fighting for what he believes to be right and best for society,” she said.Immigrating from Colombia at age five, Zamudio has truly made the most out of the opportunities he’s been given. However his success hasn’t come easily. Reflecting on challenges he has faced, Zamudio said, “I often hesitated to seek support and did not really know how to navigate through the ‘Exeter Experience.’ Being a first-generation student was definitely a contributing factor to this because I did not have parents who could guide me through such an education or experience.” One way of navigating this experience for Zamudio was getting involved in as many activities as possible.For his remaining time at Exeter, Zamudio has made his goals clear. “[My objective] has been to continue my activism and advocacy and to be a role model for my younger Exonians—to offer them support and someone to look up to whether they are in my club or dorm.”Zamudio began working on The Exonian Web Board his upper year, taking on an important leadership role. Since then, he has inspired great strides for the development of the paper through the use of online media.Upper Brandon Liu, the current head of the board, stressed the impact that Zamudio’s leadership has had for the future of The Exonian, “He was actually the one who initially gave me the idea to develop a system for selling mailing subscriptions online, which turned out to be amazing for the paper overall. Since we implemented sales online last spring, The Exonian has made upwards of $6,000 in revenue from subscriptions." Under Zamudio’s direction, "The Exonian Online continued on the path of success started by previous boards,” Liu said.Zamudio’s recent involvement in the MLK Committee is another example of his engagement with a plethora of campus opportunities. Senior Taylor Jean-Jacques noted, “Cesar is a great contribution to the MLK Committee and the student body as a whole. He is always on top of current issues, he does his research and is unafraid to speak his mind and ignite difficult conversations amongst his peers.”This year Zamudio helped take charge by helping organize the workshops and motivational speakers who came to campus. Jean-Jacques went on to say, “Cesar has been very helpful in the organization for MLK events this year. He worked diligently over winter break to develop the video that was presented during the MLK Assembly, as well as prepare a speech with myself and Nick to present before the school during the Friday event.”In addition to the variety of other clubs and committees he heads, Zamudio emphasized his interest in political science, potentially as a career path. “Through my involvement with Dem Club and my equity groups, I have become extremely invested in solving various issues in my community.” And invested he has been, in everything from organizing peaceful protests outside the recent Trump rally to hosting events supporting candidates in the 2016 election.Zamudio believes in the importance of political science as a way of helping others, “I think it is extremely important to make the experiences of first generation students, low-income students and students of color better than the one I had.”Founded by senior Julie Chung and Zamudio, GenEx gives first generation students a place to get support through academic pursuits and information on the college process and summer enrichment opportunites. “Essentially first generation students, since their parents didn’t go to college, don’t have the same support that kids whose parents went to college have. We fill in those gaps and become their ‘parents’ since we’ve (upperclassmen first generation students) already gone through the process.”Looking to the future, Zamudio is excited for what his clubs have in store for rising Exonians. Through politics, public relations and social justice expansion, Zamudio has left his mark on the Exeter community.According to Higgins, “Cesar is passionate about social justice and has pursued this through everything he does.” These sentiments are echoed everywhere Zamudio involves himself on campus. Friend and senior Courtney Gibeley said, “Cesar is very respectful and kind to everyone around him,” a trait that certainly does not go unnoticed at Exeter.