Dominique Cantave

Whether she’s spending time in the dining hall with her friends, or dancing on stage, senior Dominique Cantave always brightens up the room. Her laughter and razor sharp sass carry across campus, and her natural talent for storytelling, combined with her perfectly timed comments and jokes, makes her one of the most fascinating people on campus.You can find Cantave sitting in the dining hall surrounded by a group of friends. Many students described her as personable and fun to be around. “I find myself often compelled to stay somewhere a little bit longer, if only to hear what she has to say,” upper Lyle Seeligson said. “Dominique draws you in with everything she says, and the way she can captivate a crowd is, I think, one of the most impressive aspects of her character.”Cantave’s geniality and warmth extends to her dorm life. As a proctor of Hoyt Hall, her presence makes living in the dorm enjoyable and meaningful for other students. Describing Cantave’s impact, upper Connie Cai said, “Without her, Hoyt wouldn’t be what it is.” Cantave always has her door open and tries to make time on her Saturday night’s for a special evening with the other Hoyt students. She helps younger dorm mates if they need for advice or just want to hang out and chat.

“She is really knowledgeable about Roman and Greek history. She always had insightful comments about the artifacts and sites we saw.”

Seeligson credited Cantave for making her first year of Exeter easier, especially by always being involved in the dorm. “I was really grateful to her for reaching out to me and making me feel like a part of the dorm. Even though she was on a different floor and in a different grade, she still took the effort to spend time with me and get to know me,” she said.Cantave puts all her natural characteristics into her talent in dance. As the head of In Motion, the co-ed hip hop group on campus, she displays her effortless cool style on the dance floor. Prep Ogechi Nwankwoala remarked on Cantave’s incredible job in the group. “Dominique always made practice really fun for me. She made the dances very easy to learn. On top of her great personality, she’s a terrific dancer too!”Prep Makinrola Orandifiya agreed with Nwankwoala, describing Cantave’s versatility. “She’s an amazing dancer, fly-dresser and all around amazing girl”Cantave described her pride in dancing, especially with In Motion. “Even though a lot of people didn’t have any dance experience, we still managed to give an amazing performance for Hip Hop Showcase,” she said. “I always feel the most proud when I know everyone has put their heart in and we do a good job.”Her hard work is also reflected in the classroom. In classes like Art of Protest with English instructor William Perdomo and Black Experience in White America with history instructor Erik Wade, Cantave shows how her natural flair and talent encompasses her work in history and the classics.Her interest in learning about history and how it shaped society has influenced much of her educational career, and she plans to continue her pursuit of learning about the world and looking at history as a guide in college. Her interest in languages are clearly shown in her life at Exeter; she is currently trying to learn her mother tongue, Haitian Creole.After graduation, Cantave plans on traveling to Greece to study archaeology as her last tie to the classics at Exeter. She has already been to Rome to learn about its culture and language. Upper Efia Nuako, who was on the same trip, said, “She is really knowledgeable about Roman and Greek history. She always had insightful comments about the artifacts and sites we saw.”Cantave is leaving with a memorable presence as a proctor, dancer, classmate and a friend to everyone. Many students will be sad to see her graduate. “I’m so sad that these are my last couple of weeks with Dominique! Often times the highlight of my day is when I make her laugh—her laugh is hilarious, and it always brightens up the dorm,” Cai said.