Aidan Wolff-King

Many students claim that they have grown academically and socially over their time at Exeter.  However, Senior Aidan Wolff-King has literally grown up on campus: as the son of English instructor Ellen Wolff, Wolff-King has been a part of Exeter for as long as he can remember.  His classmates have seen his four-year transition, while many faculty members have seen him evolve from diapers to an accomplished scholar, athlete and engaged community member. Through the years, he hasn’t lost any of his goofy kindness. As one of his closest friends, senior Zoe Marshall attested, “he's enthusiastic and will dance like his arms aren't attached to his body when a good song comes on.”Wolff-King embarked on a term abroad in Stratford, England in the fall of his senior year. Led by Associate Director of College Counseling Cary Einhaus, the group of twelve Exonians lived together while studying literature and theater. They had the opportunity to do a bit more than simply study theater—the group attended a whopping fifteen plays in ten weeks! Wolff-King jokes that he went because his “college counselor told [him] that if you’re here for four years, you have to get away for at least one term or else you’ll go crazy.”

“He's enthusiastic and will dance like his arms aren't attached to his body when a good song comes on.”

The trip was also a chance for him to deepen his love for English literature. Einhaus particularly enjoyed seeing Aidan’s candid enthusiasm from the theater seats. At a performance of Macbeth at the famous Globe Theater during the first weekend in London, Einhaus “could see Aidan's reactions throughout the play—his delight, his puzzlement, and his wonder—which demonstrated how he was completely in the moment.” Wolff-King also enjoyed the “practical engagement” that living with other Exonians offered; cooking for the rest of the group, cleaning the house and travelling independently in a foreign country.Wolff-King has been a member of the boys’ crew team since the start of his prep year. “Ms. Moore [one of Exeter’s crew coaches] had her eyes on me ever since I started growing,” he joked. As a day student, Wolff-King recognizes the power of a dorm community to create connections, but credits crew with providing his so-called “in” to make great friendships. “It’s been my way of investing myself in the school,” Wolff-King said. While he humbly says that he continued crew because “it’s the only sport I’ve ever been good at,” Wolff-King’s coaches and teammates agree that the his role in the boat surpasses simply athletic skill.“Part of Aidan's success in crew stems from his ability to place others ahead of his own needs,” Tyler Caldwell said, who has coached Wolff-King on the boy’s varsity crew team for the past three years. “Crew might be the ultimate team sport; it requires all of the athletes in the boat to feel the shell moving underneath them together.  When on the water, the boat's forward motion hinges on all of the athletes rowing in sync, in perfect harmony,” Caldwell continued. This all-important harmony, Caldwell said, is one which Aidan fosters selflessly.When not on the water, Wolff-King can be seen actively contributing to many student groups on campus. While the cello he played in his charter middle school for the arts has been left to sit in the corner of his bedroom, Aidan can be seen performing the electric bass at E.A.R. (Exeter Association of Rock) concerts. “I try to perform as much as I can because I love it,” Wolff-King said. Marshall is doing a musical as her senior project in the spring called “Next to Normal” in which Wolff-King will be playing guitar in the band. Always one for a challenge, he’s excited to play over thirty songs.Rattling the clubs he attends off his hand–G.S.A., Feminist Club, A.L.E.S. and most recently E.A.S.A. after returning from Stratford–Wolff-King’s involvement is widespread. While he enjoys exposing himself to diverse opinions, he recognizes that “it’s hard as well; it’s easy to shut down and be narrow-minded.”Even though it sometimes may be easier to be close-minded, when he visited colleges and took tours around the world, he always kept one fact in mind that helped open his eyes. “Look for the weird people,” he said. “Look for the social groups that are outside of the norm, so look for the jocks, the geeks, the hippies, look for stereotypes because that means that these people can coexist and intersect.” His mother always told him what a special place Exeter was, and it wasn’t until he saw more of the world and went outside his bubble of protected New Hampshire that he truly realized this.His consistent involvement in these many diverse clubs, however time-consuming they may be, have added to his growing knowledge of the world around him. “It’s not that I’m particularly talented or diligent, because I certainly didn’t learn studying skills at my elementary school,” Wolff-King said, but the new levels of understanding that he gains from the genuine discourse at these club meetings and around the Harkness tables has kept him engaged.Reflecting on the time he has spent with Aidan, the repetition of the phrase "I understand" bubbles to the surface of Caldwell’s mind. “He might've inherited that wonderful trait from his mother; in the end, though,” he said, “that's how Aidan makes one feel: understood.”