Senior Spotlight
The audience grows quiet as the members of Sans Hommes, one of Exeter’s all-girls acapella groups, hum the opening bars to their first song. When senior Alexis Gorfine steps into the spotlight, her smooth voice carries the harmony with soft power, lending the song depth. Yet Gorfine’s voice doesn’t only shine within an auditorium. Throughout many aspects of her involvement at Exeter, Gorfine uses her voice as a medium to help others.
Alexis has loved singing for as long as she could remember. “I always used to sing around the house when I was little, and when I was 7 years old, I started taking lessons,” she said. After discovering acapella at Exeter, Gorfine joined San Hommes and fell in love with the group. “You bond in a way with singing that you don’t get in other ways,” she said. “You have to really listen to each other and figure out if it sounds right. There’s a vulnerability involved with it, and that makes the whole group very close.”
Friends and teachers alike love to hear Gorfine sing. Senior Lilly Carden, who attended preschool with Gorfine, praised her voice. “She’s been singing beautifully for as long as I can remember,” Carden said. Caroline Meliones, Instructor of Modern Languages and Gorfine’s adviser, also appreciates Gorfine’s musical talent. “Alexis is one of the most thoughtful and positive students I know. And, bonus, she plays guitar and has a beautiful voice!” Meliones said.
“Alexis is one of the most thoughtful and positive students I know. And, bonus, she plays guitar and has a beautiful voice!”
Gorfine also excels outside the realm of music. Classmates know her as a dedicated student who never fails to work her hardest in every class. Senior Anna Reaman, who was her roommate during their lower year, spoke to Gorfine’s intelligence and tenacity. “Alexis is very smart and level-headed,” Reaman said. “Alexis is also very driven. If she wants something, she will put her mind to it and work for it.”
Senior and dorm-mate Sophia Yoon appreciates Gorfine’s intellectual curiosity. “Alexis is very passion-driven—a trait that inspires me,” Yoon said. “When she finds something she wants to excel at, she tries very hard to achieve her goal. For example, she is a big language-lover, and she is always the one to start speaking in Spanish with me and gets excited when she learns something new about Spanish culture.”
Gorfine’s interest in languages stems from her desire to tell others’ stories. After learning Spanish for three years, she is currently attending Arabic courses for the while attempting to learn some Italian on her own. “I’m really interested in languages and how that intersects with diplomacy,” Gorfine said, before she noted the root reason for her desire to get involved with international relations: making the stories of others known to the world. “What I like so much about international relations is the storytelling aspect of it,” she explained. “My draw to international relations is on more of a people-to-people level, so I’ve been getting really intensive personal stories, especially like international, different perspectives, different cultures. It’s about listening to different people’s stories and learning about them.”
In the spirit of storytelling, Gorfine is working on a Senior Project that will spotlight those who live in 277 Water Street, a senior residential community in Exeter. Gorfine has high hopes for the project. “It’s in its early stages, but I’m looking forward to interviewing them and portraying their perspectives and stories in a very honest way, and making that into some sort of tangible piece that they can have for themselves and their families,” Gorfine said.
Through her work as a co-head of Global Citizens Initiative club, Gorfine is trying to bring the stories of immigrants to the Exeter community. “We’re trying to get to know refugees and immigrants who live close by—to connect with them and have a dinner, getting to know them and their perspectives and journeys. We’re also trying to set up a pen pals program with Jordanian students, to get to know them and share stories,” Gorfine said.
Perhaps Gorfine’s kindness shows most through her involvement in the ESSO club Big Sib/Little Sib, which matches Exonians to younger local children in order to create a sort of friendly mentoring—almost sibling-like—relationship. Now, Gorfine has been involved in the club for three years and has grown close to her “little sib,” Maddie. “I know her family, her dog, her brother,” Gorfine laughed. “I always wanted a little sister, since my siblings are all a lot older than me, so I thought this would be a great time to get together with somebody once a week and kind of have a little sister. Maddie’s perfect.”
When asked what prompts Gorfine to take such an interest in others, Gorfine’s friends and teachers mentioned her genuinely caring nature. Meliones called Gorfine “an incredible role model for younger students in our dorm.” As a proctor, Gorfine has played an integral part in supporting younger students in Wheelwright Hall. “She is easy to talk to, a wonderful listener and a kind friend who genuinely cares about everyone around her,” Meliones said. Carden believes that Gorfine is “one of the most loyal, compassionate, understanding, determined people I have ever met.” Carden emphasized Gorfine’s ability to connect with and care for strangers. “Her caring and generosity don’t just extend to her close friends. She is kind and generous to anyone who needs it, something I admire deeply,” Carden said. “And of course, she’s one of the best listeners I know.”