Eugene Hu
Eugene Hu balances many roles at Exeter. Some days, he’s leading various ESSO clubs as an avid advocate of non sibi or competing with the rest of the track team. Other days, Hu is performing as a center-stage magician for Exeter events or helping other students in his dorm, Soule Hall. No matter what activity you find him doing, Hu’s constantly making the best of his Exeter experience.
When asked about his decision to apply to Exeter, Hu attributes his initial interest to a conversation with a mentor at his in middle school. “I was talking to the head of my former school,” Hu said. “That’s when I really started to learn more about the school because he was—and still is—one of the people I look up to.”
Hu joined the Exeter community as a new lower; his advisor, Russell Weatherspoon, recalled his first impression of Hu as a “very quiet person who was committed to [his] studies.” Hu also impressed Weatherspoon with his natural stage presence. “He made it clear that he really was interested in the theater,” Weatherspoon said. Hu pursued theater during his first year at the Academy, both as a participant in a monologue competition as a magician who performed in front of an audience during pep rally.
Hu’s pep rally performance was met with an enthusiastic response from the student body. “The response from the student body was so overwhelming,” Weatherspoon said. “I mean, people were screaming his name.”
After the positive reception in Hu’s first pep rally performance, several students requested the return of Hu’s magic during the pep rally of the following year. “He's really good at magic and magic tricks,” said senior and fellow resident of Soule Hall, Cade Napier, pointing out that Hu also performs in the dorm. “Everyone [in the dorm] was so excited. Magic is cool and so is Eugene.”
Hu explained the origin of his interest in magic as “more superficial than [one might] think.” He cited the 2013 film Now You See Me as a large influence. “This movie felt like a magic trick, not just a film…Being someone who’s interested in film, I like to frame different artistic collaborations in a way that reflects the audience of something.”
Hu explores different forms of art including writing and performing poetry and prose. On the eve of the school’s celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, he stood on stage and performed an original monologue about the current state of America. Throughout his performance, the sound of cheers and snaps of agreement were constantly heard from the audience.
In addition to his public presence on stage, Hu is also a frequent contributor to the Humor page of The Exonian with his comic strips appearing almost weekly. “[Eugene] has a wonderful, dry humor. He has a deadpan way of telling a joke and delivering a punch line,” Weatherspoon said.
Hu’s friendly stage presence also plays a role in his other activities at Exeter. He frequently reaches out to the larger Exeter community through ESSO clubs. “Eugene is one of the most genuinely caring people I’ve ever met, and anyone who meets him would see that too,” senior and dormmate Adrian Venzon said.
As cohead of ESSO Spanish, Hu teaches Spanish to elementary school children from the wider Seacoast community. “We just have kids from the vicinity come over [to Exeter] and we teach them the vocabulary,” Hu said. “We play games of Hangman and musical chairs with some Spanish music. It’s really fun.”
Furthermore, Hu runs the Cultural Appreciation Club at the Harris Family Children’s Center. “He teaches the kids about Spanish and his own Chinese culture, and it’s really admirable that he's able to share that with such young kids,” Napier said. As a native speaker and resident of Shanghai, Hu is able to provide important information to the kids about day-to-day life in China.
Hu’s kindness extends much further than the ESSO clubs he is a part of, though. Venzon appreciates his authentic nature and concern for fellow students. “Eugene never fails to say hi and ask you about your day and has a genuine interest in the answer to that question,” he said.
Through various student forums, Hu has offered himself as a resource to those struggling with different issues on campus. He is a particularly prominent member of Exeter’s student-run Bus Ride Facebook group page, where students can anonymously submit concerns or opinions on anything affecting the Exeter community. “Last spring was a really odd time where everybody was just feeling sad. It seemed like—compared to other years—the mood seemed a little more negative,” he said. “I was able to tell to people that I’ve been there, but [I understand that] it’s a lot more complicated than feeling negative or sad. ”
Hu’s care for others has greatly impacted those around him in the Exeter community. “Exeter can be a difficult place,” Napier said. “Eugene can run into problems sometimes, but he's always able to work through them and continue to do his best. It’s very inspirational.”