Dawson Byrd

Splitting his time between STEM and service, senior Dawson Byrd has experienced a variety of aspects of the vibrant Exeter community. In addition to the plethora of skills he brings to the table, Byrd brings a uniquely warm smile, according to his Exeter Student Service Organization (ESSO) Co-President Ryan Xie.

Before attending the Academy, Byrd spent most of his time concentrating on mathematics, the subject that primarily drew him to apply. “I actually heard about Exeter through math summer programs, and a lot of my friends there mentioned that strength of Exeter’s math program,” he said.

After spending time on campus, his interests have changed. “I don’t really participate in math club anymore, as I’ve found that my interests have shifted throughout my years at Exeter,” he continued.

However, many of Byrd’s interests still lie in the STEM field. Now, he spends much of his time on computer science. “I still really enjoy math and if I had more time during the day I would spend hours on it. But I think Exeter’s busy schedule forces us to make tough choices when it comes to what we focus on. Personally, I focused on computer science for the primary reason that CS is more directly applicable and is what I want to orient my career around,” he said. 

Due to his interest, Dawson has spent much of his time on Exeter’s Computing Club and is now one of the co-heads. Jenny Yang ’19 explained that even when participation was low in the midst of winter, Byrd continued to come and pitch in on difficult problems. “It was like a really nice, small community where we were able to code together, learn together and grow together,” Yang said.

Byrd engages in Computer Science outside of the Academy too—this summer, he attended the prestigious Research Summer Institute (RSI) with encouragement from an Exeter peer Evan Vogelbaum ’19. There, he spent time on an automated science journalism project using machine learning. “We trained a bunch of deep neural networks that can generate journal articles from a scientific paper,” he said. “Something that you see in Science Daily or Scientific American, we can train our model to generate a similar summary that is accessible and readable by a layperson from more complicated scientific paper. That was a very meaningful experience for me in gaining practical experience with machine learning, learning how to present my work and introducing me to a group and project that I will continue to work with here at Exeter.”

Computer science also led Byrd to the Exeter Student Service Organization (ESSO). There, he first joined ESSO Computer Programming to teaching coding, then took the position of Off-Campus Coordinator and eventually became Co-President.

Past ESSO president Grace Gray ’19 remembers Byrd for his thoughtfulness and pragmatism in board meetings. “I’ve come to know Dawson as somebody who isn’t afraid of voicing his opinions and asking us the difficult overarching questions to help our whole group thrive while also feeling comfortable taking a step back and truly listening to our group dynamics,” she said. “I know he’s going to give Exeter the genuine care and relentless drive towards improvement it deserves, and I can’t wait to see him thrive.”

Xie echoed Gray and elaborated on his collaboration with Byrd thus far. “Whenever Dawson and I discuss ESSO plans, he is never afraid to speak his mind, give new ideas and challenge, healthily, ideas so that we can strengthen them,” he said. “Moreover, I can always rely on him to lead the board well. He comes to every meeting prepared, with ideas and thoughts, and is always willing to listen to other ideas on the board.”

Byrd also acts as a mentor and companion to Xie and other members of the ESSO board. “Because he already had a year of experience on the board, this year’s board and I often look up to him for his experience and wisdom—ESSO or otherwise,” Xie said. “Not only is he a great leader and role model for the board and ESSO as a whole, but a great friend and person I can talk to.”

Senior and ESSO Director of Communications Penny Brant recalled Byrd’s leadership and tenacity when squeezing in a voiceover for an ESSO video between dorm meetings and other commitments. In the thirty minutes they each had free, Byrd, along with Xie, helped Brant complete their task just in time. “I think that’s definitely one of the moments that really shows Dawson’s leadership, as well as willingness to take responsibility and always willing to help others,” she said.

ESSO Adviser and Director of Service Learning Elizabeth Reyes feels that Byrd is a “quiet leader” who can be relied upon to get the job done. “Dawson uniquely brings his computer science knowledge which will help us get our systems more organized,” she said. “I look forward to working with Dawson every week to help grow and develop the ESSO program on campus. My only request from Dawson before he graduates is to see hear him play his violin at an ESSO event.”

Apart from his busy Exeter schedule, Byrd is active as a proctor in Soule Hall. “Being able to be a leader in the dorm is something that I’m very happy to do. The community and support that I’ve experienced in Soule is something that I want to replicate for new students,” Byrd said.

ESSO 2018-19 board member Don Assamongkol ’19 roomed with Byrd last year and found his support in the dorm invaluable.“He’s helped most people I know of in Soule with math but more importantly with their own sense of well-being,” he joked.

Upper Hassane Fiteni met Byrd on his visit day when he stayed in Soule. “I wasn’t enrolled into the school year, but he was telling me everything about Exeter [and] treated me as if I was already a student [and] a friend before I even came to the school,” he said.

In the spring, Byrd is also a member of Boys’ Varsity Crew, where his lightheartedness motivates teammates. Senior Alex Urquhart, who roomed with Byrd during preseason, remembered Byrd’s “jokes and chill vibe” helping him through the practices. “[It] helped us forget how challenging it is to row for six hours in a day,” he said.

Fiteni remembers Dawson as a “leader and a role model” who was able to support the team no matter the situation. “There was one time where Dawson actually moved down from the second to the third boat; others would be really ashamed about it but Dawson really took it as an opportunity to make sure the third boat was doing really well, [and] greatly improved that boat,” he said.

Regardless of the commitment, Byrd is truly a staple of the Academy. “He’s an Exonian that took everything that Exeter has to offer and also gives back to the new students and really makes Exeter the place it is,” Fiteni said. “I think people like Dawson are the types of people I wanted to meet at Exeter and the type of people that make Exeter the place that I fell in love with.”