Senior of the Week: Serene De Sisso

Walking to South Side one evening, senior Serene De Sisso and upper Senai Robinson just started dancing. They danced because they didn’t really have a reason to, and they danced because there was every reason to. Though they got strange looks from passers-by, neither De Sisso nor Robinson paid them any mind. 

That evening, spending time with De Sisso, Robinson felt comfortable and confident. De Sisso has had this same effect on countless other students. 

De Sisso, a Bronx native who first heard about Phillips Exeter Academy through the leadership development program Prep for Prep, initially had her doubts about being able to attend. “I remember thinking I could never get into [Exeter] because I just didn’t have the resources to get into a school like that,” De Sisso said. “When I first got accepted, [the first thought that came to mind] was, ‘Serene, you thought you couldn’t do it, but here you are.’”

From prep to lower year, De Sisso grew more confident of her place at Exeter. De Sisso’s former adviser Allison Duke recalled that initially, De Sisso was a more reserved student. “Serene was fairly shy at first and kept to herself quite a bit as she adjusted to Exeter,” Duke said. “By lower year, she had found many connections on campus and was more confident in herself.”

As a senior, De Sisso has helped others take up space, becoming a role model underclassmen look to for support. In striving to better the lives of those around her, whether that be lending a shoulder to friends or trying to spread positivity, she has become an embodiment of what it means to be an Exonian.

As with her personal relationships, De Sisso has given herself to her extracurricular pursuits. De Sisso’s current adviser Panama Geer attested to the passion and commitment that De Sisso has devoted to all of her work. “It’s not the quantity of things she’s done … I think she’s come at a lot of the things she does outside the standard academic life here in an almost academic way,” Geer said. “She’s treated them the same level as some of her core courses and put that amount of time and energy into them.”

De Sisso leads Precision, the Academy’s all-female step team. Having first encountered step in fourth grade, De Sisso choreographs for Precision to connect with her culture and proudly showcase it to others. 

Robinson, who is a co-head of all-male step team Outkast, spoke to De Sisso’s creativity and talent. “We create steps for our step groups together. Every time I have an idea, she takes it another step further or two steps further, and, every time she has an idea, I can take it further. We constantly build off of each other with the work of the other co-heads [of Precision and Outkast] as well.”

De Sisso also founded the Academy’s first black affinity group, Black Students of Excellence.

Through these organizations, she hopes to support her community and other girls who share experiences of marginalization. “I think my clubs are ways to give back to those that I believe have helped me and also those who can help other people,” De Sisso said. 

De Sisso recalled that, in Dunbar, as the only black girl in her grade or on her floor, she often felt isolated; De Sisso now strives to minimize this experience for other black students. “I remember feeling very alienated. So, through my mentorship [in the dorm and in clubs], I try and improve the situation for black girls here.”

De Sisso further shines in her ability to speak on the impact of her experiences. “She’s able to take the issues that are important to her, articulate them and share them with people who are not proximate to these issues,” senior and former roommate Suan Lee said. “I learned so much from Serene, and I’m so grateful Serene was my introduction to having really difficult but very candid conversations.”

Through her outspokenness, De Sisso has educated the campus on pertinent issues. “Being able to meet her and being good friends with her has allowed me to understand and learn about a lot of things that otherwise I would have never known about in my life,”  senior Jasper Ludington said, “going with her and a couple of other people to ALES and also being more cognizant of African-American students on campus.”

Through her Exeter career, De Sisso has learned to take a stand and proudly own her space. “I think just finding her voice on certain issues is probably the biggest way that she’s grown,” Geer said. “She has a strong voice on campus about a lot of issues that are important, and she’s garnered a lot of respect from the community around those.”

No matter the setting, De Sisso puts forward a positive mentality. “[Serene] was outgoing, for sure,” Ludington said. “[She was] easy to open up to, but also bubbly in a way.”

De Sisso’s positivity withstands stresses and challenges. “One of the hallmarks of Serene in my mind is the way she’s always able to put on a brave face, even when I know she’s absolutely miserable too. She always found the bright side,” Geer said. “I think it brings out good things in other people.”

For Serene, “What can I do?” is a regular question, and as the end of her senior year approaches, she finds herself meditating on the question more often. “I’ve always believed that the measure of a good Exonian isn’t our grades but our actions and our impact on other people.”

Asked how she stays positive, Serene just shrugged. “I think it doesn’t hurt to be positive. If I’m a positive person and I’m next to you, you will be. And so will the next person; it keeps spreading and spreading. I think, for me, it’s something that everyone can do.”