Senior of the Week: Catherine Zehner

By ADELLE PITTS, HENRY WISE, and JADE YOO

Anika Bhatnagar / The Exonian

Everybody knows her. Teachers love her, students admire her, and she brings her bright, bubbly personality with her everywhere she goes. You might know her as a proctor in Hoyt Hall, a director-general of Model United Nations (MUN), a co-head of Asian Voices— maybe you know her from class, or from the squash team, or just from her love of puppets. She puts her heart and soul into each part of her life and leaves a lasting legacy everywhere she goes. This is senior Catherine Zehner.

Now a four-year senior, Zehner has loved Exeter since her first visit in 2020. “I think the best moments I’ve had at Exeter have been nights I spent on the floor of other girls’ rooms, just hanging out and talking,” she said.

Zehner has formed many personal relationships with the faculty. Instructor in History Troy Samuels, whom Zehner had for class on Roman history for Latin students, said, “I’ve never met a student who is more passionate in my life than Catherine Zehner. All you have to do is walk up to her and utter the word puppets and watch her face light up with a passion for puppets. In a way, that has managed to make puppets slightly less creepy, which I really appreciate.” 

As a proctor in Hoyt Hall, Zehner has contributed to creating a positive and welcoming dorm community. “I love, love, love being a proctor,” she said. “When I first came to Exeter, the older girls in my dorm played a huge role in helping me get comfortable on campus. My closest friends at Exeter have been girls in my dorm and the relationships I have with them have been irreplaceable. As a proctor, I got to try to have a similar impact on the other girls in my dorm.”

“This year, a lot of girls in Hoyt joined Model UN, and there was no better feeling for me than being useful to them and watching them get excited,” Zehner continued. “It’s so rewarding for me to watch every class of Hoytians find excitement at Exeter. Although my nights on duty are over, I always looked forward to having my room full of people eating snacks, listening to music, talking, or just working. Hoyt has truly been a second home, and I relish in the idea that I’ve provided a fraction of that comfortability to other girls in the dorm through proctorship.”

“She’s really confident and she’s got that boss b*tch, or power girl, kind of aura, but, when you get to know her and when you get to actually have a lot of conversations with her, you’ll find that she’s actually a really warm person on the inside,” upper and Hoyt resident Lucy Jung said. “I feel like that’s what’s most deceiving about her, but she’s a really warm and tender person. I look up to her as not only my mentor, but also as an older sister.”

Zehner’s advisor, Instructor in English Nova Seals, feels very positively about her. “When she does get excited about something, she really gets excited, enthusiastic, and it’s actually quite joyful to witness her enthusiasm over something that she gets really excited about,” Seals said. 

Seals also believes Zehner has grown much more independent throughout her time at Exeter, taking on the role in the dorm and in her clubs to take the lowerclassmen under her wing. “She brings a sense of care and compassion because of the way she looks out for younger dorm residents and the way she provides counsel.” 

Another one of Zehner’s most admirable traits is her friendliness and leadership, which draws many friends towards her. “Catherine is so funny,” upper Elizabeth Christiansen said. “She’s so smart. She has this sometimes really confusing sense of humor that I just love. She’s lovely to spend time with and I really admire her sense of self. I think that that’s an impressive quality to have at such a young age.” 

Senior Alex Rosen, another of Zehner’s close friends and a fellow MUN cohead in the last year, spoke similarly of her strengths as a leader. “I can confidently say that Catherine is one of the people who cares the most about the club,” Rosen said. “I’ve always admired her ability to connect with other students in the club. I know that a lot of them looked up to her and she did a really good job of making sure that people stay with Model UN.”

To many students, Zehner is a mentor, a leader, a friend—and all around a wonderful person, whether in the classroom or on the paths, saying hello. Her friendliness and sense of leadership are what draws people towards her.