Senior of the Week: Alicia Coble

By Manan Mendiratta, Valentina Zhang and Hansi Zhi

On a normal day, Senior Alicia Coble can be found rowing at the Whitney Boathouse, leading a climate lobby, hosting a radio show or picnicking on the McConnell patio with her dorm mates.

Although Coble had been an avid dancer prior to Exeter, she decided to try crew under the encouragement of her prep fall Latin teacher, Girls’ Crew (EGC) Coach Sally Morris, who suggested the idea to Coble because of her height. 

“I tried out rowing and it was just so much fun,” Coble said. “You’re literally just doing the same stroke for your entire practice, and for some people that might seem kind of boring, but for people who row, they just love finding that perfection.”

As one of the EGC captains, Coble seeks out every opportunity to help the team build a sense of community. “Something that makes EGC really special is that we’re a huge team… I really hope to see everyone being connected in the boathouse.”

EGC co-captain Addie Luce emphasized Coble’s caring nature on the team. “As a co-captain, she is very inviting and always makes sure everyone on the team feels comfortable… She is an amazing listener, and she inspires me to be as kind and welcoming,” she said. 

Upper Michelle Park added that Coble is also just as diligent as she was open. “Throughout my time in crew with her, I always knew her as someone who was hardworking, trying her best in every aspect, being the epitome of ‘perfect form’, and keeping a positive attitude in everything she did,” she said. 

“Alicia is a thoughtful, caring, sensitive and inspirational captain. She thinks deeply about her teammates’ wellbeing and each day reaches out with her characteristic smile and kind words,” Morris said. “Her steady, visible progress and intelligent approach allowed others to see a path to getting stronger themselves and how to have fun doing it.”

In light of recent Academy discussions about race, Coble also hoped to implement anti-racism into the team program. “I was really inspired by the [Athletics anti-racism assembly] and I’m just hopeful to see what happens with crew because crew is a very white sport and I think we need to ask ourselves why that is,” she said. 

Entering PEA, Coble thought herself destined on the path toward English and the humanities. By the time she took her third term of prep bio, however, she had opened her eyes to the realm of science.

“Instead of [just] learning about microorganisms for two and a half months, we would learn about climate change for awhile,” she recalled. “And I was like, this is really cool. It’s science relating to real life. And I think that’s when I started to like science a lot more.”

She remembered another awakening during family weekend her lower fall. “My teacher said to our class, ‘If you guys go home this weekend, you’re seriously gonna see physics everywhere.’ And I was like, ‘he’s kidding.’ [But then] I was learning to drive and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, the state of an object in motion or whatever.’ And then I took chem last year and it was the same thing: this is so real and concrete,” she said. 

Gradually, Coble immersed herself deeper into the science offerings at Exeter, and now considers herself a more “science-y person.” Of this, she said, “I think that’s another thing that’s really cool about Exeter. You can come in thinking like, this is what you want to do, and then have that shift.”

Although she loves all disciplines in science, Coble’s greatest passion lies in climate change.

“A lot of people ask why do you care? Why do you spend so much time on that? Nothing’s going to change. Personally, I have to believe that something’s going to change. I care about the future of the earth… That’s how we’re going to save the world,” Coble said.

At the start of her upper fall, Coble co-founded a club called Exeter Climate Lobby (ECL) to empower climate activism and leadership on campus. One of ECL’s events included “Climate Lobby Day,” where the club partnered with Our Climate and met with Massachusetts state representatives to discuss climate legislation. 

“It was so exciting to see these kids who don’t even live in Massachusetts talk to these state representatives who have the power to change things and ask them to do it for New Hampshire, do it for wherever they’re from,” Coble said. “It’s a really powerful experience to see state representatives being moved by what you say.”

In the club, Coble finds joy in helping others develop their own passion for climate conservation. “We have something that we call the story of self,” she said. “That’s basically a personal story about why you care about climate change. Teaching the student lobbyists how to formulate these stories is exciting because it makes them reconnect with why they’re doing this work.”

Fellow ECL co-head Erin McCann appreciated Coble’s dedication to the work in the club. “She definitely goes after it with her full heart and with all her passion,” she said. “When we planned the climate strike last year and when we planned lobby days to Boston she really stayed on top of the details and she was just spending the whole night before preparing to meet with her state legislator and reading up on all these carbon pricing bills.”

Yet Coble is more than simply passionate about the subject matter. McCann continued, “I think when you hear ‘climate activists,’ you expect someone who’s giving speeches all the time and always the one at the forefront, always the one talking, but the thing about Alicia is that she also listens as she learns from those around her. She takes perspectives outside her own perspectives and combines it with her own experiences.”

ECL co-head Scarlett Lin agreed, adding that she is both genuine and receptive. “Alicia is a really humble person and I really respect that. For those of us who do environmental work and activism, we as co-heads know a lot about the issue, but always there’s something that we don’t know and someone who knows about it. [Alicia] always acknowledges that her answers are not perfect,” she said. “And there will be times that she’s unable to answer a question, but she always respectfully opens the question up [to others].”

As a four-year McConnell resident, Coble is also a proctor, student listener and role model in the dorm. She said she loves the convenient location, open patio space and the connections she’s made with her peers.

“She’s never afraid to reach out to the underclass and in my dorm,” senior and fellow McConnell resident Caroling Huang said. “She’s always super positive, and she always goes out of her way to make everyone feel comfortable and feel like they belong in McConnell.”

“She’s definitely become more of a leader in the dorm and also in the eyes of the community. I feel like she’s really taken that step because she has really become comfortable in the community, in her own skin,” Huang added.

Another place Coble found a home in is the WPEA radio broadcasting studio. Coble said she loves the free-flowing atmosphere and the ability to enjoy herself while she’s on air. As the Director of Training, she hopes to inspire others to utilize this unique outlet to share their stories.

“So few other schools have radio stations,” Coble said. “If you have some music that you like or have an interesting topic that you want to talk about, then this is perfect for you.”

Beyond all her activities, Coble is also a patient and trustworthy friend. “I know I can always rely on her whenever I have something on my mind or need a shoulder to lean on,” Park said. “I’ve always been a very independent person, but she’s taught me that it’s okay to ask for help and that it’s okay to be a little bit vulnerable sometimes.”

“I strive to be a friend that listens,” Coble concluded. “I think that’s the most important thing: just having your experiences validated. Because at Exeter, people come from all different walks of life… I have friends who do a lot of similar things that I do, but also those who are very different from me, people that I might’ve not met at other schools. And I think that’s what helps me to continue to learn and grow.”