Senior of the Week: Julia Dobbins

By Kaylee Chen, Taraz Lincoln and Hansi Zhu

Nine miles east of Exeter, New Hampshire, lies Hampton Beach, the lively boardwalk waterfront where seven-year-old Julia Dobbins first followed her father into the billowing water to surf.

Even before she had set foot in the ocean, Dobbins could recall memories of her father returning from surfing trips and showing her how to wash his wetsuits. As she grew older, her father would begin to take her out on their Zodiac motorboat in her freetime. During subsequent summers, she and her grandfather took boats onto the beach to fish for bluefish and striped bass, where Dobbins quickly developed an innate sense of belonging within the freedom and excitement that she found at sea.

“I’ve just grown up really enjoying my memories around the water,” Dobbins said. “You can’t drive before you’re sixteen, but I’ve been driving boats since I was nine. The water gives me this sense of independence and the ability to just go wherever I want.”

Now a senior at the Academy, Dobbins applies the empowerment she found in boating to her everyday life, believing fervently in the importance of approaching every new opportunity with the confidence and open-mindedness that led her to loving the water.

It was this instinct for discovery—and her affinity for the water—that led Dobbins to join Exeter Girls’ Crew during her prep year. Four years of rowing later, she said the lessons she has accumulated are invaluable. “Erging is such an individual sport sometimes. And when you can push yourself harder than you think you can, it teaches you to be competitive with yourself in a healthy way,” she said. “I know I can always strive to do better than I have in the past without bringing myself down.”

She also explained the effect that crew had on her outlook on perseverance, a principle that she takes beyond the Saltonstall Boathouse. “I always used to think that being mentally tough meant gritting your teeth and grinding it out. But I think the main thing crew has taught me is that being mentally tough doesn’t necessarily mean bracing yourself and getting through it,” she said. “It means the more tired you get and the more panicked you get, how, no matter how many doubts you have, you remain calm and you are able to ground yourself.”

Girls’ Crew coach Sally Morris emphasized Dobbins’ grit and enthusiasm. “There are certain athletes that I have coached over the years who cheerfully do all the required work, pay attention to directions and things are generally going well, but when you ask them to engage in a short race piece in practice, they just come alive and you can see the fire and intensity within,” she said. “Julia is one of those intense racers—she tucks her head in just a little, and I can see a slight smile as she pushes herself and her boat to go as fast as they can. She personifies the adage about when the going gets tough!”

Crew co-captain Bea Burack added that Dobbins was an integral part of her team experience. “Julia is the only reason I’ve survived crew this season,” she said. “I’ll never forget the day we got Laney’s after a grueling Wednesday practice. We were so tired but so happy, and Julia’s enthusiasm was infectious… Her hips may be out of alignment but her positive attitude never is.”

When she’s not rowing, Dobbins sings opera and co-heads Fermatas, a female a cappella group on campus. According to Dobbins, singing at Exeter has been another way that she built up her self-assurance. “I was so scared of criticism my entire life cause I’ve been singing my entire life, but I think breaking that barrier was what has given me my greatest passion here,” she said.

As a two-year co-head of Fermata, Dobbin’s greatest joy lies in welcoming new singers to join the singing community at Exeter. “It’s really rewarding to introduce people to something that you’re so passionate about because they can develop the same love for it that you do. And that’s just so fulfilling,” she said.

Dobbins also acts as a two-year proctor in Lamont Hall, where she has become a keystone for the family-like community within the dorm. 

“Julia is my home at Exeter,” senior and dormmate Sarah Pasche said. “She is very thoughtful and caring, and a really good friend. She is someone you can always rely on.”

Upper Hayley Ren agreed, adding that Dobbins was essential to her recovery from tough times when she was new. “I know that she’s always there for me. My prep year, I was going through some tough times, and I was able to go into her room any time to talk or cry,” Ren said. “She would always give me food and was a very nurturing, motherly figure for me that has been there for my worst and supported me through it.”

Dobbins aspires to make the Lamont community feel like a family for everyone, just as the proctors in previous years did for her. “I think the most rewarding moments have been when someone has come to me for help and they trust me enough to confide in me,” Dobbins said. “I was able to create a community here. That is, one where people can come to older kids or upperclassmen if they need help. It’s not super easy to ask for help all the time, so I always appreciate people’s courage in asking for help because I’m someone who doesn’t do that enough.”

Dobbins’s uplifting personality transcends beyond her leadership roles and into her personal relationships. Senior Sam Chalmers spoke of her relentless supportiveness. “During my upper year, I had to speak at an event that was very important to me. Many of my friends couldn’t come, but when I invited Julia… she said she wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Chalmers said. “She was so supportive and happy for me. That’s when I knew that Julia was a real friend that I could count on. She is an angel fallen from heaven who deserves the whole world.”

“She’s so genuinely kind hearted,” Ren added. “It’s the kind where you meet them, and there’s just a general charisma that comes with the person. I’m very grateful to have that sort of energy in my life.”

With only two terms at Exeter left, Dobbins said that, other than to “do your math homework,” the most valuable lessons she learned piggyback off of the foundation of knowledge she developed on the ocean as a child.

“The water’s something you have to learn to respect,” she said. “With surfing, there are big waves and with boating, there’s currents… That can be really dangerous, but having a healthy respect and taking calculated risks is something that’s a long learning curve. It’s the learning curve that happens over your entire life. But I think being able to seek things out that don’t make you one hundred percent comfortable is the most important thing I’ve learned at Exeter: just showing up and going in with a good attitude, even though it might be something that is outside of your comfort zone, and it’s helped me find the things that I’m most passionate about here.” 

Evidently, Dobbins’ philosophy has helped her to create a fulfilling, adventurous Exeter experience that truly floats her boat.