Senior of the Week: Dorothy Baker

By: Anvi Bhate, Alia Bonanno

Through EDM music and a vivacious attitude in her studies and extracurriculars, Dorothy Baker, aka DJ Dorothy, has embodied the characteristics of an Exonian since she began at the Academy in her prep year. The 6’2” Baltimore native, squash captain, Langdell proctor and student listener, and videographer has shown what non sibi truly means through her commitment to community and leadership.

Baker noted how her Exeter experience was shaped by her dorm life, and the family she has been able to create through it. For Baker, proctorship has provided her a place to pass on the values and lessons she’s learned in the dorm to younger students, “Growing up in Langdell and then living in the same rooms that my role models before me lived in is amazing. Right now I live in one of my proctor’s old rooms...I always used to go there for movie nights, advice, or to do homework. And now that I'm giving that same experience to younger people, it's incredible to me...I feel like I'm living through the younger students again in a weird way,” she said.

Baker’s presence is often described as luminous and all encompassing by those around her. “The most significant way I'd describe Dorothy is the mayor of Langdell,” former Langdell Hall dorm head and Baker’s advisor Patricia Burke said. “Even as a prep, Dorothy was a community person, a people person, a gatherer, and an includer. She knew everyone and talked to everyone...She is a catalyst for the community.”

“I remember one time when I was hanging out in her room [and] I mentioned that I was hungry. She immediately offered me bars, snacks, and even offered to make me mac and cheese,” fellow proctor and senior Cecilia Treadwell said. “I think the generosity, care, and concern in this encounter encapsulates her as a person. She makes everyone feel comfortable and included. She is just a super kind person.” 

To Baker, the people she has encountered have made a tremendous impact on her Exeter experience. “I think it's a little bit basic to say that the people are what make Exeter, but they really are. I've met incredible people and incredible faculty who have been really supportive of me,” Baker said. “Being able to connect with older people throughout my entire time [here], through sports, clubs, or the dorm, really made a difference in my life and taught me a lot of values about community and about tight friendships that I wouldn't otherwise get at home.” 

 Upper Sami Smith recounted the little things Baker did to brighten her days. “One of my favorite memories of Dorothy is just passing her in hallways and on the paths. Despite the interactions being so small and quick she always has a funny phrase or new trend to show, and it puts a smile on my face,” she said.

Senior and squash team member Carolyn Fortin also noted how Baker fostered friendships. “Dorothy is the type of person who will remember your name and go out of her way to wave to you on the path, even if she's only talked to you once. She also has an impressive range of hobbies and is always open to trying new things.”

Even outside her extracurriculars, Baker carries a lighthearted passion and a caring attitude in academic classes as well. “I had Dorothy in Introductory Astronomy last spring term. She was a hard-working and determined student with a real fascination for astronomy,” Science Instructor John Blackwell said. “She and I spoke often out of class about the material we were studying. She did a really cool term project about time dilation, one of the outcomes of Einstein's theories of relativity.”

One of Baker’s most treasured Exeter memories involved videography, an art she learned to love through a class she took at the Academy. “I made this video my lower winter… I filmed [a prep in my dorm] looking at my posters and I edited it to look very trippy and cool. I posted [it] on Instagram and it got 3,000 views in two days. It was so awesome. The next day I was walking around and everyone was giving me high fives and being like, I had no idea you were so good at videos. It was a huge moment of community and [realizing] these people care about what I do and who I am, which was awesome.”

Baker’s humor is another staple of her presence on campus. As an editor of The Exonian’s humor section and a member of the unofficial Exeter meme page @phlexeter, Baker uses humor as a way to connect and brighten the days of those around her. “I love the humor page. It's a great [group] of people. We do it because we have a passion for writing, and I think we're fairly funny, or at least we try,” she said. “It's just a little section of a bigger [organization] where people put in so much time and effort, and it's incredible that we, as little people who make memes, get to be surrounded by that kind of drive.” 

“Dorothy has a great sense of humor. She doesn't take herself too seriously and always has something funny to say. I also know that I can go up to her at any time to chat, whether it be about a class, the grilled chicken at dhall, or the aggressive squirrel population on campus, and she will always be willing to talk,” Fortin added. 

When asked about how COVID-19 altered her Exeter experience, Baker said, “I think it made it harder to connect with people as it took away the normal casual interactions and made everything more formal, which wasn't great. It made it harder to branch out and try new things because there was [always] a risk involved. Like what if you catch COVID get sent to the quarantine unit? It made me more introverted.” 

In true Dorothy Baker fashion, though, she was able to find a positive effect of the pandemic, “It was also a good thing. It made me realize who I am some more and [I got to] spend some more time with myself. It’s a give and take.”

“When she got put into the quarantine unit she was able to put a positive spin on a very challenging situation. She could have gone home, but she decided to stay to have quarantine unit experience to learn and to bond with people there. I just remember bringing her coffee and a breakfast sandwich from Dunkin’ Donuts and how appreciative she was. I think that experience really revealed so much about Dorothy's can-do, live-life personality,” Burke said.

Her leadership abilities are also put to use as one of the co-captains of the squash team. “I love the squash team so much. It's one of my favorite communities at Exeter. Everyone is super driven and friendly, just incredible. I like leading the warmups and playing music for everyone and doing off-season practices with the captains beforehand…I'm so grateful to have a supporting system and team,” she said. 

“Dorothy was the music behind the Girls’ Squash Team the last two years. She worked on motivating mixes to keep everyone’s spirits up and it was truly one of the highlights during the difficult year we had as a team,” girls’ squash coach Lovey Oliff said. “I love her determination and her desire to learn, improve, while still having fun… She is the glue that helps keep our team going when things get a little rough.”

Baker leaves behind advice to underclassmen that stems from the lessons in community and hard work she’s learned over her four years as an Exonian. “I would say join as many clubs as possible and then figure it out once you start working for them. Second, I would say I do homework with other people. It's a huge way, especially prep fall to make friends and to create study habits. And get out of your room as much as possible....Also, my SoundCloud is @dorothybaker.”