Senior of the Week: Esme Shields

By WILLIAM INOUE, and FORREST ZENG 

If you stood on the Exeter bridge on a Saturday during spring term, you might hear a distant rumble coming from behind the trees. Cross the bridge, and those rumbles turn into cheers. If you listened closely, you might just hear the chants of the Academy’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team, in the middle of a game. In the eye of the storm, though, is captain and senior Esme Shields. Today, she is playing the notorious “rover” position, a difficult defensive position. Regardless, she pulls it off skillfully.

In an instant, she traps the heavy rubber lacrosse ball and begins to sprint down the field. She passes it to her teammate, who leaps in the air and hurls the winning ball into the goal. Shields shouts triumphantly, makes a quick fist pump, and returns to her position. 

Four-year senior Esme Shields, captain of three varsity teams, hails from Ipswich, Massachusetts, and lives in Dunbar Hall on campus. She was captain of the girls’ varsity soccer and squash teams and currently leads the Academy’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team. She was also co-head of Exeter’s all-female acapella club Sans Hommes.

Shields credits her family for getting her into sports. “I have three older sisters who started sports before I did,” she said. “If my sisters joined a team, then I would just join that year as well. I also have a lot of close cousins who are the same age as me. They all play sports too.”

Shields has the incredible achievement of not only being a tri-varsity player but also a tri-varsity captain. “Esme is an incredible athlete who has been able to play three varsity sports since her prep year,” Shield’s coach and Instructor in English Christina Breen said. “These three sports require completely different athletic skills and somehow, she is able to excel in all of them!”

Across sports and seasons, her teammates are grateful for her contributions and leadership. Lower Morgan Signore said, “I first met Esme at soccer preseason. She was sweet and welcoming, and super funny.  Even though she was just an upper at the time, it was clear to me she was a leader both on and off the field. Wherever Esme is, people are smiling. She remains perfectly comfortable and confident in her abilities, and that is evident on the field”

Girls’ varsity squash takes place during the winter term when academics are often most intense. Despite this difficulty, Shields uplifts her peers and maintains a positive energy. “Especially in the squash community, she brings a lot of energy to the team,” lower and teammate Tiffany Sun described. “She’s always there to hype us up whenever we’re feeling down.”

“With Esme, it’s the small things,” upper Grace Benson said. “She knows how to be a good friend and a good teammate. She does it in a really natural way.”

Shields’ lacrosse coach, Alexa Caldwell, praised her sportsmanship. “My favorite thing about Esme is her tenacity and competitiveness. I know that she wants to win as much as I do,” she said. “But she also pairs fun-loving and goofy with competitive and focused. If you ever get to play a fun family game with her, you will see how quickly she escalates the intensity—not on purpose but just by her love of competition and play.”

Breen described Shields as “She is incredibly loyal and would go to bat for anyone she thinks is being treated unfairly or who needs extra support.”

Shields has valued spending time with friends and family alike. She has made many great memories throughout her time. “One favorite memory from this past year was sledding with my friends down the pathway between Abbot and the Academy Building. Some of my friends even built igloos too. Getting outside and doing random activities with friends is such a simple yet easy way to have fun.” 

Through her last term, Shields hopes to achieve a few things. “I hope to take advantage of time with friends and teammates. Also, I appreciate how Exeter teaches by using the Harkness method. I have used the Harkness method during middle school too so I will miss that in college and I want to embrace the small class sizes before I move into bigger classes and lectures in college.” 

Shields plans to continue playing sports in college and has committed to playing lacrosse at the University of Denver. She hopes that sports will affect her in many ways in the future. 

“​Sports make me have empathy for my teammates,” she said. “You have to be patient. It teaches you a lot of those fundamental things. I hope it will influence me to continue being a hard worker and to continue to push myself in a future workspace or just with different friendships and relationships I’ll have. Hopefully, I’ll be able to teach my kids sports or the sports I play someday, too.”

For future Exonians, Shields emphasizes mentorship. “I would say look up to your older teammates and dorm friends,” she said. “When I came in as a prep I had lots of support from older students and that made a huge impact on my mentality and confidence on the team. Older students have lots of experience and tips that they are willing to give to younger students, so be open to trying new things and respecting your peers.”

Senior Esme Shields smiles in front of Dunbar Hall amidst the fresh spring

Joonyoung Heo / The Exonian