Senior of the Week: Indigo Ogiste

Senior Indigo Ogiste poses by a staircase in the Davis Library. Photo Courtesy of Indigo Ogiste

By  JANIBEK SUBKHANBERDIN and FORREST ZENG

      Outside the Bowld’s tall doors, musicians toss their empty instrument cases to the sides and sit down in black metal chairs. These rows of groggy Exonians, hoisting mahogany violins and pearly trumpets, are the musicians of Chamber Orchestra, Exeter’s selective orchestra that rehearses every Monday at 8:00 a.m. It’s 7:55 a.m., and they are missing one cellist. The musicians glance at each other, waiting for her patiently.

      Hauling a heavy cello case, she bursts through the glass doors of the Bowld, breakfast in hand. From her infectious energy, smiles stretch out on the faces of her fellow musicians, as they greet her and wait for her to finish.

      Finally, Senior Indigo Ogiste sits down on her chair, stacks her cello rod on the wooden rest, and the orchestra begins rehearsal. After a day of music, passionate work in STEM classes, and time with friends, Ogiste returns to her dorm, Bancroft, and its community.

      When speaking on Ogiste’s impact in the dorm, many Bancroft residents bring up her warmth and presence as a model proctor. Upper Anya Rao explained, “In the dorm, she creates a very comforting and inviting environment.”

      Echoing this description, senior Ava Lori Hudgins detailed, “Indigo is so welcoming, and I know so many underclassmen look up to her as a proctor.” Hudgins continued, “She’s the person who’s always ready for advice, for a hug, for a smile, for some food, or just to laugh.”

      Associate Dean of Residential Life, Ogiste’s advisor, and instructor in biology Katherine Hernandez reflected on how she has seen Ogiste as a member of the dorm and expanded on the previously mentioned themes. “Indigo has always been a very steady presence in the dorm,” she said.

      Hernandez continued, “She is somebody who has her door open to others. She’s more than welcoming. She has this way of looking after others that doesn’t draw too much on her time yet really helps people feel like they have a home here.”

      Specifically, Hernandez highlighted Ogiste’s close relationship with Bancroft’s new students, recounting that the senior makes an important effort to establish a connection with preps and make them feel welcomed.

      Upon being asked to consider their favorite memories with Ogiste, students of the dorm told stories of how exactly Ogiste helped cultivate such a positive and hospitable environment. Rao, for one, recounted: “My favorite memory with Indigo is knocking on her door at like 1:00 a.m. just to hang out with her, and we sit on the floor of her room just talking for hours.”

      Touching on a similar experience, alumna Jacqueline Subkhanberdina ‘23 painted a picture of Ogiste’s space. “Indigo’s cozy room, with its abundant plants, warm lights and floor pillows, became a haven for me, my senior year, and her upper year. It was always a welcoming space to unwind in, watch a movie in, and laugh.”

      Hudgins, too, reminisced on her time spent with Ogiste in the dorm. “We’ve spent so many nights laughing until our stomachs hurt––I truly can’t think of anyone who makes me laugh like her––and staying up way too late in each other’s rooms.”

      Lower Asha Masoudi continued along a similar thread. “Playing wavelength with her in the common room at the start of the year was really fun,” she said.

Ogiste is known for being an extraordinarily kind person. “Indigo is the most warm, vibrant, and thoughtful person I know,” senior Anna Kim said.

“She is genuine,” upper Cam Khater reflected. “I know that when I talk to Indigo, she will tell me how it is. That’s not to say she isn’t one of the kindest people I know. She is a great person to talk to because she is such a good listener and honest person.”

“My favorite thing about Indigo is how beautiful she is. Not just that she’s stunning, but that she has a beautiful soul. She’s sunshine on a cloudy day,” stated Hudgins.

Being profound and a deep thinker are other qualities of Ogiste mentioned by many. Subkhanberdina explained, “If I could describe Indigo in one word it would be thoughtful. She is one of those rare and lovely people that when around, you truly feel cared for.” Hernandez added on to this description, “She’s tremendously fair. When she looks at something, she’s always fair in her assessment of the situation.”

For those close to her, Ogiste’s impact has been tremendous. “Without Indigo, I don’t think I would still be at Exeter. She’s given me the confidence and the strength to stick it through the hard times. She’s taught me so much about resilience and has always boosted me up when I feel low,” said Hudgins.

Upper Aveen Burney said, “Indigo is my safe space. She is maybe the most relatable person I have met and we vibe on so many different levels. She has become a person I can guard my often suppressed emotions and feelings with. It is wonderful to be in a dialogical exchange with her because we are both deep thinkers. She says exactly what I am thinking and what I have thought but in an even better and more articulate way. I also just love her laugh and her soul inside and out and sideways.”

Through her involvement on campus and her role in Exeter’s community, Ogiste has impacted many. Co-director of Chamber Orchestra, Laura Grube details the part that Ogiste has played in the orchestra. “Indi has been a rock in the orchestra, for me and for the rest of the ensemble. She is a positive presence and brings joy to the group.”

Senior Michael Zhu echoed this sentiment, remarking “She is a very strong leader in both Symphony and Chamber. The underclassmen in both ensembles look up to her.”

Members of the orchestra reflected on the way Ogiste naturally brought joy to the ensemble; Kim explained, “I love all of our post-symphony rehearsal library days. We are sometimes productive, sometimes not, but we have so much fun laughing about literally anything.”

Zhu also expressed his appreciation for Ogiste. “She brightens my day when she plays the cello with me.”

Considering Ogiste’s impact in the classroom, Kim reflected: “I’ve gotten to see her in our AP chem classroom and in both chamber and symphony orchestra, and she’s always hard-working and makes all our classes way more fun.”

Another sphere of campus in which Ogiste’s impact is clear to see is her advisory. Hernandez gives an account of Ogiste’s presence in the advisory: “She’s just always willing to help people and she normalizes question-asking, when I have somebody, another advisee who’s really struggling, but doesn’t want to speak up, Indigo is like, ‘Hey, what do you got?’ Like, ‘what are you working on?’ She just makes it so easy for them. She takes such good care of people.”

Senior Neil Varwandkar summarized Ogiste’s impact on campus as such: “happiness.”

As many seniors do, Ogiste has changed greatly as a person over her time at Exeter. Hudgins said, “I’ve watched her grow from 14 to 18, and I’ve seen her become more confident and learn so much, while still staying a hilarious, kind, and gentle person.”

“I’ve gotten to see Indigo grow into a leader, both as a cellist and as a person,” Grube said. “She is a strong and dedicated player, and she has stepped into a leadership position throughout this year. She has grown in confidence and thoughtfulness as she tackles difficult music and situations.”

Kim reflected a similar sentiment. “I think she’s become more confident,” she said. “She’s a leader in the many communities she serves in and a wonderful and empathetic friend.”

Cherished by many friends and members of the Exeter community, Ogiste’s warmth on campus is unmistakable. To many, she represents a beacon of kindness and hard work. Summarizing Ogiste’s presence in a word, her close friend Hudgins declared, “‘Sunshine.’ She just glows.”