Senior of the Week: Jesalina Phan

By AVEEN BURNEY, PHIN GIBBS, and ERIN HAN

Jesalina Phan can be seen in numerous places around campus, from sitting with friends at a crowded table in Grill to having a violin under her chin in the Bowld or in the Phillips Exeter Academy Notebook (PEAN) writing room, instructing editors and photographers on the newest spread. Phan, a day student from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has evolved over her four years from a timid and excited prep to an accomplished and driven young adult. Phan came to Exeter wanting to be inspired and challenged to a level she had not been in middle school. While she was able to do that, Phan was also able to reconnect with her heritage and make long-lasting friendships.

Coming from Heronfield Academy in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, Exeter was a big adjustment for Phan. “It was tiny,” Phan said. “It was like 90 kids in three grades, so it was very small and very different. Coming to Exeter with a much bigger student body was definitely a change, but I was very excited for it.”

Phan shared how although she anticipated the challenges of Exeter, she also felt intimidated upon her arrival. “Everyone’s achieving at such a high level and I’m no math genius or anything like that. I play the violin and that’s something that I’m more confident in my ability, but obviously there’s a ton of amazing musicians here as well. I was definitely intimidated by a lot of the people around me and I was comparing myself to them. But after being here for four years I think that I’ve definitely had a mindset shift to drawing inspiration from those people rather than feeling intimidated by them,” she said.

Phan’s advisor, English Instructor Brooks Moriarty, described her as “fun, upbeat, brilliant, and talented,” adding how he “love[d] her energy, enthusiasm, and her kindness.” Moriarty mentioned qualities of Jesalina which have stayed true since prep year. “She’s always had confidence and she’s never been afraid to ask for help.”

Moriarty also touched on Phan’s friendships. “It’s been fun watching her friendships develop over time — really deep, wonderful friendships — that have become richer over time.”

Many of Phan’s friends spoke of their fondness and admiration for the senior.

One of her best friends, upper Amber Zou, agreed with Moriarty and praised Phan saying, “she is a very confident, bold person — she has a lot of self-assurance. She is beautiful and thoughtful and very mature and eloquent and just so naturally intelligent. Like she doesn’t try, and she just knows everything.” Zou also spoke of their endearing mother-daughter-like relationship, “She feels like my child at times, or maybe I just enjoy being the mom friend, but that’s the funny thing because she is literally older than me, but other times it’s switched and I feel like her child. It just feels good to have this mother-daughter relationship between us.”

Zou also touched on Phan’s work ethic. “I admire her hard working capabilities and just the way that she carries herself because she is very competent in herself and I think that has developed even more in the time that I’ve known her. In general she is just a very cool, calm and collected person and everyone always comments on how Jesalina is so put together and on top of her things,” she said.

When asked for a phrase that came to mind for Phan, lower Cam Khater replied with, “Yipee! Because that’s what I think when I see her since she is so poppy. I think that Jesalina leaves behind a legacy of always showing kindness to everyone and trying to remain positive no matter the circumstances.”

Khater said that he loves Phan’s infectious positivity. “It’s really never a dull moment with her since she has such a fun personality and doesn’t shy away from showing it. I would say that she contributes to the Exeter community by always being a positive force, whether that be just talking to her or telling her the most tragic news ever, she always knows how to cheer people up.”

Senior and fellow dormmate Claire Fu felt very similarly, saying, “My favorite thing about Jesalina is her bright and thoughtful energy. She always manages to lift up those around her and honestly sees the good in everyone. There’s no one thing, it’s just Jesalina as a whole that’s my favorite.”

Fu also spoke on some of her fondest memories with Phan. “Jesalina and I are both kind of loud, but I love when we match energies and just let ourselves have fun. I remember how much fun it was to play spike ball for the first time together and how excited we get when making plans, like paddle boarding together in the spring or even just seeing each other after the weekend.”

Jacqueline Subkhanberdina, a senior and fellow co-editor-in-chief of PEAN said that despite the challenges that leading the publication brought, she and Jesalina, “started to lean into each other, and grow with each other.”

“She’s a very strong leader in our work for the yearbook. I think she’s always very on top of everything and very diligent, but also a very warm and inviting person for anyone that’s new on the team. I really appreciate her efforts this year of creating this sort of new energy with me in the yearbook and there’s this smoothness of working with her,” Subkhanberdina added.

Instructor in music Rohan Smith touched on her persistent nature saying, “I’ve never seen Jesalina complain, she’s always a person who is giving of herself. She has such a positive spirit, which I think she always gives of more than she gets.”

Moriarty had similar thoughts. “Everybody, you know, comes across a difficult class or a difficult assignment and she just perseveres, that’s the toughest part of it. And she just keeps her eyes focused and keeps pushing and doesn’t get lost in the particular moment of feeling challenged but instead rises to the occasion.”

Over the course of Phan’s time at Exeter, there has been a definite shift to her approach to her education. “Music has always been a huge part of my life and I used to want to be a professional musician, or pursue music in college. But after realizing that I didn’t want that to be my path anymore, I had to find new areas where I was passionate, and taking chemistry my upper year was one of the things that sparked that new passion. And now I know I’ll keep discovering new activities that I love in the future,” she explained.

Phan has not only had a shift in her interests over her time at Exeter, but she has also become more comfortable in discussions. “I think I was timid at the Harkness table when I came in as a prep. But I think through being in class and feeling the support of my peers at the table has really helped me to gain confidence as well. I began to stop underestimating myself or underestimating the strength of my own points, opinions, and thoughts. So I think a big part of that is also the support that I’ve felt in class when my peers are responding to whatever I’ve said or helping me with a problem on the board.”

An avid musician, Phan has dedicated much of her time both on and off of campus to the violin, which she first picked up at the age of five. She is the concertmaster of both the Chamber and Symphony orchestras at Exeter and is also a member of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. Over her 13 years of pursuing the instrument, playing the violin has been a great source of inspiration and growth. Reflecting on some of the wisdom she has gathered as a musician over the years, she remarked, “I think it’s taught me a lot about confidence.”

For Phan, performing is an exhilarating experience. “My conductor in Boston talks about the idea of the world of possibility, and I think that’s a mindset that has also been implemented in me through music,” Phan said. “When you perform there’s so much emotion, and it’s that feeling of exhilaration that really makes me feel alive. For me, it highlights the idea of living in the moment and not getting caught up on things in life that don’t go your way. Those moments can be opportunities that take your life in a direction you never imagined.”

This exhilaration Phan feels as a performer has proven to come across to her audience as well. Commenting on Phan’s lively musical personality, Smith said, “Jesalina has a sparkling personality and a lot of intensity as a musician. From the very first moment I met her when she joined the chamber orchestra as a prep, I noticed this amazing combination of channeled focus on the violin, and sparkling joy in the music that comes out in her playing.”

“One thing that is important to being an artist or musician is that you retain a spontaneous spirit, a freshness of wonder about life and about music, and she has kept that throughout. So what has changed over these years is just that Jesalia has grown into her own musical intelligence and maturity,” Smith added.

Phan’s love of music has also brought her closer with her peers. “I’m definitely very immersed in the music program here and it’s helped me to connect with a lot of people. That’s the whole purpose of music ­— to bring people together.”

Upper Jane Park mentioned how her friendship with Jesalina has gotten richer through music. “Our friendship has gotten stronger over the two weeks we spent in Greece making music with some of the best musicians I have met, and Jesalina is certainly no exception to this. She has an extremely friendly and bubbly personality that makes her a joy to be around, and her senior presence makes me feel welcomed every time I walk into the Bowld for rehearsal.”

Smith mentioned one of Jesalina’s concerts last spring, saying how there was “this amazing freshness and effervescence,” attributing Phan with “an electrifying” performance. He most admired “her enjoyment of life and generosity and friendliness to other people,” sharing the same sentiments as her friends and advisor.

In addition to playing the violin, Phan is a co-editor-in-chief of PEAN, a head tour guide, and co-head of the Vietnamese Society. “I think a big theme of all the clubs that I’m in is just being able to support communities at Exeter and give back,” said Phan. “For PEAN it’s like you’re creating a photo book highlighting different memories from the year, and I think that’s something that connects the community at Exeter.”

As a head tour guide, Phan spoke about how she is often reminded of her own experience as an incoming prep while giving tours. “I love touring and being able to tell prospective students about my Exeter experience and see their faces light up, and remember how mine did as well when I first toured,” Phan said. “Being a tour guide is like being a small part of what Exeter’s future might look like.”

In addition to performing as an orchestral musician and soloist on the stage, Phan has extended her talents as a violinist to her other passions, such as community service. During summers, she often busks in her hometown of Portsmouth, raising money for various organizations that she is passionate about. “I’m Vietnamese, so I’ve donated to orphanages in Vietnam, just a ton of food pantries, and given back to communities in need and communities that have supported me, which is something I’m also passionate about.”

For Phan, the diverse student body at Exeter has been the source of much reflection on her identity as an Asian-American woman. “I’ve grown up in New Hampshire my whole life where there’s not a huge Asian community, let alone a Vietnamese community in my area, and I’ve always felt a little bit disconnected from my culture and my heritage. And so coming to Exeter and having a student body that’s diverse compared to my hometown has been a core theme of my time at Exeter, being able to think about my own identity and my connection to my heritage and what that means to me.”

What’s clear is that Phan has truly made an impact on all of the communities she’s involved in and out of Exeter. Phan’s determination and non-sibi attitude will make her succeed in any pursuit she wishes. As Moriarty said, “she’s just the best.”