Senior of the Week: Moksha Akil

By EMI LEVINE and SELIM KIM

With twinkle-lights spread across the walls, casting a soft glow, senior Moksha Akil lies in her third-floor Merrill dorm room. Fellow Merrillites surround Akil as they crowd around a laptop. Harry Styles sings at his most recent concert. Laughter echoes into the air as Akil and her friends crack jokes and admire the British singer. It is at this moment that Akil is in her comfortable element. 

Akil came to Exeter in the fall of 2018 as a prep from Long Island. Boarding school was not what she initially had in mind for high school. “I was very set on going to a private high school in Manhattan called Dalton, but my middle school headmaster suggested that boarding schools were a good option for me because he thought I was quite an independent person,” Akil said. 

What did convince Akil of her fit with Exeter was Experience Exeter. “I really liked the energy. The weather was really gloomy that day, and I really like gloomy weather, so that set everything in. It was like it was meant to be,” she said.

Akil discovered her passion for history at Exeter, something that was quite unexpected. “I was actually awful at history in middle school, and to be honest, I’m still not great at it,” Akil reflected. “In fact, I remember that prep winter I took History of Japan, and I was awful at it. I genuinely had no idea what was happening, and I did not speak a word in the class.” 

“Then, lower fall happened. I took Classical Greece with Mr. Kilinc…I absolutely adore Mr. Kilinc. He had these five short written assignments instead of three long papers, and it made me fall in love with history,” Akil said. “Right after that, I took Absolutism and Revolution with Ms. Merrill…and I loved reading about Peter and Catherine The Great, and then the French revolution, and all the philosophers like Voltaire and Russo.”

Akil also found she had a knack for English in her lower year. “I liked English because I had Ms. Carbonell lower fall, and she was the person who made me realize that I might not be that bad at writing. She kind of put it on me, in a sense,” Akil recalled. 

So, naturally, when the opportunity to pursue a senior project arose, Akil seized it. “Once senior project sign-ups came out, I was like, ‘Oh, I kind of wanna combine English and history.” Then, it just came to my mind to do historical fiction, short stories, and I ran with it. It was generally like a two second thought that I ran with..that kind of solidified my love of history in English. So, now I am a history major,” Akil said. 

Because of her love of English and writing, one place Akil shined in was her senior meditation, which did not go the way she had originally envisioned. “I was not expecting to go in the direction I went… As I went into it, I had no idea what I was going to write about, but I remember at least a week before it was due, I ended up watching The Joker and sobbing right after and then writing my entire meditation after that,” Akil said. 

Akil said that she had “three things I could definitely write about,” going into her meditation.  “I had my race, I had my parents, and I had my dance and my body to fall back on. I'm actually really proud of myself that I did not write about my race or my parents because I already had written a lot about both of those topics… I ended up writing about my happiness and the perception of me as a quite happy person, and about allowing myself to feel emotion. It was titled “Bring Me Home” and I also wrote about me being a bad daughter and about my relationship with my mom and me being upset that I was upset at her,” Akil added.  

Akil also talked about how “cathartic” it was to write her meditation on this: “It was a really good feeling to write this meditation and the fact that it happened after I watched The Joker adds personality to it. But I think it was a really big part of myself that I hadn't really talked about. So being able to write that into my meditation and being like, ‘Hey, I'm not really always happy’ and saying like, ‘Oh, here's who I actually am, not this perception of me, but I also am this perception of me,’ it was really fun.”

This clear passion Akil possesses towards the humanities is reflected in her active involvement in The Exonian. Yet, Akil described how her involvement in The Exonian did not come naturally at first.  “I did Exonian when I came in right off the bat. I remember being in the first Exonian meeting with all the other preps, and I was terrified to raise my hand. But, I did and I think I was put on a faculty of the week…for Dr. Hofheinz. I did none of the work. Like, I don’t think I touched the document. I was absolutely terrified…” Akil said. 

But, Akil prevailed, eventually finding her place in The Exonian through interviews. Akil said, recalling one specific instance, “The main reason why I loved Exonian was because of the interviews. I loved interviewing people. I think the most impactful interview I did was with Ciatta Baysah, who is the General Alumni Association President…She was a really cool woman…and it was impressive to see someone who was considered really young, in a position of power, and she was a Black Woman…I think I learned alot from that and it was like  a two hour conversation.” 

Akil continued, “I learned to really like interviewing people…I think I am quite a social person and The Exonian really cultivated that through the interviews. It wasn't really like the writing that I liked, like I wasn't a big fan of introducing the quotes and closing it off to be honest, but I was really fond of getting to know people.” 

Outside of academics, Akil is known for her impressive dancing skills in all forms. Yet, hip-hop, one of Akil’s favorite forms, was rediscovered from its dormancy at Exeter. “I didn’t know I liked hip hop until sixth or seventh grade when I went to Frenchwood, a residency arts camp… I did a hip hop class there, and performed with a group…but then I didn't do any hip hop outside of that,” Akil said. “Then Exeter came, and I joined Dance Company prep spring. But then I saw InMotion and Imani and I was like, ‘Wait, that looks really cool, and this comes really naturally.’So I decided to continue with it.” Indeed she has, as Akil now serves as coheads for both Imani and Precision, Exeter’s female step-team. 

Akil also cultivated her love for photography at Exeter. “I just did photography as a hobby, like with my phone in middle school and then I got my first camera in eighth grade and I decided to use it with PEAN,” Akil said. 

Akil then went on to mention how photography also encouraged the more sociable aspects of herself. “It was really fun because I had to go to all of these places and they did not know who I was. I just took pictures of them and was like, ‘Oh I have to do this for PEAN.’ So, I met so many people because of PEAN…For example, senior photos.I  met so many people in the grade above me, because I had to take senior photos, and I got to use my camera and have fun with it. I also went to hockey games, and I don't go to hockey games…so it also gave me a different view of the school,” Akil said. 

Akil is truly artistic in all forms as she also has a passion for singing. “I went from being absolutely terrified of singing and only singing in my room with my prep year roommate…in the privacy of our double to singing in a band by myself to being in concert choir. I feel like that's wild,” Akil noted.

Though Akil has made her mark in her academic and extracurricular passions, she has also made formidable relationships. Indeed, many of those closest to Akil note their fondest appreciation towards her.

Senior Chieko Imamura said her favorite thing about Akil was “how unique she is.” “Not in a way where I'm saying she's weird or anything but, she doesn't really believe in type castes. Whenever she wants to do anything, she just kind of goes for it and is kind of fearless. I've seen that in small things like theater. She used to do it as a kid and then all of a sudden she wanted to try out for the play. I mean, I'm not sure what ended up happening with it, but the fact that she even tried out in the first place was really, really amazing. With The Exonian, I remember she was a little reluctant to apply for an exec position, but ultimately she was like, ‘I'm gonna give it my all, no matter what happens,’” Imamura said. 

Senior Ela Andreassen also talked about the unapologetic way Akil carries herself, saying, “I think Moksha has gotten a lot more self assured about who she is as a person. I remember in prep year, she was really worried about proving herself and making friends and being liked by everyone. So it's been really interesting to see her sort of grow into someone who's more confident in who she is beyond the approval of others and who doesn't feel the need to constantly be chasing the approval of others.” 

Imamura noticed a similar change, talking about how she has seen Akil grow over their four year here: “She kind of commands more respect, I guess. Not that she didn't before, but I saw her grow from someone who cared about the normal things of high school like fitting in and classes to someone who cares more about things that she's really passionate about, like dance and writing and photography and it's just been really great.” 

“She's also just really fun to be around. I don't think you necessarily have to be the closest friends with her to have fun with her and at the same time being really close friends with her is so amazing. I think the way people will remember her on campus is that she was just really herself,” Imamura added. 

Andreassen had similar thoughts: “Moksha leaves behind a legacy of inclusion and kindness. I think she's tried really hard to enter spaces that maybe didn't feel super inclusive to her and leave them feeling more inclusive. Whether that's The Exonian or dance, I think she's tried really hard to make them less toxic and more habitable for people.”

Lower Sophie Zhu talked about how appreciative she was to find an upperclassmen friend and mentor in Akil. “I like our relationship dynamic because even though she is obviously older than me by a few years, she's not a superior and she's not condescending. She's very understanding and that helps a lot when we're having both normal conversations, but also when I need someone to listen. It feels like she has those extra years of experience, but at the same time, she's there to listen and be a friend, and I think it’s really valuable to have someone like that at Exeter,” Zhu said. 

“I think that she has a really enjoyable persona and a very attractive aura. Obviously her hair is amazing and I love her outfits but there's a lot of different areas where she really excels in. And then also not to mention that she's an amazing human being,” Zhu added. 

While Moksha has forged amazing friendships while at Exeter, she has made equally strong relationships with faculty members. Dance instructor Samm Wesler talked about the joys of being able to get to know Moksha inside and outside dance. “She always has such a can-do attitude… She brings such a good balance of an absolutely incredible work ethic while also never taking herself so seriously that she can't laugh when she makes a mistake or still have fun with it,” Wesler said. 

“I also think she does an incredible job of tackling social justice issues through choreography. Her pieces in our winter concert were just of such an incredibly high caliber and she was able to do it in this incredibly approachable way, where it really struck you and really made you think about what she was trying to say,” Wesler added. 

As Akil reflected on her four years at Exeter, she advises younger students to make the most of their time here. “Of course, don’t overload yourself…you need free time. But, I think at the same time,  don't just waste your free time by laying in bed. Learn to appreciate your free time by spending more time with your friends… don't overwork yourself by just trying to do what other people want you to do, do what you want to do,” Akil said. 

Indeed, throughout her time at Exeter, Akil has truly pursued what she loves to do most, becoming a skilled historian, writer, artist, dancer, and above all, a notable friend and student. Wesler concluded, “Moksha will be so incredibly missed. She leaves an impression on absolutely everyone she comes across, from that gorgeous head of hair to having such a sweet and kind soul to such incredible dance and choreographic abilities.”