Senior of the Week: Seth Amofa
By: Alexa Wingate, Lily Hagge
Having moved from Ghana to Chicago then from Chicago to Exeter, Seth Amofa has accumulated many ideas, memories, perspectives and friends—so many friends.
“Every time I walk around campus with him, he says ‘hello’ enthusiastically to everyone on the path,” senior and close friend Julia Dobbins said. “It takes him forever to get from point A to point B because he strikes up at least three conversations every time he tries to go anywhere.”
Seth Amofa is a four-year senior living in Abbott Hall. He grew up in Ghana, and in his senior meditation, “Between Ghana and America: Connecting the Roots,” Amofa described life in Ghana as “simple and fun.” “I was just a kid, living a carefree and adventurous life with my friends and family in my village, Suhyen,” Amofa said.
When Amofa was ten, he and his family moved to Chicago. “[My dad] should have warned me that they would see me differently,” Amofa said. “And even those who looked like me didn’t embrace the culture that I did in [Ghana].” According to Amofa, the transition from Ghana to America prepared him for the move to Exeter.
“Coming in as a prep… I was very shy and nervous, but that quickly died away come lower year because I decided to bust out of my bubble and meet [more] people,” Amofa said. “I think I’ve really met some and connected with some really great people.”
Senior Sarah Huang remembered meeting Amofa in a Math class their prep year. “He was friendly with a lot of other classmates yet still always made an effort to say ‘hi’ and reach out,” Huang said. “I think that’s really amazing.”
“[Amofa is] someone who loves people and is hilariously funny, but he's also developed a capacity for serious, reflective, and important conversations about race, politics, and the ‘right way to do Exeter’ in terms of his relationships,” Dobbins said.
Amofa brings a unique energy to Exeter, according to friends and classmates. “[He] really takes advantage of the Exeter community by getting to know everyone,” former roommate and senior Joshua Lum said. “He brings a lot of humor and (mostly) good chaos to a lot of conversation.”
Lum recalled one of the memories they share. “A senior gave us some computer speakers to use. We would play music while working or after working or randomly and get hyped over it.” Lum said. “We also just spent a lot of time talking about random stuff, and still continue to do so even though we aren’t roommates anymore.”
One of Amofa’s favorite classes from his time at Exeter is a spring English course from his lower year. Amofa’s class read Salvage the Bones, a story tracking a Black family living in Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina. According to Amofa, it was “a class at the end of the day—five or six when you come outside. It's so dark. It's snowy. You would think that's not good, to have a class… it goes fast at the end, but that was my English class that we had the most productive conversations and I really got to know my peers.”
Amofa said that his advisor, History Instructor Michael Matsumaru, “shaped how I approached my Exeter career because I was more book-oriented, but he told me essentially, yes, Seth, there is a time for your books and times for social activities and times for whatever you want to do.”
Amofa and Matsumaru first bonded over sports, when the two played pickup soccer with each other. “I could tell that he needed a mentor to help him with his game,” Matsumaru said. “He talked a lot of trash, which was maybe the strongest part of his game, but even there I felt like I could help him. He still tends to cling to my age as a crutch (pun intended) when we start going back and forth. I thought it was pretty hilarious when I found out that I was going to be his adviser.”
Amofa shared some advice for incoming students. “Connect with [your] peers outside of class, but also reach out on the paths... just stopping someone and saying, ‘hello, how are you?’ Or, ‘yo, what's going on?’ … really helped me form many connections,” Amofa said.
Amofa also found friends in many different circles by participating in many activities on campus—Kirtland Society, Student Council, Latin Club and Biology Club.
He recommended that students ask for help when they need it. “Please don’t hesitate to reach out for help… I think that's something that helped me and shaped me into the student I am. As soon as I don’t understand anything, I’ll reach out to either my peer or shoot my teacher an email because I believe in learning for learning’s sake,” Amofa said. “So reach out for help. Whenever you are stuck, you don’t have to feel alone.”
