Senior of the Week: Solu Ajene

Senior Solu Ajene grins before Phillips Hall Photo Courtesy of Austin DeSisto

By LUCY JUNG, LAUREN LEE, CHLOÉ LIND, and JADE YOO

Should you walk over to the athletic fields on a Wednesday afternoon, you’ll see him competing in a boys varsity soccer game or track and field meet. On Sundays, you’ll see him in the Forum, helping lead Exeter Business Club’s meetings. On Thursday evenings, you will also see him actively participating in Black Students of Excellence (BSE) meetings. But his extracurricular pursuits aside, you will always see a remarkably resilient and kind individual. His name? Solu Ajene. 

Senior Solu Ajene elaborated on his journey prior to Exeter. “I was born in Chicago, Illinois, but I have lived the longest in Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos is where I call home and is the place I identify the most with. Two of my parents are Nigerian, and I have a little brother who is a prep here,” Ajene said. 

Prep Kobi Ajene, S. Ajene’s younger brother, had only positive things to say about him. K. Ajene’s favorite thing about his brother’s personality was his “nonchalant attitude,” and was very grateful to him for his constant “advice in life and school.” He looks up to and admires his brother’s maturity, and recalls good memories “playing soccer with him over summer.” K. Ajene stated that his brother is very involved at school in “soccer and provides affinity spaces.”

Among the many places S. Ajene calls home, he holds his dorm, Main Street, extremely close to heart. “I’m not a proctor, but the community at Main Street, from faculty to peers, has always magnified my love for the dorm. Dorm Screams and dorm traditions during my prep year really gave me the first real taste of the family I would come to love at Main Street,” he said. 

From the beginning of his time at Exeter, S. Ajene recognized the importance of the Main Street community — the guidance from seniors and dorm faculty aided him through “what was a big transition from middle school.” S. Ajene learned a lot from his dormmates, and his newfound knowledge was not limited to life advice or time management tips. 

He recalled countless happy memories throughout his four years in the dorm, with one instance that stood out to him. One time, he recalled, a few seniors took indoor grilling too seriously, setting off the fire alarm. “I managed to sleep through the first ten minutes of the alarm,” he chuckled, “forcing Vir, my dormate, to jump through my open window to wake me up.” S. Ajene remains thankful for his friend’s help on that day, and is also known throughout the dorm as someone that will make time to support those who need it. “He’s a supportive dude. If you call him up and you need help with something academically or non-academically, he’s always down that hill,” senior Vir Shrestha said.

One of S. Ajene’s big commitments on campus is his involvement as a member of the boys varsity soccer team. Prep Henry Park mentioned that S. Ajene is a great player who has an “amazing aura on the field.” Prep Max Sahinoglu also agreed with Park about S. Ajene’s skill in the sport and added that “he’s always persevering and trying his hardest, whether it’s soccer or academics.” Park added on to Sahinoglu’s statement, stating, “his true leadership and heart motivates him in and out of soccer.” 

S. Ajene also brings energy and resilience to his work as a track captain. He can be counted on to perform at a high level both inside and outside of practice: “Solu is one of the most hardworking people on the track teams,” senior and fellow track and field captain Anna Kim said. “He leads by example and helps set the tone of each practice. He’s someone that all event groups — sprints, distance, throws — respect and look up to.” 

Throughout his three years on the team, S. Ajene has put in every effort to help foster a supportive and resilient track community, modeling those principles through his dedication to the sport even after injury. “Even when he wasn’t able to compete in the spring, he would come watch and support practices and meets,” Kim added. “I think [that] really attests to his attitude and personality as a leader.”

Outside of his involvement with athletics as a strong captain and dependable teammate, Ajene is also a loyal friend, a strong individual, and an academic weapon. 

Senior and co-captain of the soccer team Jordan Adeyemi reflected on S. Ajene’s presence outside of the soccer field. “I just really like how good of a listener he is. He always takes my advice; he’s really good at receiving advice, and that’s something I really like and appreciate about Solu. Being able to listen, especially to advice, that’s a skill a lot of people don’t have,” Adeyemi said. 

S. Ajene’s longtime friend, senior Dubem Akunyili, added, “Solu’s one of the most resilient guys I’ve met. When he faces adversity, he bounces back really quickly.”

S. Ajene’s advisor, Adam Hosmer, had similarly great things to say. “Although I have only known Solu for a short time in the capacity as his advisor, we have developed a camaraderie and ease of conversation that would suggest a longer relationship. Solu is funny, honest, and works hard. I admire his ability to juggle the huge range of academic and extracurricular activities he takes on, and his resilience and positive outlook,” Hosmer said. 

Having come into Exeter as a prep, S. Ajene credited the Academy for helping him develop into his current self. “If I were to give one word for my Exeter experience, I would say transformative, simply because many people on this campus would not recognize my prep self, both appearance and personality-wise,” S. Ajene explained. 

“I used to spend much more time locked in my room, especially when online classes gave me an excuse to do so. I was very short compared to now, probably about 5’4, and didn’t participate in clubs or sports other than club soccer. But going into sophomore year, I started exploring myself and the school more. Now, I rarely spend time inside my room and can be found loitering the halls, chilling in other people’s rooms, the library on 2M, the track, the fields, the gym, Grill, or Clubroom B. I’ve widened the scope of Exeter from my dorm room and, simultaneously, widened my view of Exeter from my online world to the expansive student and faculty body there is here,” he continued. 

“Coming as far as I have in the last four years, I look back and realize how much Exeter has changed me. I wouldn’t change my experience here for anything,” S. Ajene concluded.