Senior of the Week: Vera Aimunmondion

Senior Vera Aimunmondion smiles for a photo in the library.

Photo Courtesy of Amelie Hespel

By BELLA JIN, AMY LIN, and ELAINE QIAO

Amidst the frenzy and thunderous cheering of the pep rally, all eyes are on the Love Gym floor that has transformed into a dance stage for Afro Shade — Exeter’s first and only Afro Beat dance group. The audience zooms in on senior Vera Aimunmondion, the lead dancer, dressed in a beautiful purple dashiki, hair pulled back with a matching headband. A glistening necklace of the map of Nigeria bounces around her neck as she sways to the rhythm and dances to the beat of the blasting music.

Tracing back Aimunmondion’s roots, she and her family moved from Nigeria to Newark, New Jersey when she was four. Her family consists of her mother, father, older sister, and younger brother. “I’m the middle child, and I think that is a part of the reason why I really love the number three because we’re three siblings and we’re three years apart from each other,” Aimunmondion said.

Each member of her family played an irreplaceable role in who she is today.

“Growing up, I definitely always looked up to my older sister and [I] still do. I copied her so much and I wanted to be everywhere that she was,” Aimunmondion recalled.

Her younger brother on the other hand “brought out more of her goofy side.”

Aimunmondion recognized her mother’s impact. “I can see myself in her, [and] she can see herself in me, because we both have really soft hearts and we’re both emotional in the sense that we feel a lot and see beyond the surface.”

Meanwhile, Aimunmondion and her father share a love of storytelling. “I appreciate it when I hear stories because it feels like it gives me an opportunity to connect with a younger version of my dad,” she said.

“I really am grateful for all of the sacrifices that my parents have made for me. I mean one of the biggest ones was leaving their lives in Nigeria to start a new family here. And that came with its own challenges ever since. But they’ve never given up on my siblings and me, and they’ve always sought for us to have the best lives spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and education-wise as well,” Aimunmondion said, acknowledging gratitude for her parents.

At the core of the Aimunmondion family, their Christian faith and relationship with God bring them together.

“One of the greatest gifts that [my parents] gave me is Christianity, because I can proudly say that God has saved my life,” she said. “Coming to Exeter was an opportunity for me to test and take ownership of my own faith.”

Aimunmondion’s journey to Exeter began in seventh grade. Prior to that, she had no knowledge of boarding school besides the childhood TV series Zoey 101. It was a conversation in her local church one day that presented her with a whole new outlook she never thought was possible.

“Reverend Glenda told me and my mom about boarding school and that her grandson did it. He loved it. She was telling me about all the opportunities he had, sports-wise, travel-wise, and extracurriculars. That really sounded impressive to me because even though my middle school did the best that they could, I definitely knew there was a disparity and that there was more out there,” Aimunmondion explained.

For Aimunmondion, her boarding school journey started with getting accepted into the Wight Foundation, a program that assists students in New Jersey to pursue higher education. From there, Aimunmondion began juggling the weight of her middle school academics and her boarding school application.

“So basically, I was doing two schools. I was doing regular middle school and then I was taking math, English, social science, and SSAT classes with the Wight foundation.”

While touring, she noted her first impression of the Academy.“I was overwhelmed with joy, wonder, and amazement. And I was like, wow, this place is really beautiful. I just knew I could see myself spending the [next] four years here.”

Since arriving on campus as a prep, Aimunmondion has been an active participant in the wide range of clubs the Academy offers. Along with being the co-head of African Students Association and Afro Shade, Aimunmondion also leads the CVP: Young Investors Group. Following her love for dance and appreciation of her background, she describes her exploration of these clubs when she was a prep: “Some uppers reached out to me about Afro Shade, and I got super excited. I’ve always loved to dance, and I was super excited for this opportunity to dance to Afrobeats. And I loved the club so much that I was dedicated to it and loved my performances.”

Aimunmondion then continued to lead the club starting lower year, and had motivated many others to engage in this side of dancing and community that they may have not noticed before. Upper Beverly Oleka reminisces on her experience entering Afro beats, introduced by Aimunmondion: “She was a co-head at the time because she’s so, so good at dancing. Especially Afrobeats, she’s so good. And I remember her telling me, ‘You should join! It’s a great way to connect to our roots.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know about that. I don’t really dance. I don’t have much rhythm like that.’ And she’s like, ‘No, just try it out. See for yourself, you might actually end up liking it.’And so I went and the vibes were immaculate. Everyone was so sweet. She was such a great choreography teacher. And I continued it till this year.” This year, Oleka is co-heading along Aimunmondion, which she describes as a blessing.

On campus, Aimunmondion was introduced to the African Students Association. “I remember the warmth of having African students on campus to look up to and like having older brothers and sisters. It was just really inspiring, and I remember feeling safe in that space and having fun and feeling represented.” Driven by the hope to foster the same feeling for future incoming students, Aimunmondion dedicated her time to the club as first being an apprentice in lower year, then officially leading the club in upper year.

Another community space that Aimunmondion has assisted in strengthening is Christian Fellowship. She recalls a day when two seniors led her on a prayer walk following a tough week. That moment of community and kindness remained a beautiful memory in her mind. To Aimunmondion, seeing Christian Fellowship expand over the course of her four years here has been a blessing.

“I’m really happy to see how it’s grown as a community and it’s been an anchor my whole four years, to explore my faith and to grow in faith with community members at Exeter, especially when times are really rough. So I’m really grateful for that space,” Aimunmondion expressed.

Growing up, Aimunmondion always had a knack for creating. “I was always the kid that begged my parents to save cardboard boxes and random trash so I could create stuff or save fabric to create anything from a fake MacBook to a denim skirt or something like that.” Her zeal for creation spilled into her love for YouTube.

“I love making YouTube videos. I started my channel at a very young age, around eleven or twelve years old. When I came to boarding school, I created another channel, KweenV Tv, and I post boarding school content and lifestyle advice on there. Just a lot of fun, engaging, and informative content. And whenever I have free time, that’s what I do. I also post reels and YouTube shorts,” Aimunmondion shared.

“I’ve realized that my YouTube channel and my social media presence have been a big part of my legacy at Exeter, an extension of serving people and spreading my light to the world. And I realized this when new students would come up to me last year and this year telling me, ‘oh my goodness, you’re that girl from YouTube. I love your videos so much.’ And just the excitement on their faces would be such an honor for me and so exciting as well, that they got to meet somebody that they watched their videos before coming to this school, just like I watched videos of people such as Phoebe Weil and other boarding school content creators. I think this year especially was important because I was not expecting the amount of reach that I would have.”

Aside from creativity, Aimunmondion demonstrated her passion for service to her community through the CVP she initiated at Exeter.

“My love for community building has also spilled into the work I’ve done this year in terms of financial literacy. I started exploring financial literacy for myself because I realized that I was blatantly uninformed and uneducated about financial literacy. Knowing the systems that have created wealth inequality in the United States and knowing that I’m from an immigrant family, which comes with its own struggles, it scared me knowing that I didn’t know or understand anything about money,” Aimunmondion shared the incentive of her project.

“So that’s what led me to financial literacy. I started off by reading books like ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ and watching YouTube videos. I was self-educating. I was learning on my own and then I realized that I needed to share it with other people. So that has become my passion at school. Last year, I created the Young Investors Group, a fundamental financial literacy project,” she continued.

“Last year, Vera approached me because I teach economics, and she asked if I would help her facilitate a CVP on some intersections between identity and finance. I loved hearing her rationale for doing this and working with her on this was really transformative, I think, for both her and me,” Instructor in History and Aimunmondion’s advisor Meg Foley recalled her first encounter with this brilliant idea that stemmed from Aimunmondion’s valuable intentions of reaching out to her community.

“I would say that CVP became much more than just a personal finance CVP, it became really about generational stories about wealth and occupation and how people can, if they wish to, shift those stories for themselves,” Foley shared.

“She knew she was interested in economics and finance, and then in watching her lead the CVP, I saw her realize sort of a deep reasoning behind that and she became really cognizant of how knowledge in this area could be transformative,” she continued.

Alongside the CVP project within campus, Aimunmondion also brought this knowledge back home by creating a financial literacy and wealth inequality workshop for an annual back-to-school event called Books and Breakfast. Not only is she passionate about learning financial literacy for herself, but she’s also devoted to sharing that knowledge with people and changing the systems.

A witness to Aimunmondion’s pursuit of her passions, Foley noted, “She is a person who is willing to step into unfamiliar spaces, whether it’s an activity or a class, and give things a try. She has really impressed me with her willingness to start with things that aren’t necessarily her strongest talent or her first interest and just give them a shot and really take note of how she improves in those areas and how she takes a liking to things that maybe felt a little different at first. She’s willing to put herself out there.”

Aimunmondion’s enthusiasm and commitment towards her extracurriculars and hobbies are reflected in the presence she holds in the classroom.

Her interest in subjects expanded through the transition from the curriculum in middle school to the vast range of courses in high school.

“My favorite classes right now would have to be my History 999 called Civil Rights and the Black Power Movement. It’s taught by Mr. Matsumaru and created by Sophie Ma,” Aimunmondion said. “I love the class and our discussions. We’re covering very important history, having very candid discussions, and grappling with a lot of tough history about race and power dynamics as well as sex and gender in the United States.”

Along with her interest in history, Aimunmondion discovered the doors that the Spanish language has opened for her. “I really, really struggled my first year in Spanish. It was really tough and there were ups and downs,” she recalled. “But now I’m at a place where I am almost fluent in Spanish. I’ve been emboldened to talk to strangers in Spanish and have really good conversations with people — people I see on the street, at the doctor’s office, people I just see everywhere. I’m able to talk to people from Spain, the Dominican Republic, Brazil too. It has truly been a gift. I love what the Spanish language has done for me and have exposed [me] to Latin American culture and also Spanish culture.”

Instructor in Modern Languages Pérez Serrano, one of Aimunmondion’s Spanish teachers, speaks highly of her performance at the Harkness table. “There’s just that tremendous humility to her. She probably doesn’t know this, but you can feel it at the table. She doesn’t feel like she’s better than anybody, so people respect her because of that. She’s so willing to learn and ask questions — she has a deep curiosity about so many things, so that’s an amazing asset to have in class.”

Aimunmondion has not only been a motivator to her friends on campus, but she also brings that openness and engagement into her classes. As Instructor in English Sahar Ullah commented, “Vera is an active participant and listener who approaches literature and her classmates with openness, respect, and curiosity.”

Aside from the passions she discovered and courses she explored on campus, Exeter has left a profound impact on Aimunmondion.

“Exeter has changed my life by opening doors that were once shut and revealing to me paths I did not know anything about. It also gives me the boldness to dream,” Aimunmondion said. “Exeter was the first time I was the only Black person in the room. In my prep year and lower year, at times it was very daunting because Exeter forced me to look at myself in the mirror and confront the messagings of racism and colorism that I inherited growing up. Being exposed to this new and more diverse environment with people from all over the world just forced me to unpack those things. At the same time, diversity has also been a blessing. There are so many lessons that I’ve learned here that I would not have learned if I remained in my hometown. There are so many people I have met that have impacted my life greatly.”

“There’s teachers I’ve met, there’s people I’ve met for one day on the street that I haven’t met again, but they’ve left me with such wisdom and beauty. There are club meetings I’ve had and which I’ve walked away learning something new and also feeling more connected to a certain part of my identity or culture,” Aimunmondion reflected. “I have just been exposed to so much knowledge and the possibilities aspect, the opening doors aspect is in the sense that Exeter has enabled me to dream and know that I can be great and I do deserve to be great, and I do deserve to dream.”

Seeing people at Exeter with diverse talents and exemplifying their boldness by “daring to do things, to create and try and fail,” deeply resonated with Aimunmondion.

“That’s a gift that Exeter has given me, knowing that I’m not too young to make an impact on the world because people right here that are my age or younger than me are already doing that in small and large ways.”

In the same way, these people have influenced Aimunmondion and her time at Exeter, she has left an immense impact on their lives.

Those who know Aimunmondion recognized something special from the very first encounter they had with her.

“I first really got to know Vera over Zoom when there was remote learning due to the pandemic. And she, even on Zoom, brought just such a wonderful presence and an ability to connect with people. Of course, I wasn’t surprised when I met her in person and she was really able to do that,” Foley shared.

Oleka shared her first meeting with Aimunmondion. “I met Vera through E^3. She was my E^3 mentor. I remember when I was moving in, my family and I went to D Hall to grab some food. And it was there where I met her. [Vera] was just so sweet and she made me feel so much at home because she was African and I’m also African, so we had a connection that way. My parents felt a lot better leaving me with her, because she seems like a very sweet person.”

“If you speak to Vera for literally two seconds, it’s so obvious from the very start that she just has so much light and goodness to share. She is the most open-minded, well-spoken, grateful, patient, curious, thoughtful, and beautiful person you’ll meet,” senior Amber Zou said.

“I first met her in a Spanish class. I usually use a lot of songs in my classes. I remember her really getting into the beat of the song when we were singing it. I thought to myself: this is someone who is uplifted by music and the arts, and she also learns through them.” Dr. Pérez Serrano recounted Aimunmondion’s creativity right from the beginning.

“Best birthday gifts ever,” senior William Weber shared. “She knows I love homemade gifts. Vera isn’t even an art-focussed person but she put the time and energy into making this beautiful multi-layered card with little notes of appreciation for me from different friends, dorm mates, and my favorite seniors and faculty.”

Aimunmondion didn’t expect some connections that would form and ties that would merge Exeter. “I didn’t know how much I would be graced with relationships with staff. And what I mean by that is I was not expecting to get as close to staff as I have, and not only academic staff, but [also] staff as in, people in the dining hall, people that clean our dorms and clean our pathways at school–and that has been a great blessing to me.”

Dining Hall Services staff Keith Humphrey shared, “The personal writing she has done and shared with me is heartwarming, so insightful, so honest, so genuine! Vera wrote a thank you card to me last year, thanking me for being a positive person in her life. The card was so nice; I told her she was going to make a grown man cry — which I did! I will always treasure that card!”

Throughout the years that people have gotten to know Aimunmondion, they had the opportunity to witness her growth.

“Throughout the time I’ve known her, she has become a much more confident person in herself. I think she used to have a fear of what other people thought of her. She sort of would have this fear in the back of her head, like ‘Oh, what if I do this wrong?’” senior Yoeku Sam recalled, “But as I’ve really seen these past couple of years and this year, she has become her own person. She has this personality that is really distinct to her and it’s unapologetic. She lives her life the way she wants to live it.”

Zou agreed, “ I think she has gained confidence in herself and honestly there is so much emotional growth that we have done together, but I would say the biggest thing is her confidence in herself.”

“My first impression of her was that she was perky and fun and really interested in how language was connected to its culture and its people. Fast forward to Vera now, I don’t think she’s changed a whole lot, but she’s a much more grounded, mature person. I know that she’s gone through ups and downs like every student. I appreciate her profound faith. I think it offers a real grounding to her life” Dr. Pérez Serrano noted.

Ullah agreed, “She celebrates who she is and from whom and where she comes from – which shows in her confidence and her engagement with others. She is an excellent student, a passionate learner who offers sharp analysis during discussions and in her writing, and a young leader who will have a positive impact wherever she goes because she cares.”

Senior Colin Maloney said, “I think this is a bit of a cliche, but she’s taken on more leadership roles. Taking on more of that mantle over the years. I’d say she also definitely has developed a deeper connection to the community, like many of us have, over the years.”

“Huge growth,” Weber shared. “Vera has really become more herself, if that makes sense. Or more confident being herself, and sharing that with the world. She also has this really strong balance between deep care and consideration for other people, but being unapologetically true to her authentic self, in any dimension of life.”

As Weber described, “Huge source of light in this world and community. Her smile and attitude light up the room. Whether it is a new student or a behind-the-scenes staff member, Vera is not afraid to make an authentic connection and take someone under her wing, making a new friend in the process. Now that I think about it, Vera is a behind-the-scenes community builder.”

Weber continued. “She tends to her own world really well, which then resonates out into the community. She’s also able to step outside of her own life and truly listen to you in the moments you need someone. Vera is a big source of kindness in my life and an inspiration of how I want to engage with the world.”

“Three words to describe Vera - genuine, ambitious, joyful!” shared Humphrey. “Vera radiates a genuine joy on this campus! I have had the pleasure to know a multitude of students during my long career here at PEA, she will be one that I will always remember! Vera deserves senior of the week because she exemplifies the connection between knowledge and goodness!”

In her final year at the Academy, Aimunmondion shared lessons that she had learned along the way and would impart to the Exeter community.

“My advice to people at Exeter or coming into Exeter would be to embrace the discomfort of not being the best,” Aimunmondion shared. “I think it’s important that we’re going through that now in high school because it forces us to go through that discomfort of feeling like we’re not the best, but then realizing we don’t need to be the best. Also, there isn’t really an objective best because people are so different. And that’s the beauty of it. You discover what about you makes you you, and that’s something nobody can ever take away from you. Then you start to lean into that beauty and discover that it’s okay to be who you are and still not be the best at everything.”

“You should not think that if someone brings turkey to the table, you’re less than for bringing rice. I want everybody coming in to know that you are beautiful, you are great in your own ways, you are talented. You can do things that other people can’t do, and people can do things that you can’t do. And you should embrace that. You should embrace that diversity and not feel like you lose your voice in that, but rather that you find your voice in that diversity.”

The legacy that Aimunmondion leaves is powerful and one that would influence many who come after her.

“I think that’s really important in a place like Exeter where you need to have integrity and something that holds you—whether it’s your faith, or your family, your friends, or a sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself— something more important than where you are at or where you are going next. Vera leaves behind a genuine desire to learn through the process and a willingness to be present, even as she aims high. I believe that is what Exeter should be about and she truly embodies it,” Dr. Pérez Serrano said.

“I think when anyone interacts with Vera, they would say their day is better for it. I think that’s a true legacy that she really cares about each and every person she’s interacting with. She takes time for them, she listens to them, she connects and shares, and you always feel deeply seen by her,” Foley shared. “ It’s not her responsibility to do that, but I think she just feels like humans are worth getting to know. And if you’re the person she’s getting to know, it just feels wonderful because she’s such a caring and warm person.”

“She’s just so personable and kind to everyone, not just the people she’s friends with. She’s so outgoing and she’ll introduce herself to anyone. And I just think that’s really admirable and it brings the community together,” upper Eli Pratt said.

“I feel like she definitely leaves a very huge and impactful spiritual legacy. For a lot of Christian kids on campus and in Exeter because it’s so easy to get lost in your religion and like, just your culture too. I think she also brings an African legacy in making sure that we keep up with our culture and our languages and our dances and just everything that relates with our identity,” Oleka said.

“She leaves behind the reminder that it’s challenging, but you can get through it. Everybody’s lives have a different purpose, so she leaves behind the legacy that no matter what you’re going through, you will make it out and you can accomplish anything that you want to accomplish,” Sam shared.

“Light,” Zou said assuredly. “Vera truly is just a ray of light. There’s no other way to describe it. Even when she may not be at her best, her heart is just so pure and it’s so obvious. I appreciate her emotional and overall maturity so much and her ability to be non-judgmental. She inspires me to constantly grow as a person.”

Aimunmondion immediately thinks of Matthew 5:14-16 when reflecting upon her legacy and the positive impact she left on Exeter.

“The way that I’ve been a light at Exeter these past four years is by sharing my smile. Whoever I meet, whether it’s somebody I know along the paths or a stranger, I always welcome people. I always say hi to people with a smile just because it’s nice, it’s beautiful, it’s kind and you don’t know how much that smile could mean to somebody,” Aimunmondion said. “I just really believe in loving people and caring for them because they are people, and they deserve love, respect, and kindness. I remember a new upper telling me that I just made her feel so much at peace and so welcome at this school. And it means a lot to me when people tell me those sorts of things. I can directly see how my kindness, my love, and my servitude have impacted their lives for the better.