Senior of the Week: Weiyi Huang

By ANVI BHATE, EMILIA KNIESTEDT, EMI LEVINE, and CATHERINE WU

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, as the muddy blue waters of the Squamscott river splash against the dock, senior Weiyi Huang helps bring the boat down from the boathouse and flips it onto the water. As the Hammy Bissell, Huang’s “Head of the Charles” boat, begins to row, he sets the pace in the stroke seat.

An avid rower since his first year at the Academy, and boys’ varsity crew captain since his upper year, Huang spends most of his days either on the river or at the Saltonstall Boathouse. In his free time, Huang enjoys spending time with friends and participating in Concert Choir. He is often described as hard-working and trustworthy, all his teammates and friends greatly admiring his leadership and dedication.

Huang shared his initial motivation behind applying to the Academy. “The reason I came to Exeter was because of crew. In the central region, Texas where I’m from is very good at rowing, but it’s not comparable to the Northeast­— there’s no traditional history. That’s why I started searching for private schools in general, but after I got into Exeter, the best high school in the nation, you couldn’t compare other schools.”

With regards to academics, Huang notes his favorite classes as “Probably physics, but I like chemistry a lot as well. Physics is very logical compared to the arts, where there’s a lot of gray water and you don’t really know what to choose, versus physics is very like ‘snap snap’ and logical.”

On campus, Huang also takes part in Concert Choir. “We like to joke about how in Concert Choir, Mr. Johnson takes it very seriously, while we’re just ‘memeing’ around all day. It would be the class that we would skip sometimes because we had just too much homework. Mr. Johnson definitely knows, but he also understands the lives that we go through outside of class.”

Senior Dan Han remarked, “In Weiyi’s and [my] first year singing together in Concert Choir, before our very first concert of our upper fall, Mr. Johnson goes, ‘Alright boys, look at each other, look around the room.’ Weiyi and I happened to be standing next to each other, and Mr Johnson said, ‘You, Weiyi, Dan, look at each other.’ And we looked at each other. ‘You’re co-conspirators now.’ So ever since that day, Weiyi has been my co-conspirator.”

Huang shared his story regarding rowing at the Academy. “I’ve told thousands of stories for college recruiting: When I came into Exeter, I think I was known to be fast. I was a person who had a lot of knowledge from previous clubs, and I feel like people got around to know me as ‘being good at crew.’’’

Past and current captain of the Exeter boys crew, Huang discussed his being a leader of the team. “As a captain, you don’t have to necessarily do anything because the team will run by itself and the coaches will do a lot of the work, which is great. But at the same time, you can do as much as you want.”

Huang shared the relationship he has with the Science Department and boys crew coach, Albert Leger. “I often talk to Coach Leger about the status of the team. Just another day, we checked in with each other just to make sure that he knows that the team is doing well, and kind of how everyone’s feeling about the pieces. That’s a really important relationship and it’s one I really want to build.

“This year, our team culture has a foundation that we will continue to expand,” Huang continued, “working with the girls captains to form one boathouse to bring those two teams together. The guys also always know they can reach out to me or Jack [Kugler], who works the hardest by far; like in winter training, Jack was always present, always there.”

Among his friends and fellow athletes, it is clear that Huang sets an example of a driven leader, a dedicated athlete, but more importantly, a good person. Senior and crew co-captain Jack Kugler echoed, “He epitomizes leading by example: he gives complete effort in everything that he does, constantly working to make the team better. His humility manifests itself in hard work each and every day, as he is constantly seeking ways to improve in his craft as an oarsman and inspires others to do the same.”

Senior Henry Blakemore felt very similarly, commenting on Huang’s dedication to his sport: “He’s a person who lets the work he puts in speak for itself. Some captains in the past are more vocal, some are more funny, and while he is these things, he’s also a guy who endears himself because he puts in this work and you just trust him instinctively.”

“I think he’s a person who is comfortable with who he is. Some people want to make these really hype speeches and kind of force it and it can seem a bit phony, but he’s a guy who, when he says something, everybody listens because we know he means it,” he added.

Upper Sangye Sherpa reinforced this sense of “realness” that Huang brings wherever he goes. “Weiyi brings simplicity to Exeter. As I’ve gotten to know him better as a teammate, captain, friend, and proctor, I’ve realized that he takes any problem, his or others’, in stride and with an indomitable attitude. He is one of the few people on this campus that is an objectively good person,” he said.

Senior and girls crew co-captain Izzie Riccardi agreed for another victorious season. “He is such a humble person, but he is also such a strong rower and a strong leader. It’s really assuring having him as a co-captain this year because I feel a lot less stress on me knowing he is there. He knows what he’s doing, he’s organized, he’s driven, he’s passionate. He is carrying the passion onto the team.”

Last spring, Huang led the crew team to an undefeated season. Upper Rohan Radhakeesoon credits the great success to the captain’s dedication to mentorship and leadership. “When I started rowing at Exeter, he personally guided me through workouts, how to talk to coaches, and all that stuff from day one. A big reason why I think I progressed so much in the sport is because he taught me all I know. He will find the time out of his day to help somebody new or just with the smallest task. He always wants to help.”

Huang’s sense of mentorship extends outside of Exeter as well. Over the summer, Huang and Radhakeesoon rowed with the U.S. Junior National team, which Radhakeesoon described as a “really scary experience,” but Huang was there to help him the whole time. “We went there and it was really scary because it was my first year of rowing and I didn’t know people; I wasn’t even super good. He had been rowing for four or five years and just having him there at that two month long camp was really amazing because I would’ve been so lost without him,” he said.

When asked to describe Huang in one word, Radhakeesoon said “hardworking”.

“Over the winter, what comes to mind is how hard he trained. It would be freezing outside in tons of snow, but he’d be there at the gym, putting in work every single morning and every afternoon. He’s always the first one at practice, coming straight from class,” he added.

“He is such a humble person, but he is also such a strong rower and a strong leader,” Radhakeeson said. “It’s really assuring having him as a co-captain this year because I feel a lot less stress on me knowing he is there. He knows what he’s doing, he’s organized, he’s driven, he’s passionate. He is carrying the passion onto the team.”

Upper and teammate Parker Seymour similarly reflected on Huang’s leadership during the crew. “He’s a great captain. His motivational speeches are always inspirational and he keeps our team together,” Seymour said.

Outside of crew, Huang’s advisor noted some of his qualities as a leader in the dorm. “Weiyi is very well-respected in the Webster dorm community, and I am not the least bit surprised that he was chosen to be a senior proctor this year,” Math Instructor Julie Van Wright said. “He is polite, welcoming, and kind to everyone— a model citizen and leader.”

During their advisory, Van Wright shared, “He brought a calm, mature, and thoughtful presence to our group each week… Weiyi is incredibly modest. He is very accomplished, both athletically and academically, and he is very internally driven.

“I remember during the height of the pandemic when Weiyi told me about a cool project he was working on called the ‘Touchless Door Project’ to automate restroom stall doors to help eliminate surface transmission risks… I thought it was really neat that he came up with that idea and was trying to teach himself the technology behind it all on his own. I know Weiyi is eager to make a difference in the world, and that was one way he had already started doing so,” Van Wright continued.

Huang’s close friends shared remarks about his character as well. “He is worthy of lifting Thor’s hammer, a captain beyond crew who will stand by your side until the end of the Earth,” senior Enzo Nakornsri said.

“Weiyi is down to earth and kind,” senior and close friend Max Chuang said. “He has a lot of empathy for others, always there to cheer you up.”

Similarly, upper and close friend Charlie Gao shared, “Weiyi is humble and authentic. He is one of the most genuine people I have ever met, and always a joy to be around with. A lasting legacy on the value of humility at Exeter.”

“Humility,” close friend and upper Harrison Mcgovern agreed. “When I think of what Weiyi has done for this campus, I think of three words: humility, honesty, and crew.”

Han said, “Weiyi’s not lke the other guys out here, he’s a responsible guy. He is a man that just lights up my day, and lights up this campus.”

Friends of Huang reminisced on shared memories. “Many memories come from small moments after classes, or talking or messing around. Weiyi has been one of my closest friends on campus since his arrival; he is one of the kindest, most genuine and caring people I have ever met,” senior Krish Patel said.

Senior and close friend of Huang’s, Cindy Su, shared, “I met Weiyi online for our lower year English class. My first impression of him was that he was always very careful and mindful with his words. I knew from the beginning that he was someone who always had a strong sense of responsibility, and that’s really rare, especially as teenagers.”

“Being friends with Weiyi has encouraged me to go after my goals,” Su continued, “And he’s one of those friends you need in your life to keep you going on whatever path you’re on even when you get lost from your goals.”

On a side note, many friends noted Huang’s affinity for bananas. “Weiyi really enjoys eating bananas. He reminds me of a minion because of his love for the fruit.” Nakornsri said.

Banana man,” Patel agreed, describing Huang in one phrase. “Weiyi loves his potassium.”

In terms of his growth at Exeter, Huang noted, “Exeter developed me in more ways than who I actually was. I became so much of a better leader and person here than I probably would’ve back home.”

With regards to the community the Academy fosters, “Coming to Exeter, you have way more responsibilities and you have to put way more effort into your work. It’s a relatively realistic portrayal of modern society, kind of like how you’re establishing your own social network and these will prove important. Like getting Senior of the Week, having so many people interviewing for your article that you just happen to know. At Exeter, you really connect with people from different aspects,” Huang noted.

Huang continued to share ways he’s grown the past couple years. “It’s all about the work friend balance. At the end of the day it’s difficult to manage hanging out with your friends, homework, and then sometimes life will throw random things at you… I feel like that’s like the most I’ve grown— stepping out of your comfort zone and just pushing yourself to be a better person.”

Looking back, Huang described some key pieces of advice he’s learned. “When I got elected as captain my first time, my old captain said, ‘When you get the role of captain, you’re not elected based on what you can do, but what you’ve done and who you’ve already become.’ That was really important to me because that told me that I did not need to become a whole new person, but I just needed to lean truly on my strengths and grow from there.”

“Secondly,” Huang continued, “trust yourself. Exonians are the best at finessing stuff. ”

A friend, student, captain, co-conspirator, and so much more, Huang ended with remarks on his legacy leaving the Academy. “I hope to be remembered, but at the same time, I don’t. I honestly don’t care because I feel like it’s more important to teach others the lessons that I’ve learned and help them work through the same things without making the mistakes I did… Having a strand of yourself in those lessons being passed on to a wide variety of people— I feel like that’s what’s most important.”