Senior of the Week: Holden Quaresma
Senior Holden Quaresma against the backdrop of a window.
Forrest Zeng / The Exonian
By HEMANI STALLARD, FORREST ZENG, and LEO ZHANG
A group of eight boisterous “Certaminators” enjoy a victory dinner at Szechuan Taste after sweeping multiple categories at the New Hampshire Junior Classical League State Forum Certamen Competition. As the students share laughs and look through pictures of the day on their phones, they draw looks from the diners around them. Senior Holden Xavier Quaresma, who sits at the head of the table, stands up and makes a finger coyote, putting it above his head. “Let’s remember our core values! Quiet coyote!” There is a wave of laughter along the table while Quaresma continues to make various animals sarcastically with his hands—the “Thankful Thrush” spreading his hands out like feathers or the “Fairness Ferret,” pinching his fingers in to resemble the nose of the animal.
As the night goes on, through Quaresma’s snarking comments and playful interludes about his fellow Kirtland co-heads, he drops bits of golden wisdom, vulnerable moments about his experience at Exeter, and developing a personal philosophy closely influenced by the ancient philosophy of Stoicism.
A senior living in Main Street, Quaresma is a proctor in his dorm, a co-head of Smash Club, Linguistics Society, Stoic Society, Kirtland Society, History Club, and former co-head of Daniel Webster Debate Society (DWDS). This year, Quaresma will be graduating with a Classical Diploma in Latin Concentration, an award handed out to a select few students who achieved a certain level in both Latin and Greek studies. In addition to this, he participates in Advanced Certamen and organizes Certamen training and events. A huge hockey fan, he supports the Knights of his hometown, Las Vegas, Nevada.
When describing his growth at Exeter, Quaresma spoke of his early days on campus. “I think that there’s a lot of times where people feel a need and I definitely felt the need early on to look for other people’s approval. There’s definitely a strong culture of that, whether it be academically or personally. Seeing that is pretty disappointing because it’s one of those self-fulfilling things and I think the more you worry about how other people see you, the less people will like you to sort. I’ve been able to find a very strong community, partly due to the seniors when I was an underclassmen, so I try to do the same for the young students now. And I don’t think I do anywhere near as good as they did, but they really helped me realize it doesn’t matter and they helped me find a lot of value in myself,” Quaresma said.
“Especially in my prep fall right, I think I’ve caved a lot of the pressure of what other people wanted. And I think a lot of my time here was finding and refining my love for learning itself with philosophy, trying to have a good life and not worrying so much about traditional modes of success,” Quaresma added.
Explaining his love for philosophy, Quaresma said, “I think it’s one of those things that I’ve just grown to love. I think I read a lot more now than I did even before I came here. And a lot of people have that opposite experience. And I think the Exeter population, they’re so intelligent and they’re really able to engage with all this. I enjoy talking about existential concepts, because really they’re pretty simple ideas if you think about it. Engaging with philosophy is such a public thing to engage with, but that’s what I love about it.”
“Throughout the last three years, I’ve seen Holden go through so many struggles, but he’s always had a smile on his face. He has such a love for the people around him and the great communities that he’s built that nothing seems to get him down. ”
Lower Karsten Vun describes how he met Quaresma. “He was one of the first people I met on campus. I came here a little bit earlier for the International Student Orientation. He was a Student Listener and was on campus that night. We played Ultimate Frisbee, and that’s how I got to know him at first. I take Latin, so he then introduced me to Kirtland Society.”
Lower Rishi Gurudevan detailed Quaresma’s role in Kirtland Society, Exeter’s Classics Club. “I met him at Kirtland Society’s first meeting last year. He’s always been a great guy, and he took a lot of the youngsters under his wing. As a prep, I looked up to him, and I still do. He’s a very skilled classist, well-versed in philosophy and literature, and very well-read.”
The club’s dynamic heavily depends on Quaresma, said prep Olivia Pierre. “He’s a fun presence to have around. Every time we have a conversation, my day gets better.”
Gurudevan continued, “Holden brings the club to life week upon week. He was in Rome for the winter, but when he came back, you could immediately feel the difference in the club. I’d say he always brings a lot of energy and positivity to a room.”
In his classics study, Quaresma shows a high level of proficiency but also a passion to always learn something new. Senior Gianluca Audia explained, “I think what first struck me is he would always come to class with this little vocab book with all the words in Latin. He was such a presence in class that the teacher would look to him when there was a question on vocabulary. Holden has been a figurehead in the classics community for a couple of years, but I think what separates Holden is his passion and his determination to excel.”
Quaresma also excels as a mentor and friend to many. Upper Eamin Ahmed underlined Quaresma’s vital role in dorm life. “Holden always puts himself out there. Within maybe the first five minutes of getting to campus last year, every prep immediately knew him. Holden has a knack for talking to people and that’s what’s made him such an important part of our dorm community in the last few years. Everybody in the dorm knows him and as a prep seeing someone be so in touch with the dorm community inspired me to open up to the dorm as well. Holden leads not with measures, but with his aura.”
Instructor in Mathematics and advisor Tim Whittemore applauded Quaresma’s involvement in his dorm and in providing support to other students. “He was a consistent member and always offered humor and support as needed. Last year, he served as a Student Listener in Main Street and his dorm room was a landing pad for any new students who needed a friendly smile or a supportive friend. In January, as the campus was reeling from the tragedy, Holden was at an off-campus program in Rome. Despite the distance, he still made himself available for any members of the dorm who needed someone to chat with as we tried to move forward from the loss we were feeling.”
Ahmed described Quaresma’s ability to spread joy to the people around him. “Throughout the last three years, I’ve seen Holden go through so many struggles, but he’s always had a smile on his face. He has such a love for the people around him and the great communities that he’s built that nothing seems to get him down. Whenever I ask how he manages to take such hard courses, lead so many clubs, spend so much time in the dorm and still spend time for himself, he just shrugs and claims to be in a state of ‘perpetual eudaimonia,’” Ahmed said.
“I have to say that by now I’ve become convinced. It’s impossible to see Holden go about his life and frown. He’s always so content and that lifts up everyone around him. As a dorm or club, the best we can do is try and fill that gap that’ll be left when he leaves campus, to try and have the same love of life that filled his every step,” Ahmed added.
Throughout his time at Exeter, Quaresma realized the importance of staying true to himself. “I felt a need early on to look for other people’s approval,” he said. “The more you worry about how other people are, the less people will like you. I’ve become more interested in learning and less worried about other people’s opinions.”