FROM:
http://www.exeter.edu/publications/exeter/summer_02/commence_4.html


Minjeong Grace Sur

Communication Is Key


Grace Sur, an 18 year old from Seoul, South Korea, says there is much she will remember about her four years at the Academy—including her sometimes-bumpy prep year. But what made her decide to stick it out (“besides my parents forcing me to”) were, she says, some words of reassurance offered by an older friend who had faced similar challenges: “She gave me the faith that Exeter was worth the struggle, and that the rewards would come sooner or later.” And come they did: Grace developed a strong interest in political science and international relations; became a dorm proctor and a Student Listener; played varsity squash and tennis and first flute in the both the symphony and chamber orchestras. She also headed up several clubs, including the Korea Society, which led her to co-found a novel “Big Sibling” program that pairs Asian PEA students with adopted Asian children in the Exeter area (photo). Grace will attend Brown University.

What personal lessons have you learned, in class and out?

Through the Harkness system, I have learned that communication is key. Last fall, I had a conversation with an alumnus during Alumni/ae Council Weekend, and he told me the reason the world has so many problems and countries do not get along is because cultural differences make communication extremely difficult—thus, misunderstandings and rifts are inevitable.

This can be true in our classrooms as well. Every day, we hold discussions and interact with our peers, but sometimes students do not want to listen or compromise their ideas. So the way one goes about communicating affects many aspects of Exeter life. In some sports, competition against one’s teammates may be necessary (as it is in squash and tennis), and morale suffers. But these experiences taught me to overcome my own desire to succeed at all costs, and to truly enjoy what I was doing and share this with others. Even when one teammate was particularly unyielding, I learned to deal with that sort of difficulty instead of getting worked up.

Looking back over your time at the Academy, what experiences do you remember most, and why?

Exeter has been my home for four years, and I do not want to forget that feeling of relief that fills my chest when I turn onto Front Street in the Hampton Shuttle van after a long, draining flight. I do not want to forget jumping off the bridge on a sultry spring day, dorm night at Margarita’s, running out onto the Andover field when we won Exeter/Andover, or Turning Circles and my first semiformal during the fall of my prep year. I do not want to forget all the work put into writing my 333 and being satisfied with what I had to say. I do not want to forget reluctantly taking that required art course and creating things I never knew my imagination could render, or putting hours into my senior meditation and discovering a part of myself that I never knew before. I do not want to forget my first day of Exeter, having believed that I would hate it here, but actually having loved it ever since.