Grade 10 student participates in Exeter Summer in New Hampshire, USA | Aga Khan Academies

Grade 10 student participates in Exeter Summer in New Hampshire, USA

20 September 2024

Last summer, a Grade 10 student from the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka, Ayesha Mehjabeen Rahgir, embarked on an exciting learning journey to the Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, USA for their annual summer boarding programme, “Exeter Summer”.     

Exeter Summer is a five-week summer boarding programme for middle and high school students across the world. The programme provides students with the opportunity to sharpen their skills in academic study, athletics and personal exploration, with full access to the serene campus. They can create lifelong connections by participating in student-led group discussions and social activities. Six hundred students from across the world came to join this year’s programme and were selected through a rigorous selection process based on the applicants’ profiles. 

Alongside having multitudes of exposure to academic and cross-cultural elements of the programme, Ayesha discovered the journey to be one of self-revelation. She learnt various things from self-care to making friends with people from different cultures as well as sharing her own culture. Read about her experience below. 

As a teenager, I enjoyed the experience of living alone; however, my eagerness blinded me from seeing the realities of dorm life. My scariest experience by far during the programme was operating the clothing dryer. To this day, I am still not sure why something so insignificant intimidated me so much, but once my first load of laundry was complete, it felt like quite an accomplishment. From washing dishes, doing laundry and managing myself, this summer taught me a lot of life skills that helped me to become independent.  

I was anxious about making new friends there. Considering how extroverted I am in my known periphery, anyone who knows me would laugh at the idea of that. By the end of the summer, I learnt my fear was unfounded. I realised that making friends is not about the similarities you have or where you come from; it is not about what you talk about or fondness, but it is about the experiences you have together. I had friends who made me tea when I was sick, friends who shared their fries and friends who were always up for an adventure. In addition, the late-night gossip sessions and the 4.00 am Dunkin' Donuts trips made this summer forever memorable for me. In terms of culture, I learnt it is not just something that unites; it is something you share. I am so proud to say that some of my new favourite words are in Greek, and somewhere in Tokyo is a little Japanese girl humming an Arijit Singh song. 

These six weeks taught me a great deal about myself and the world, but the most important thing I learnt is that no matter where in the world you are, you will always have a voice to say something. During the month and a half, our country was going through so much. Unsure of how to contribute, I turned to the only tool I had: my voice. In every class and dorm meeting, I shared updates about the situation in Bangladesh with people who previously could not have pointed it out on a map. People began discussing the situation, writing about it and reposting information. My end-of-term presentation in the programme’s leadership class focused on the student movement and the power of mobilising voices. 

To conclude, my time at Exeter Summer gave me so much more than just the experience of living alone, giving me lifelong friends, everlasting memories and lessons I could not get anywhere else.