#iamExeter: Griffin ’27

What is your name, year, and affiliated dorm?

My name is Griffin Breault. I am a four year senior in the class of 2027. I am a day student affiliated with Ewald (a.k.a. the best dorm on campus).

What made you decide to get into club life at Exeter? What drew you in?

I knew I wanted to get into club life at Exeter as soon as I got my acceptance letter. There is so much variety here and we have so many resources that if you’re passionate about anything, you can do something.

The thing that I came to realize about Exonians is that they all have very specific passions. There are so many clubs because we have all dug out our niches. Even when you find that niche, there are always adjacent clubs you can try.

For example, I knew I wanted to get into performing at Exeter as soon as I got here. Improv and Dramat are both great options for that, but my goal pretty quickly manifested itself in the form of a radio show, which evolved into a love of broadcasting. 

How did you find the right club for you?

There are a variety of ways you can get into specific clubs. For example, I started going to Badminton Club prep year because I had played a lot of badminton with my friends during recess in middle school and I thought it was fun.

I joined Improv Club prep fall, but I was kind of too nervous to continue. By upper year, I was trying to work on my self-confidence and articulation, so I went back. It quickly became one of my favorite clubs. I made a great group of friends and I learned a lot about performing and myself.

I was also too nervous to go on the radio until my prep spring, but from the winter to the spring, a few friends and I painstakingly thought of a show concept and about a million texts and emails later, we were on the air. My show ended up being my favorite part of the week. I could make art and learn new things while having fun with my friends. 

So in summary, I saw some clubs I thought would be fun or educational, so I joined, stuck with them, and eventually found friends, fulfillment, and a new version of myself.  

Can you tell us what a Club Head does? What does your role look like?

I’d say that the overall job of a Club Head is to make new members feel like they belong there. I often felt out of place when I was trying a new club, so now I try to be very enthusiastic and thoroughly explain each aspect of the club to new and prospective members. 

However, the role of Club Head of each club is different. For example, my job as Badminton Co-Head is mostly just maintaining our equipment and organizing tournaments. Badminton Club is mostly just for people to come and play around. so most of my job is just making sure people can do that.

My job as Improv Co-Head is really just to set an example. I explain games, set up scenes, and try to set an example of loud enthusiasm for the members. As with all clubs, there are also administrative duties like sending weekly reminder emails, making sure rooms are booked and planning activities.

For WPEA, I am on a board with about 7 other students and 3 faculty advisors, each running specific areas of the station. My position is Director of Station Operations. I build the show schedule each term, I take minutes at board meetings, I run weekly emergency broadcasting tests and I answer questions about the station.

All of this to say, the role of a Club Head is hard to define. They certainly have general duties, but the beauty of running a club is that you can make the club and your position anything you want.