As a Holy Child Network of Schools member, Oak Knoll is committed to educating with a global perspective, and Annemieke Exton ’21 is at the vanguard. In 2024, she graduated from the prestigious Leiden University College in The Hague, Netherlands — the Honors College of Leiden University — where the admissions department selected her as just one of 200 students internationally to participate in a unique Global Challenges Program. Leiden has now awarded Exton a Bachelor’s in Global Public Health.

Exton says her parents may have influenced her interest in global health care. They both worked internationally in the pharmaceutical industry. Though she was born in her home country of Australia, at age 10, she moved to Basel, Switzerland, for two years and then to Taipei, Taiwan. This globetrotting and attendance at international schools in both countries also piqued her interest in studying languages. She took up French and German as part of the curriculum in Switzerland, and while continuing with German in Taipei, she also embarked on a Mandarin course.

When her parents moved to New Jersey, she enrolled in Oak Knoll midway through her first year of grade nine. She recalls feeling nervous about joining midstream but credits the hugely welcoming and supportive students and teachers in her initial Honors Physics class with infusing her with a sense of confidence she would carry for the rest of her education.

That year, Exton took her love of culture and language to a new level. She commenced her study of Spanish, which she eventually became fluent in. Exton went on to win the World Language Award her senior year at Oak Knoll. 

Throughout her years, Exton was not only influenced by the Spanish program; she also applauded all of the faculty at Oak Knoll. “I had such a good experience with all the teachers at Oak Knoll,” she related. “I felt supported by every single teacher I had and that they were setting us all up to thrive.”

During the summer of 2020, before her senior year, Exton enrolled in an Introduction to Global Health online course sponsored by Duke University.

“I had always been interested in biology and medicine,” she explained. “Aside from the strict science of anatomy and human biology, I wanted to explore the more human and social aspects, which is where global health comes in. I realized this topic connected everything I was passionate about with social justice, medicine, and human and environmental health.”

Exton was interested in researching university programs not just within the United States, but globally. Director of College Counseling Jennifer Wilson alerted Exton to programs abroad including a stellar program at The Hague. “Ms. Wilson recommended I research the university that I ended up attending, so she had a big impact on my career direction, and I’m very grateful,” explained Exton.

During her well-rounded high school years, Exton was a member of the Cross-Country Team and was particularly active and passionate about the arts. She was a keen photographer and a member of numerous choirs, including the select choir Ensemble, and school musicals.

“I think probably one of my most memorable experiences was when the Ensemble went to Prague,” she recalled. “Traveling with classmates and performing in these old churches with such good acoustics was lovely. Everyone was excited to be there.” 

During her fall semester of senior year at Leiden, Exton joined a study abroad program at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) in Mexico, where she took all her classes in Spanish. Following graduation in the summer of 2024, she returned to Mexico for a gap year, where she gained valuable experience as a research assistant working on multiple public health projects and volunteering at a local foster home/orphanage. 

Exton’s next educational goal is to obtain a master’s in the rapidly growing field of Public Health. “The more that I get into the field, the more I realize just how complicated a lot of the science is,” she related. “We’re still figuring out many of the implications of a global public health system. The field requires extensive experience, knowledge, and understanding to make informed recommendations. The field is gaining traction post-COVID, and people have realized how interconnected we are in the world and in terms of health.” 

Commenting on her daughter’s Oak Knoll years, Exton’s mother, Natalie, said, ”Annemieke’s experience was full and rich. Her alignment with the values of social justice and equity that underpin an Oak Knoll education has carried her forth in her further studies and her desire to make a positive difference in the world through global public health initiatives.” 

Congratulations to Annemieke on her accomplishments to date and on the many ways she will make a difference in the world in the years to come!