Are you interested in learning about and discussing topics such as “How Did Biblical Stories Become Racist?” Or meeting new friends and presenters from professional DEIJ fields and developing leadership skills?
This Friday, April 19, is the deadline to apply for DEIJ student leadership opportunities. Facilitating an affinity space, helping with Regional Student Diversity Summit (RSDS), attending the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), or leading the DEIJ advisory board or advisory committee, are all unique experiences and a good way to follow or develop your passion for DEIJ.
RSDS
RSDS, Regional Student Diversity Summit, is a student-led diversity conference between four independent schools in San Diego – The Bishop’s School, La Jolla Country Day School, Francis Parker, and Pacific Ridge. Students meet throughout the year and are able to build connections, engage with experts in diversity and inclusion fields, and utilize their leadership skills.
Former RSDS planner KC Gupta (‘27) said, “RSDS is a place where we bring people together, and we share ideas that traditionally wouldn’t be as represented in society today.” Some example workshops that had been discussed include “Asian Visibility Through A History of Asian American Pop Culture,” “Man Up: Towards A Positive Masculinity,” and “How Did Biblical Stories Become Racist?”
Ariadne Georgiou (‘26), another former RSDS planner, explained, “A big thing with people doing work in the DEIJ world is that it feels really isolating sometimes, so it’s nice to know that there are other people in our generation and in the county who are interested in the same issues.”
Both Ariadne and KC emphasized the relationships they have built throughout the process. KC explained that there are around 10 people from each school at the meetings, and he enjoyed getting to meet people from different schools. Ariadne explained, “when we have in-person meetings we get boba or then we have dinner…. My favorite part is the sense of comradery with the other people who are planning it.”
The planning committee meets every week starting in October. It includes four sub-committees- logistics, outreach, workshops, and affinity committees, who work together and have a big group meeting once a week leading up to the conference. Ariadne and KC were both on the workshop committee, and focused on reaching out to the presenters. “We contacted 100 different people to run different workshops at RSDS,” KC said.
RSDS 2024 at Pacific Ridge saw 20 different speakers, and over 100 student and faculty participants. Next year, the diversity summit will also be at Pacific Ridge.
When asked if they would recommend RSDS planning, both Ariande and KC replied yes without hesitation. KC concluded, “I would totally recommend it to anyone who’s interested in putting their ideas to work, working hard, and having fun while connecting people to different things that normally wouldn’t be as represented in today’s society.” Ariande added, “I think almost all of our leadership last year and this year were seniors- so we definitely have more room for people who are interested to join!”
SDLC
Similar to RSDS, SDLC, Student Diversity Leadership Conference, is a once a year conference focused on DEIJ topics and building community, and includes various speakers. The conference lasts about two days, and schools are chosen at random to participate. Next school year, SDLC will take place in Denver, CO.
“I highly recommend SDLC to other students; it was such a great experience and really a valuable one as well,” Riley Ross (‘26), former SDLC attendee said, “We have not only eloquent speakers, but also big group discussions, opportunities to speak in front of the entire conference, and more.”
Both Riley and Jack explained that a big highlight of SDLC was the “homerooms,” which were a group of about 20 students that discussed similar interests and reflected upon different experiences faced at their respective schools. “Even though we were from different schools, we had a kind of bond that only came from being vulnerable and open about our experiences in the home base,” Riley explained.
Jack added, “it really helped to highlight the importance of collaboration across groups rather than just sticking to what you know. The best part of SDLC was definitely getting to know students from around the country, and discussing DEIJ topics with them.”
SDLC offers the opportunity to hear from many different perspectives, and Jack concluded, “It was such an amazing opportunity, both fun and informative and I’m so grateful I got to attend. If you are interested in leadership and DEIJ I would highly recommend it because it was a really informative three days.”
Deij advisory board
The DEIJ advisory board meets once a month, and consists of a few students, faculty, parents, administrators, alumni, and board members. With members from all constituents, they work together to progress DEIJ at Bishop’s. In 2025, participants will attend the regional Pollyanna conference at Francis Parker.
Ella Xing (‘26), a current member of the DEIJ advisory board, explained, “we do case studies of cases on and off campus, discuss different DEIJ issues that are from on and off campus events, we talk about how to make DEIJ more accepted and appreciated, and how to bring more people to DEIJ.”
Zane Borkar (‘25), another member of the board, explained that this year the advisory board is assembling a dictionary of DEIJ terms that all constituents should know, “so we have a common language going forward with these complicated discussions.”
Zane has been on the DEIJ board since his freshman year, and said, “throughout my time, I felt that these discussions with so many adults helped me grow as well as build a better connection with the community.” He reflected upon enjoying the opportunity to talk openly and seriously with a culmination of all the different community members that make up Bishop’s.
Ella added, “my favorite part about it is the different case studies we do, since we can see such a great number of diverse topics and perspectives.”
She concluded, “I would definitely recommend it to students who are truly passionate about DEIJ and have a voice or opinion they really want to bring attention to.”
To apply for RSDS, SDLC, or The DEIJ Advisory Board, fill out the form linked here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNtRTfzeuw0LMy6tFq_nsj3grQvRotFEJqaOrT9LOKr4UroQ/viewform
