On November 29th, six Friends students woke up bright and early to catch a flight to Saint Louis. We were headed to the Student Diversity Leadership Conference. SDLC, as it is known, gathers students from independent schools across the country and world, as part of its annual People of Color Conference.

After two short flights and a layover, we arrived at the Westin Hotel downtown, with a view of Busch Stadium, where the St. Louis Cardinals play. Students Jaden Green, Audrey Lin, Shirene Gehawi, Khadejah Allen, Rebekah Desta, and I headed up to our rooms. 

Our first event was a lovely dinner. Afterward we headed to the conference center and got our badges. This year, the conference theme – “Bending the Arc Toward Justice: Radical Optimism, Transformational Joy, Resilience, and Brilliance” – took its inspiration from a famous quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A band called The Slants kicked off the conference. Band members talked about their childhoods as Asian American kids growing up in predominantly white areas. During the concert, they touched on numerous anti-Asian stereotypes – one of which was the origin of their name.  

Following the performance, the six of us and our chaperones headed back to the hotel – but not before we stopped at a dollar store to stock up on snacks! We headed our separate ways to prepare for the next day of the conference – which would begin at 7:30 am. 

It began with a few keynote speakers. Following this, broke into ‘home groups,’ which consisted of around 50 kids from all over the US and the world. Within those groups, we were divided again into smaller groups. These were called our family groups.

We spent the morning with these groups. While we played some games, we also had serious conversations, especially about stereotypes we’ve heard at school about minority groups. 

At lunch, the line was exceptionally long, as 8,000 students scrambled to get the warm food first. After that, it was another struggle to find our friends in the cafeteria. 

Meantime, we were making new friends. The first day, a student with a speaker brought us together by starting a sing-along to “Love” by Keyshia Cole. We all definitely bonded over this moment.  

At the end of the day, we split into different affinity groups. There were a number of identifiers involved.  

Senior Audrey Lin attended the East Asian affinity group.

“Being in the East Asian affinity group was one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had,” she says. “It felt so validating to be surrounded by people with similar experiences to mine, and I felt instantly connected with everyone.” 

Meanwhile, senior Shirene Gehawi was in the Middle Eastern and North African Group.

“Going into SDLC, I had never experienced or been a part of a Middle Eastern and North African affinity group. It was my first time seeing other people reflect my identity, and in turn that shaped my confidence and authenticity. I’ve been given the chance to physically see my community, and that is something so powerful,” she says. “I loved every part of the conference.”

I spent the evening in the South Asian Affinity group. In it, we spent time preparing skits and talking about how stereotypes have negatively affected us in the school system. We bonded over our shared experiences, and learned from one another. 

On the last day of the conference, we once again began in our home groups, then continued to lunch. Then, we returned to our affinity groups, where we played games, sang songs, and sadly said our goodbyes.

The final tear-jerker was when we headed to the auditorium for the closing ceremony. There, speaker Rodney Glasgow, who had accompanied us through our whole experience, invited a few of us to the stage before asking us to speak words of appreciation to one another, and get in our final goodbyes.  

SDLC was an amazing experience, and such a wonderful opportunity. Learning about cultures that are not as well-represented as some was exceptionally interesting, and it opened my eyes to how diverse our world is. The conference also allowed me to find a newfound appreciation for my Indian and Hindu culture – which at times I have overlooked. It was an experience I will always treasure.