Cultivating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Student-Led DEI Club

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Club was launched in 2020 by Lily Bowman ’21 and Catherine Kim ’21. The students started meeting in the fall and have taken part in many initiatives since then. In November, they organized a white ribbon chapel to commemorate the Montreal Massacre. More recently, the students partnered with the PAGE group to manage the interactive side of the PAGE Art Exhibition. They also recently worked with the LCS Leadership Team to bring guest speaker, Rafael to connect with faculty, staff, and students about identity and inclusion. 

We spoke to the students in DEI to learn more about the club and what they aim to accomplish. It’s clear that these students are passionate about change and by working together on a weekly basis, they have brought forth new learning opportunities for the LCS community that highlight important issues occurring both around the world and in local communities.

We asked the students to explain what is involved in being a member of DEI and they emphasized that although it is an organized club, students don’t need to be a member to be involved in the initiatives. Meeting regularly helps them to establish goals and address new challenges but they’re keen to spread the word that DEI is not exclusive; the information required to enact positive change is accessible and available to all. 

The group setting, however, does provide a safe and welcoming environment for students to talk about current issues and identify new initiatives to tackle. The important part of the club is that it is action-based. While the students spend time discussing diversity, equity and inclusion and current events, their conversations always culminate with the question, “What can we do?” 

This action-oriented approach is what led to Lily ’21 being selected as a workshop leader at the You Belong Leadership and Diversity Summit earlier this year. Lily shared that the first workshop was so successful that she was invited to lead another one. 

The students closed our discussion saying that, “DEI is a great way to bring people together; it’s action-based and what you learn leaves with you.” They also wanted to acknowledge that people can feel intimidated to join the club because they feel that their lack of knowledge will set them apart. However, the students assert that DEI is a place where anyone can come to learn; no one needs to be an expert to join the conversation.