Commitment to Diversity.
As journalists, we have an obligation to tell stories of diversity and inclusion, and through compelling writing and feature stories, I’ve aimed to bring minority groups into the limelight. I’m also proud to be among the first students of color to be editor-in-chief of The ReMarker, and to lead a diverse staff — more than 50 percent of my staff identifies as students of color.
Lee Smith — racial diversity
Last year, I had the honor of visiting with Lee Smith, who graduated in 1965 as my school’s first Black graduate. He let me share his story of persistence through a time of sheer hostility, discrimination and racism.
“Life is full of challenges,” he said. “They come at you, and you never know where they are going to come from. Some people have called me the N-word because I’m darker than they were. I don’t let these things affect me, and as a result, I am able to survive and succeed in this world.”
I sat there — shocked, speechless. In the story, I described his journey as he paved the way for countless students of color, including my dad who was among my school’s first Indian graduates. Evidently, I had a distinct personal connection with this story.
Click the image pictured right to read the story.
Focus Magazine
I was a contributing writer for this groundbreaking, award-winning publication. This magazine means a lot to our community as it’s a prime example of our commitment to diversity as we covered America in the post-George Floyd era.
I hope you can take a few minutes to flip through its pages — the diverse coverage, writing and design make this among the best Focus magazines we’ve produced.
December cover story — religious diversity
A signature piece from my time as editor-in-chief, this story examined how our school seeks to promote spiritual growth in students while remaining nonsectarian. Despite the school’s efforts to embrace religious diversity, as an Editorial Board, we noticed a frequent belief that elements of the school’s experience seem to distinctly emphasize the Christian faith. The school’s nonsectarian nature had never, in 70 years, been questioned or challenged in The ReMarker, but as our school strives to become more diverse and representative across the board, I posed this topic to my team as one that needed to be discussed.
We researched the school’s founding and talked with our school’s historian, discovering the school’s Episcopalian origins. We talked with our headmaster about the school’s name, St. Mark’s, and the religious connotations it carries. We also talked with Hindu and Jewish students about their personal experiences in our mandatory chapel program. I’m really proud of the final story we put together.
Click the image pictured right to read the story.
Affirmative action editorial — socioeconomic diversity
With the diversity of race, we also have an understanding of socioeconomic diversity, which has led to important discussions in Editorial Board meetings. We produced this main editorial about affirmative action in December 2022.
Click the image pictured left to read the editorial.
New perspectives — gender diversity
As an all-boys school, gaining a better understanding of gender diversity has always been an objective of ours. This year, I set up a joint Editorial Board meeting with our sister school, Hockaday, in attempt to hear the female perspective on present-day issues and topics of conversation. I’ve also met with Hockaday’s head of school for this very purpose. Having a female adviser in Jenny certainly helps here as well.
A tangible impact
Our school recognizes The ReMarker’s strong commitment to diversity, evident in the dedicated page we have in the community, inclusion and diversity section of our school’s website.
The powerful stories we’ve told and the purposeful people we’ve met have garnered us a reputation as a publication that responds to racial injustice and platforms diverse perspectives.
Click the image pictured left to visit this section of the school website.