Soft Gray Velvet Couches and What DEIB Directors Really Do in Schools
She ran down the hallway, making sure to stop by my office before going back to class. Out of breath, she excitedly shared, "I got in!" Screaming and jumping in celebration, I hugged the student and told her how proud I was of her. As the Director of DEIB I often have a front row seat to the lives of various students, watching them navigate the many challenges life throws our way. For some students, the soft gray velvet couch in my office is a safe seat for them to share the parts of themselves that society has dismissed as irrelevant or unintelligent and thus undesirable. Senior year can be a very stressful time. Students who are still teenagers learning to manage their own emotions, create healthy boundaries, and love themselves are now asked to maintain their academic workload at the same pace and rigor of the prior three years of high school while writing college essays and scholarship applications, collecting financial information they often have no familiarity with in s...