Upper School Students Reflect on Weekend at SDLC

Six Kent Place Upper School students recently returned from the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), in Denver. SDLC is a multiracial, multicultural gathering of student leaders from independent high schools across the United States and abroad, that focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community. In addition to large-group sessions, SDLC “family groups” and “home groups” allow for conversation in smaller units.

Upon their return, we sat down with the students to hear about their experiences. 

My’Asia Bennett ’27: “Over the course of the two days, we got close to many other students quickly. I’m usually on the quieter side and will take some time to warm up around new people, but SDLC helped me find my voice and gain confidence. I realized that I can be my authentic self all of the time.”

Brooke Dambrot ’26: “During a group activity, we sat in a circle in silence, and when somebody wanted to say something, they could speak freely while everyone else quietly listened. Individuals opened up and many talked about vulnerable things. Everyone had the opportunity to be heard. It inspired me to share this with my classmates at Kent Place and to encourage us to get to know each other on a deeper level.”

Drew Henry ’26: “One of my favorite moments of the weekend was reconnecting with my peers over dinner after the first day and debriefing, discussing what we did in our affinity and family groups. I enjoyed meeting new people and realized that while we all share the identity of attending independent schools, we have individual experiences and have been in spaces where we were a minority group.” 

Ceci Hirawat ’26: “My experience coming from Kent Place and an all-girls environment really empowered me to use my voice and speak up, knowing that my voice matters. I learned a lot of tools about how to talk about diversity, and want to bring that back to Kent Place to help myself and my classmates look inward and know how to advocate for ourselves.”

Supriya Kamilla ’26: “Something important that I took away is that as students, we have the power to foster change; we are equal changemakers. It’s important to enter conversations from a place of seeking to understand. We have the ability to strengthen our community, even amid difficult conversations.”

Grace Williams ’25: “There were more than 500 students in the Black affinity group. It was amazing to be in that space with so many other students who identified the same as I do. We danced together, and there was even a pop-up choir that performed a historically important song — which everyone joined in to sing together. It was a celebration of love and justice.”