The affinity group leaders of Student Leaders for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (SLIDE) presented to sophomores to encourage engagement in affinity groups Nov. 15. Affinity group leaders offered information about various clubs and promoted their own affinity groups. Additionally, the presentations included an icebreaker and an identity-based activity.

SLIDE Co-Chair Ella Jacobs ’24 said the presentations were important to foster a sense of belonging for sophomores.

“SLIDE has been so important to us, both socially and in our lives outside of the school,” Jacobs said. “Our goal is to give sophomores a sense of how much more open [the] campus can feel when you have somewhere you belong.”

SLIDE Co-Chair and Middle Eastern Student Alliance (MESA) club leader Lila Daoudi ’24 said presenting sophomores with cultural spaces will allow them to find their own community and explore other clubs.

“[SLIDE leaders] see that the biggest connection is through different organizations or opportunities to engage with people on campus,” Daoudi said. “We want to make sure that everybody feels they can have their community in which they relate to people, or even explore a new culture, [Cultural clubs] are definitely an important thing to a have on campus. We at [SLIDE] want to make sure that people are aware of the opportunities they can have, especially the sophomores.”

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator Rebecca Limerick said the goal of the presentations is to inspire more participation in affinity groups.

“Affinity groups help students celebrate their identities, learn more about other cultures and create a deeper sense of belonging on our campus,” Limerick said. “We hope that, after this interactive and informative presentation, more students will feel comfortable and inspired to attend affinity group meetings.”