Students and faculty discussed leadership and diversity at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and People of Color Conference on Dec. 8-10 in Atlanta.

Six student representatives attended the SDLC, while 17 faculty members simultaneously attended the PCC. Both conferences were hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools.

The student attendees were Fernando Diaz-Ojeda ’20, Taylor Jones ’18, Lucy Kim ’19, Remi Patton ’20, Loyal Terry ’19 and Daniel Varela ’18. Teachers nominated and voted for the student representatives from tenth through twelfth grade, with one female and one male student from each grade.

The theme of this year’s SDLC was “Dreaming Out Loud: Waking Up to a New Era of Civil Rights.” At the SDLC, students listened to speakers and split into groups with conference attendees from various other schools to talk about social justice from their positions as student leaders from minority groups.

“It went to show that we all have privileges that we don’t even realize until we’re around a diverse group of people who have not lived the same lives,” Remi Patton ’20 said. “It was really eye-opening to see that. Other people have it better, but also other people have it worse.”

The theme of the PCC was “Advancing Human and Civil Rights — Fulfilling the Dream Together.” The conference focused on the methods used by Martin Luther King in promoting racial equality.