“How can we make sure everyone who shows up here has a sense of belonging?” asked Christian Weaver ’25 at the start of this year’s Diversity Forum, where students spent a day exploring the theme of Purpose and Belonging through numerous workshops, guest speakers, and activities. 

The day began in Trapier Theater, where Upper School affinity group leaders talked about their experiences “belonging” at St. Albans and at a recent Student Diversity Leadership Conference. Then, Dorm resident Jonathan Zhang ’27 described the transition to St. Albans from his home in China. “Coming to a whole new environment is hard .. I left behind the comfort of home: my family, my culture, my language. One thing that really helped me feel the sense of belonging was the people here at STA. It was the classmate who sat next to me and struck up a conversation on the first day or asked me about life in China, or the teachers who offered all the help to me when needed,” said Zhang. “I realized that belonging isn’t about being exactly the same. It’s about being seen, being welcomed, and being valued for who you are. Everyone here didn’t just give me a place to sit — they gave me a reason to stay.” 

Former Baltimore Colts superstar Joe Ehrmann and collegiate basketball standout Jody Redman addressed the entire Upper School in the refectory. Ehrmann and Redman together founded the NFL Foundation-supported InSideOut Initiative, aimed at creating co-curricular, character-based, purpose-based athletics cultures. In the refectory, they  had the entire Upper School on their feet engaged in conversations about who they look up to, what they respect in leaders, and how to become a leader with integrity.

The Lower School keynote speakers, Kevin Johnson and Ashley Lauren Fisher, spoke about life-altering experiences caused by spinal injuries, with Johnson sharing how his half-brother, actor Christopher Reeve, was paralyzed from the neck down after falling from a horse, and Fisher retelling her own story as a former dancer and a lacrosse player whose life goals changed instantly after a swimming accident. Johnson recalled how Reeve’s wife telling him: “You are still you, ” helped the star of Superman carry on; Similarly, Fisher thrived when friends reminded her: “You deserve to be loved.” Said Fisher: “That person inside you is always there. If you can trust those around you, you don’t see the disability anymore.” 

Amir Lowery, former professional soccer player and co-founder of the DC Open Goal Project was the Upper School’s keynote speaker. Lowery discussed the importance of finding your personal passions and purpose, not once, but throughout your life. “The purpose may change for you; for me it’s an on-going process,” said Lowery, who emphasized that what’s most important is using that purpose and passion to support and uplift others.

Several alumni, teachers, parents, and members of the extended community also offered workshops for Upper School students about finding purpose in life. Alumni speakers included Clifford Foreman ’08 on absorbing chaos and giving hope, Rashaka Caldwell ’99 on financial planning, David Field ’91 on his circuitous path to the medical field, George Walker ’16 on making the most of college and beyond, Tshaka Cunningham ’92 on biomedical research, Marcelo Jauregui-Volpe ’14 on discussing climate science on podcasting and other storytelling media, and Arthur Jones II ’13 on journalism.

In the Lower School, students broke out into their forms for a day filled with different engaging activities and conversations focused on the theme of “Purpose and Belonging.” Activities included town halls, a reading and discussion of 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11 about the “variety of spiritual gifts” from the Holy Spirit, a watch and analysis of the Pixar short “For the Birds,” and a “silent card game activity” in Form I and II demonstrating the importance of perspective and belonging. Through all the activities, the Lower School boys were encouraged to discuss their similarities and differences — and how to constructively navigate them. Oftentimes, they were instructed to recall or imagine times where they felt supported and part of a team or group, and how that made them feel. Other times, they were challenged to remember what it felt like to join a new group or feel different, and how they can work together collectively to support others going through this shared experience.

At the end of the day our oldest and youngest students worked together (with C Formers matched with Form VI and B Form with Form V) on creating illustrations representing things they belong to—teams, religious groups, hobbies, families—on paper leaves that are now hanging together from a tree “growing” in the Lower School lobby in the True-Lucas Building.