On Wednesday, St. Albans hosted its annual St. Albans Diversity Forum, where this year’s theme of The Power of Personal Stories united students across both divisions.

Upper School students kicked off a day of listening, engaging, and connecting with peers by attending to a fascinating panel of storytellers. The panel was headlined by NCS graduate Abby Greensfelder, producer of LFG, the HBO documentary on the women’s national soccer team’s fight for equal pay; Elena Moore, a political reporter for National Public Radio; and STA parent Melissa Lipman, a documentary producer for CNN.

Their conversation discussed how professional storytellers share the stories of their interviewees, strive to show the whole picture, and persevere in the face of adversity.

Following the panel in Trapier Theater, Lower Schoolers flocked into the seats recently left empty by the Upper Schoolers for their keynote speaker, KAYR. KAYR is a life coach and business consultant who shared his story of overcoming poverty, violence, and housing insecurity to become a successful real estate investor. His engaging, emotive, and fast-paced delivery instantly captured the attention of the room — showcasing both how to tell an effective story, while also amplifying his message of perseverance and bravery.

Upper School students also had the opportunity to hear the stories of a handful of individuals with unique backgrounds or personal experiences. Visitors included individuals who immigrated to the United States, a first-responder on 9/11, a veteran, a professor of deaf linguistics from Gallaudet, policymakers, lawyers, and many others.

The day was highlighted by the opportunity for students to hear from their teachers, and for some, their peers. In the Upper School, Students Kahu Treacher ’24, Astin and Cameron Ellis ’27, Rhys McIntosh ’25, Satchel Hamilton ’24, and visiting exchange students from the Doon School in India, Kanishk Bammi and Kai Kubo, shared their personal stories in small groups. 

On top of that, in both the Upper and Lower School more than a dozen faculty and staff members shared a personal story — ranging from dealing with phobias, to experiences living in different countries, to adversities that they’ve overcome, and more.

To culminate the Upper School’s day, students who attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in St. Louis earlier this year led an assembly to share their experiences at the conference. The students shared their takeaways, their own stories, and led engaging self-reflection activities with the student body. The presentation closed with reflections from Ms. Kelly Castellanos, alum Hank Speights ’07, and HERO Dogs, the group that trained school therapy dog Bert. Their perspectives tied together themes from the day and provided a wonderful opportunity to reflect and process the day’s events.