Program Spotlight: Aspects of Leadership Symposium Showcases Students’ Take on Complex Societal Issues

How has the legacy of slavery impacted the healthcare experiences of Black women today? How has our dominant culture influenced negative views about race, gender, and sexuality? Can romance languages, with their grammatical genders, become more gender-neutral and inclusive? These are just some of the questions explored at Prep for Prep’s second annual Aspects of Leadership Symposium. The virtual event, which took place Saturday, March 19, showcased the curiosity, resourcefulness, and problem-solving abilities of Aspects of Leadership students.

Aspects of Leadership, the required leadership curriculum for all Prep for Prep high school students, focuses on ethical and effective leadership. Through three modules, students gain an understanding of the kind of leadership that is increasingly needed in today’s society. Over the course of several days, students read defining texts on leadership, examine case studies, and participate in role-play exercises. The final day of each module features student-led small group discussions about topics that are important to them. The Symposium was created to provide students with an opportunity to bring these discussions to a broader audience. To prepare for these greater conversations, students spend two months refining their research under the guidance of one or more Prep for Prep alumni mentors. 

The Symposium, attended by Prep for Prep alumni, staff, board members, and donors, began with welcome remarks from Michael O’Leary, director of leadership development projects, and Cindy Perez, director of leadership development opportunities. Several alumni shared reflections of their own Aspects of Leadership experience.  

“Aspects of Leadership is literally for life,” said Michelle Wonsley (XIV). “The things that you learn here, the conversations that are had here, the ways of seeing the world, the development of this critical consciousness lives on forever.” 

Morning and afternoon sessions featured student presentations that addressed a range of topics, including the impact of implicit bias on patients of color, the motivations and experiences of first-time college students in their 40s, the history and effect of physical discipline in the Black community, and how a student-developed zine is providing resources for young artists. 

David Robinson-Morris, Ph.D., founder of diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm The REImaginelution, LLC, delivered an inspiring keynote address that emphasized the notion of freedom as a birthright. This is a concept that can feel particularly foreign during a time of rising hate crimes against and murders of people of color. Robinson-Morris asked attendees to ponder the following question: “How do I embrace the brilliance of who I am without feeling the need to shrink to fit into the small-minded imagination of who or what others think I’m supposed to be?” 

While Robinson-Morris confessed that he didn’t have an answer and is still grappling with this question, he offered the following: “The trauma of bearing witness of the past few years, coupled with the historical trauma of 400 years in this country, is taking its toll on all of us…. You are not only living these moments, you are bearing witness to them. What does it mean to bear witness? Not just to look at, but to see what’s underneath it. That’s what you’re being called to do. And then to take that knowledge as our future leaders, our future scholars, our future teachers, our hope, our faith made flesh, to transform the world.”

Aspects of Leadership is supported by generous contributions from the Max and Sunny Howard Memorial Foundation and Elizabeth Perelstein, in memory of Michael Perelstein.

Summaries and videos of the students’ presentations are provided below. Visit our Leadership Development page to learn more about Prep for Prep’s offerings in this area. 

Student: Chloe-Marie P. (XXXVIII/Berkeley Carroll School)

Alumni Mentor: Dr. Hoi Ning Ngai (XII/Stuyvesant High School ’96, Dartmouth College ’00, University of California, Los Angeles ’04/’10)

She began her presentation by discussing James Marion Sims, a doctor who, in the 1800s, experimented on enslaved Black women—often without anesthesia because he believed Black women didn’t feel pain. Chloe-Marie contends that this disregard for Black women’s discomfort plays out in modern day. Doctors’ failure to diagnose and treat women who experience heavy bleeding and extreme pain caused by uterine fibroids is one example. She also cited the maternal mortality rate of Black women, which is three-times higher than that of White women. Lastly, she highlighted the practice of shackling pregnant, incarcerated Black women to their beds while in labor—a treatment reminiscent of Sim’s practices during the antebellum era. 

Chloe-Marie concluded her presentation by balancing these disheartening instances of mistreatment and neglect with hope-inspiring examples of activism and proposed legislation, including the Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act.  

 

Student: Traci W. (XXXIX/Dwight-Englewood School)

Alumni Mentors: Joshua Noel Rivera (XXXII/Rye Country Day School ’15/Howard University ’19/New York University), Chevelle Dixon (XIX/The Nightingale-Bamford School ’03/Harvard University ’07/New York University ’10), and Michelle Wonsley (XIV/The Brearley ’97, Spelman College  ’01, Cornell University ’08)

Traci’s presentation explored why Black families are more likely than families of other races to use spanking as a form of discipline. Her research found that this behavior stems from the trauma of slavery that has been passed down through generations. Traci supported her position by sharing a video about Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, an explanatory theory originated by Dr. Joy DeGruy to describe the way in which Blacks have developed adaptive behavior to survive multigenerational trauma and injustices experienced from slavery to today. She contends that most Black parents subconsciously believe that physical discipline is necessary in order to prepare their children for the violence and stresses they might endure while being Black in America. She asserts that Black parents who use physical discipline methods like spanking contribute to the dehumanization of their Black children and create more trauma that will be passed down to future generations. 

Traci closed her presentation by offering resources, such as Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won’t Save Black America by Stacey Patton, to help us begin to break this cycle.

 

Student: Cinthya S. (XXXIX/Poly Prep Country Day School)

Alumni Mentor: Victoria Lowe (XIX/The Chapin School ’02/Colgate University ’06)

Cinthya’s presentation addressed the ways dominant culture impacts views about race, gender, and sexuality and the changes that have occurred regarding representation in these areas over the past 20 years. She shared images of celebrities such as Beyonce and BTS in which their skin has been lightened to illustrate that whiteness is valued in society. However, images she shared of television show casts from the ’90s and more recently highlight the progress that has been made in terms of accepting and valuing racial diversity. 

To show how society influences ideas about gender-appropriate toys, Cinthya asked audience members to share examples of “boy” toys and “girl” toys. She noted that “girl” toys like kitchen sets, dolls, and make up kits emphasize domesticity, nurturing characteristics, and how one looks, while “boy” toys like guns, trucks, and building sets celebrate power, knowledge, and confidence. However, in more recent years, companies have included both boys and girls in their advertising or used gender-neutral hand models to avoid attributing products to a specific gender.

Cinthya noted that when it comes to sexuality, telling members of the queer community that they are "confused" or "just going through a phase," re-enforces heteronormativity. Using terms such as “looking straight” promotes the idea that one looks a certain way to exhibit their sexuality. Embracing terms like “partner” instead of a gendered term like "boyfriend" can play a role in combating this biased view of sexuality.

 

Student: Isabel T. (XL/Rye Country Day School)

Alumni Mentors: Matthew Blackburn(XVI/Collegiate School ’10/Princeton University ’14), Lynman Woo (XXI/Dartmouth College ’09, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ’19), and David Rampersad Jr (XXIX/The Dalton School ’13/Gettysburg College ’17)

After discovering that most publications, film festivals, and art shows only accept submissions from those aged 18 and older, Isabel decided to create The Gaia Zine to support young creatives. Through a website and social media platform, Gaia publishes and promotes young artists’ work, including photographs, films, poems, and drawings. The online publication is about a year old and has featured submissions from artists in 10 states and five countries. 

Isabel walked the audience through the website and then revealed the focus of her Aspects of Leadership Symposium project—a new resource page that offers advice from professional artists. Visitors to the site are able to learn about new art forms, ways to hone their skills, and how to promote their work. In addition, newly created discussion pages provide a venue for young artists to connect and collaborate with each other. 

Isabel’s goals for The Gaia Zine going forward include increasing the number of contributors and readers, enhancing the art gallery section and expanding the resource page on the site, and hosting virtual events. 

 

Student: Ashley A. (P9 XXXIII/Andover)

Alumni: Seliat Dairo (XXVII/The Kew Forest School ’11/Duke University ’15/University of Pennsylvania ’20)

Ashley’s presentation delved into the impact of implicit bias—negative, unconscious beliefs about a person or group—on the quality of healthcare provided to patients of color. She cited a 2003 report from the Institute of Medicine that found that when access-to-care barriers were controlled, people of color received worse healthcare than White people and explicit and implicit bias were factors. She noted that, recently, reports of bias (both explicit and implicit) have increased with the spread of Covid-19.

Ashley provided examples of research that illustrate how implicit bias presents in healthcare. One example is doctors’ tendency to use first-person plural pronouns, such as we, our, and us, when interacting with Black patients. It is believed that this is done in an attempt to have control over the patient. Additional research revealed that workers with higher levels of implicit bias used more of these words than those with lower levels of implicit bias.  

Ashley closed her presentation by providing examples of ways to address implicit bias, including improving implicit bias tests, using available data to address racial disparities, and reforming training and medical school curriculum. 

 

Student: Nykarra G. (P9 XXXIII/Middlesex School)

Alumni: Ifeoma Nwoke (XX/Bronx High School of Science ’04/Columbia University ’17), and Dr. Sandra Toro (VII/Cushing Academy ’91/Cornell University ’96/Seton Hall University ’01/University of Washington ’05/University of Maryland ’20)

By examining the experiences of three women in their 40s, Nykarra sought to shed light on the journey of adults attending college for the first time later in life and the adversities they face. Her mother and her mother’s older and younger sisters were Nykarra’s research subjects.

Through her research, Nykarra gathered information about each woman’s childhood, college application process, college experience, and future goals. She found that her mother and aunts had similar interests in childhood, with all three enjoying English. Two of the three women spoke about facing obstacles while collecting the necessary credentials and transcripts needed to complete their college applications. All three noted that they manage their time in a way that allows for work, studying, and personal time for hobbies and other activities. Two of the three women had a goal of getting promoted to a position with higher pay. And two of the three women admitted to experiencing imposter syndrome and have developed strategies to combat their self doubt. 

All three agreed that one should not let age be a barrier to pursuing an education. Nykarra’s aunts offered the following wisdom: “One is never too old to learn. Knowledge is key to any and everything.” “A lot of people worry about age, but any way you look at it, those two or more years will pass and you can be two years older without a degree or two years older with a degree. Choose wisely.”

 

Student: Junie B. (XL/Poly Prep Country Day School)

Alumni Mentors: Rechael Ikwuagwu (P9/XIX/Choate Rosemary Hall ’10/George Washington University ’14/Fordham University ’21), and Ali McKnight (XXXII/The Brearley School ’16/Reed College ’20/York University)

As someone who speaks English, French, and Haitian Creole, and is working to figure out her gender identity, Junie has often wondered how to address someone who is non-binary in a grammatical gendered language such as French. For her Aspects for Leadership Symposium project, she searched for an answer. 

Junie illustrated the limitations of gendered language with her welcome. “Hello, ladies and gentleman” isn’t inclusive. “Hi, y’all,” while inclusive is too informal for an academic presentation. She proceeded to explain the origins of romance languages and why they are gendered. She then made a case for why using the generic masculine noun form of words is problematic and why languages like French and Spanish need to be more gender-inclusive. 

Using French as an example, she discussed the ways in which those who communicate in the language have tried to be inclusive. These efforts include using both gender forms, talking around gender by replacing a gendered word with a gender-neutral one, feminizing masculine words, or using a median period or middot to indicate both genders (un·e, instead of un or une). 

Spanish-language communicators have typically used both gender forms of words (ex. Todas y todos) to be inclusive, but many have found that approach to be clunky. Some have moved to using an alternative letter at the end of the word (eg. Latinx, instead of Latina y Latino). Yet, this has not been a perfect solution, as these new word forms can be difficult to pronounce. 

Junie supplemented her research by interviewing teachers and students who speak languages with grammatical gender to explore how they express their gender identity. Their responses were as varied as the ways people have attempted to make gendered language more inclusive.