Seniors Michala Rogers and Destini-Joy (DJ) Green, co-club heads of the Diversity Club at Sacred Heart Greenwich are working to spark change and promote education in their community as participants of the Greenwich First Selectman Youth Diversity Council.  Student leaders and a select faculty representative from each of the diversity clubs at five high schools in Greenwich, including Sacred Heart, Greenwich Academy, Brunswick School, Greenwich High School, and Greenwich Country Day School comprise the Greenwich Youth Diversity Council. 

Influenced by Mr. Peter Tesei, First Selectman, The First Selectman’s Youth Commission creates a space for diverse students from different backgrounds and schools in the town of Greenwich to join together to promote communication and develop voices of change, according to greenwichct.gov.  This year, town representatives granted permission to Mr. Angus Manion, President of Brunswick’s Diversity in Action Club, to create a Greenwich Youth Diversity Council. 

Beginning September 1, the Diversity Council’s meetings occur virtually via Zoom.  The meetings alternate between full board meetings and work sessions.  The full board meetings include an option for the public to attend, according to greenwichct.gov.  During each meeting, the board discusses projects, such as the presentation on vaping which took place October 13, and the Student Diversity Leadership Conference.

The Diversity Club at Sacred Heart is open to all Upper School students and touches upon social justice issues including, race, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) identity, feminism, socio-economic stances, politics, and any other subject that arises during conversations.  Mrs. Kerry Bader, Director of Upper School Social Justice and Service, moderates the club.  During meetings, the club provides a safe space for students to talk about these issues and to discuss how to raise awareness in their local and school communities.

Endorsed by former club heads and alumnae Ms. Zada Brown ‘20 and Ms. Nicole Tapia ‘20, Michala and DJ are planning to make the club a prominent part of daily life at Sacred Heart.  Using current national events as a catalyst, the Diversity Club highlights the power and passion of the Black Lives Matter movement to bring awareness to recurring social justice issues. 

“Going off of the Black Lives Matter momentum that I think we as an overall society have right now and working with Mrs. Frazier and Mrs. Bader, DJ and I have a lot of big plans to make the Diversity Club more prominent in our school’s culture,” Michala said.   “We also have a lot more activities to engage our school community to be super aware of what’s going on in our world on a local and global scale.”

DJ suggests that in order to enact lasting change, it is important to be a part of an atmosphere that fosters discussions about diversity and social justice.  She hopes to inspire others to follow in her footsteps.

“It’s important to have different experiences in every community and the Diversity Club was something I always knew I wanted to join,” DJ said.  “The Diversity Club and the Youth Diversity Council are ways that I impact my community in a way that helps serve those who come after me.”

Michala agrees that participating in activities, such as the Diversity Club and the Greenwich Forum, is one of the most influential factors in creating change and awareness. 

“I truly believe that to educate is the best way to create change so if we have the platform to teach our Sacred Heart community about what they can be doing to make our world a better place, also on a larger scale with the Greenwich Youth Forum, I would consider that a major success,” Michala said. 

Along with education, Michala adds that as members of the Sacred Heart community, students have a responsibility to learn about what is happening in the world, which is in accordance with Goal Three of the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria, “a social awareness which impels to action.”

“To me, the Diversity Club within school and the Greenwich Forum are really important things to be a part of because in today’s day and age, there [are] a lot of big issues concerning wide groups of people,” Michala said.   “As a part of our Sacred Heart value to have ‘a social awareness which impels to action,’ I think it’s really important to be not only educated but know what you can do to help us grow as a society.”

Featured Image by Charlotte Burchetta ’22