The Madeira School has 15 community members scheduled to attend the annual National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference (PoCC) and Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) in Washington, D.C. from Dec. 5-7.
Madeira has participated in these joint conferences for many years. This year, Head of School Pilar Cabeza de Vaca serves as a co-chair on the organizing committee for the PoCC conference.
In addition to Cabeza de Vaca, eight other faculty members will attend the PoCC, including Nina Candia, Mary Georgis, Wendy Roshan, Jeannie Rumsey, Chandra Smith, Ann Maclean, and Constance Mattox, who is a member of the planning committee. Assistant Head of School André Withers will also represent Madeira at the conference as a presenter on the topic: "20 Questions: what makes a successful diversity initiative?"
The six students participating are seniors Taylor Curry and Charlotte McIntosh and juniors Katie Barack, Annie Liu, Dara Summey and Sukrana Uddin. For the students it is an honor and a privilege to attend the conference. They must be in good academic standing and currently involved in campus diversity initiatives. The students use the information learned and experiences gained at the conference as the basis for school assemblies, preparing school-sponsored diversity conferences on campus, and continued diversity work among peers.
The PoCC/SDLC is a coveted opportunity for educators who promote and work with diversity on campus. Faculty advisor for student diversity Jeannie Rumsey said, "Invariably, students who have attended the SDLC consider it a life-changing experience." The conference provides a sense of renewal for faculty as well. Rumsey went on to say about her own experience, "This is my favorite conference of the year—it provides me with resources to do diversity work, reenergizes me to continue doing diversity work on campus, and provides a space where I feel I can be my full self without having to represent any specific group of people."