As part of an initiative to make LT more inclusive, a group called the Student Equity and Belonging Committee (SEBC) was created this year. The committee was founded by the Director of Equity and Belonging, Dr. Jennifer Rowe, to give students a voice in shaping a welcoming culture at LT, she said.

“Having this type of committee with student voices ensures that we are connecting and celebrating all of our students to make everyone feel like they belong at our school,” Rowe said.

SEBC held its first meeting at NC on Sept. 15 and SC on Oct. 13. Although the committees meet at the same time every other Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., their meetings are run differently. The SC committee focuses on educating students about different cultures, while the NC committee focuses on how to make LT more accepting and taking action to do so, Rowe said. 

After talking about the achievement gap, the NC committee decided to partner with the Latinos Juntos club to help create a care space at NC, student Equity and Belonging Committee member Abraham Morales ‘22 said. The space would provide for low income students and be stocked with backpacks, school supplies, and other items. In the meantime, they have worked to stock and expand the current care space at SC. 

“When I first came to LT as a freshman, it was a culture shock coming from a mainly minority middle school, to LT a predominantly white school,” Morales said. “Through my work with the committee, I really hope to create that sense of belonging [in the LT environment], especially for minority underclassmen.” 

NC committee member Jinann Shoshara ‘22 also expressed what she hopes to achieve as a part of the committee.

“Through this committee I really want to educate the general LT population about what our standards should be for classroom behavior and how we should be treating each other,” Shoshara said.

In the future, the NC committee hopes to hold a day of service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in partnership with Interact club. Students and staff would volunteer for a few hours on their day off, Morales said.

“Honestly, I’m very very enthusiastic and glad that they did [create this committee], because it allows people to really have their voices heard and get their ideas out there,” Shoshara said.

Many students are being heard as a part of this committee. As of Oct.15, there are currently 12 students involved in the NC committee and five in the SC committee. The Student Equity and Belonging Committee’s next meeting will be on Nov. 24 in both the NC and SC libraries.