On Wednesday, February 14th, Dawson hosted the third semi-annual Middle School Students of Color Day of Affinity. This program, started last year by Boulder Country Day School DEI Director Gabriel Lopez and one of his 8th grade students at BCD, was initiated with the intention of bringing together students of color from a variety of Boulder/Denver independent schools for fellowship, workshops, speakers, and leadership opportunities. BCD and the International School of Denver hosted the first two, and Dawson was thrilled and honored to welcome around 50 students from about 10 schools to our campus for the third one. 

The day was full of both fun and educational activities. Dawson parent Cristal Torres DeHerrera was our keynote speaker who shared the story of her experiences as a teen growing up facing assumptions of preconceived notions and her impressive professional trajectory that brought her to be Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President of Denver International Airport. Students also gathered in smaller affinity groups to reflect on the ways our identities can inform our experiences as well as to appreciate the shared humanity of those from all backgrounds. The six Dawson Upper School students who attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference back in December of 2023 also spoke of their experiences at that conference to the group and led students in an activity that had them think of not just defining themselves by one aspect of their identities, but appreciating the intersectional richness of their various identifiers.

Two major highlights of the day for me were (1) just seeing our 50 student guests at recess enjoying the beauty of our campus and the fun of our playground and basketball court, and (2) our closing circle where students were given the option to voice appreciations about the day. A number of students gave props to the food (thank you, SAGE Dining!) and, more poignantly, described the joy of feeling part of a community, feeling seen, as if they weren’t alone, and thoughtful about their places in the world.

-Nick Malakhow