Lawrentians Attend First N.J. Students of Color Conference

On April 24, Lawrentians Laila Bell ’21, Kelsie Choi ’22, Thalia Honorat ‘24, Kyle Mayers ‘23 Maryam Mian ‘24, and William Murray ’21 attended (virtually) the first New Jersey Students of Color Conference (NJSCC). They joined high school students from around the state to gather and connect with one another to further social dialogue within their respective communities and across institutions. This year’s theme was “Solidarity: United We Stand Against Systematic Oppression.”

Choi, president of Lawrenceville’s Pan Asian Alliance Club (PAAC), attended in order to “dig deeper” and educate herself. She used the knowledge gained for a Lawrenceville Community Day workshop she helped lead today, “Unpacking Pan-Asian Experiences at Lawrenceville,” along with other upcoming educational events throughout May, Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

Choi felt that the most important NJSCC workshop she attended was an hour-long East Asian discussion group. “[We were able to] freely discuss, and get to know each other, and talk about what we think about the community and what we wish the community could do to better address [current] issues,” she explained. “It [helped me understand] me that opening up to each other can make things better as it alleviates the pressure of concerns that you were having about the community.”

Miam said she learned what life is like for minority groups in New Jersey, including Blacks, East Asians, and Native Americans. “The diversity at the Conference was phenomenal and many thoughtful and meaningful conversations were brought up,” she noted. She hopes she’s brought back to Lawrenceville, “… the broader awareness that I now have for every minority group. I think I will be able to communicate effectively with the Lawrenceville community as well as bring awareness to other people.”

For additional information, please contact Lisa M. Gillard Hanson, director of Public Relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.