Ms. Montez, Jesuit’s DEI director, and DEI student leaders are excited to engage with the Jesuit student body this year after a unique year of change and growth.

There are many facets of diversity, equity and inclusion at Jesuit, like student clubs, parent affinity groups, and a student council. 

“We have the Diversity and Inclusion Student Council (DISC), which brings together some of the student leaders from DEI clubs,” Ms. Montez said. 

“The whole point of DISC is creating events for the general student public,” DISC member and Jesuit senior Sara Tapia said. 

Another focus for DEI this year will be Peer 2 Peer Conversations, which senior Jenny Duan will help lead.

“Peer 2 Peer conversations is an initiative that we started last year to join students together to discuss current world issues,” Duan said. 

This year specifically, the DEI office is excited to connect with students more informally now that Jesuit is back in person. 

“Our goal is to involve the student body more with flex periods where we have time to host flex talks or brown bags and invite the community in,” senior Elina Deshpande said. 

The DEI office will also be advertising their busy year through posters and various social media accounts of Jesuit clubs. 

Through their engagement with the student body, the DEI office at Jesuit hopes to promote inclusion for every student at Jesuit, regardless of their background. 

“One of the main goals of the DEI office is promoting inclusivity with not only students of color or queer students, but with all types of students in general,” senior Sara Tapia said. 

Reaching out to students who haven’t always been a part of DEI will be an important focus this year. Specifically mentioned were students with different financial needs, but that is not a complete list. 

“Traditionally, I think a lot of students feel that they have to be a BIPOC student or fit into a specific affinity space or club in order to have access to this space, and we really want students to know that kids can come in at any time,” Ms. Montez said. 

Already, the DEI office has seen a lot of growth in engagement.

“I’ve noticed this year that there’s a lot more people using the space, which is really great,” Jenny Duan said. 

“It’s a very inclusive environment,” Deshpande said. “You can walk through the door, and you might not know anybody in that office, but people will always say hi to you.”

For anyone wanting to stop by, the DEI office is located at the end of Ignatius hall.