SPS visitor and former NASA mission control director Ginger Kerrick shares the perspective behind her success.
May 30, 2023
St. Paul’s School hosts 2023 Asian American Footsteps Conference
BY JIM GRAHAM
They came from as many diverse backgrounds of the Asian and Asian American experience as one can imagine. Yet when 304 students from 25 independent high schools gathered on the St. Paul’s School grounds for the 2023 Asian American Footsteps Conference (AAFC), they bonded instantly over the familiar, and sometimes hard, questions they pondered: Why aren’t Asian and Asian American cultures and contributions celebrated more widely in the U.S.? Why are Asian Americans underrepresented in corporate boardrooms, federal elected offices and college sports? How could an upcoming Supreme Court decision on affirmative action affect college admissions?
“Sometimes, Asian American voices aren’t highlighted in the bigger discussions around diversity,” says Chris Shia ’23, who co-led the AAFC Student Planning Committee with formmate Tianzhi “Tina” Yang ’23. “And it can be hard for us to get together with our peers, so this was a great opportunity for us to talk about some of these things that we have in common.”
It was the first time that SPS has hosted the conference, launched in 2011 at Phillips Academy Andover to bring together Asian-identifying students from New England’s independent high schools and provide them with a safe space to discuss topics ranging from history, current events, mental health and stereotypes to Asian cuisine, arts and humor. This year’s conference, held on April 16, featured 31 student-designed workshops, 11 of which were presented by SPS students.
The intensive, year-long process to organize the AAFC included 60 SPS student members of the planning committee along with faculty members who provided logistical support, led workshops and served as campus guides, all under the auspices of the SPS Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. An additional 25 SPS students joined the conference as participants.
The conference featured a total of 31 student-designed workshops, including 13 offered by SPS students.
Workshop topics ranged from Asian art to expectations around academic excellence to the history of fried rice.
Zhaohong “Jenny” Li, who heads St. Paul’s Languages Department, had attended AAFC conferences at other schools and worked with SPS Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives Bethany Dickerson Wynder to apply to host the 2023 conference. “I really wanted our students who do this to be proud of themselves, to see what it takes to put together a big conference like this, and to understand what it really means to show our commitment at St. Paul’s to educate students for a greater good,” Li says. “It’s a great leadership opportunity for them.”
Beginning last fall, student organizers worked closely with a team of faculty advisers and mentors led by Li, Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Director of Alumni Outreach Lawrence Young, and Science Teacher Erin Ruane on advertising and marketing the conference and developing workshops. Several departments, including the Advancement Office, Communications, Facilities and the Dean of Students, began mapping out the logistics of bringing several hundred visitors to School grounds.
In addition to leading the Student Planning Committee, Shia and Yang co-chair JSEA, the Justice and Social Equity for Asians and Asian Americans student group at SPS. Having spent five to six hours a week in committee meetings and organizing student teams in the months leading up to the AAFC, Yang and Shia also were grateful to be able to take part in several workshops.
Casting aside the role of an organizer and participating in workshops allowed me to see how open and engaged everyone was, how much we all cared about each other, and how quickly everyone became vulnerable. That was a moment where I realized, this is what all the planning was for.”
Tianzhi “Tina” Yang ’23
Shia agrees. In addition to attending workshops, he hosted one as well, “International Schools: Pockets of Globalization.”
“Just seeing the day flow smoothly, as people headed from workshop to workshop and told us how much fun they had and what they learned was really satisfying,” he says. “I also got to host a workshop where I got to hear really cool perspectives and meet new people.”
Among the other workshops were “Cracking the Bamboo Ceiling,” exploring why there are many Asian-Americans in junior levels of U.S. corporations but a relative few in top leadership; “Asian Representation in Athletics,” looking at why Asian Americans make up 7% of the population but only 0.5% of Division I college athletes; and “The Model Minority Myth and Academic Pressure,” addressing the pressures students feel to excel at all academic levels and disciplines.
The conference opened with remarks from Rector Kathy Giles and an orchestra performance by a group of Asian student musicians. Keynote speaker Madalene Mielke, president and CEO of the Asian-Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, told students she was impressed by the level of engagement attendees had throughout the day.
“I saw the workshops that you created for today’s sessions, and I think that it’s amazing that you are having these discussions,” Mielke said.
SPS student musicians performed “One Summer’s Day” by Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi.
Keynote speaker Madalene Mielke noted the energy and engagement students brought to the 2023 AAFC.
Ahead of the conference, Ruane had shared her hopes for the day. “I hope that students who find themselves in a world where they can often feel isolated … can come here, be part of the conference and find a deeper sense of conversation and connection with their peers at other schools,” she said. “And that they leave with a desire to continue this work in their schools and in their communities and throughout their lives.”
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, recognized nationally since 1992. At St. Paul’s, AAFC organizers hope the event inspires deeper awareness year-round.
