This semester, a Community & Inclusion (C&I) Faculty Leaders Team was implemented at Ursuline.

“This team represents a variety of departments throughout the school and each member of the team is an ambassador of the Ursuline mission,” said Director of C&I Estela Ayala. “These faculty are dedicated members of our faculty, staff, and administration whose voices are invaluable.”

The Community & Inclusion Department also partnered with Ursuline Social Awareness Clubs: African American Awareness Club, Asian Student Union, and Latinas Unidas to create belonging spaces for underrepresented students.

“Belonging spaces are created to promote a sense of belonging and strengthen students’ cultural identities as well as mentorship within these smaller groups of students,” said Estela. “Additionally, every Wednesday, students are invited to participate in belonging chats, a safe space for a small group of students to discuss issues of belonging and UA student experience.”

Ursuline celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month in September:

• Three alumnae visited campus for a panel presentation: Ana ’99, from SMU’s Latino Leadership Initiative; Michell ’97, a lawyer focusing on immigration law; and Alex ’07, a school psychologist. They shared their career journeys and discussed their cultural identities and the idea of authenticity.
• Students danced to a variety of rhythms from the Spanish-speaking world with instructor Senorita Karla Maldonado.
• Students learned about Hispanic contributions and history in theU.S. through school-wide trivia games, featuring prizes from Hispanic-owned businesses.
• To close the month, Latinas Unidas Club hosted a presentation to explore “Diversity within the Hispanic Community.”

In October, the school community engaged in conversations regarding Cancel Culture and its impact on relationships and community life. Students analyzed a scenario and used civil discourse to negotiate the various perspectives at play.

“The girls each brought their own perspective and thoughts on the presentation,” said a junior advisor. “They talked through it together.”

“I liked that the discussion questions made us think about how our own choices could make someone else feel,” said a freshman. “I also liked the reflections and how we talked about seeing with the eyes of mercy, not judgement. We also talked a lot about knowing the full story before drawing any conclusions and understanding everyone's perspective.”

Ursuline celebrated Filipino American History Month and Native American Heritage Month in November with trivia and educational displays on campus. Trivia prizes featured items from Filipino and Native-American businesses.

Also in November, six students attended the annual NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) in Saint Louis, MO. The SDLC theme was “Bending the Arc Toward Justice: Radical Optimism, Transformational Joy, Resilience, and Brilliance.”

“SDLC was the right balance of learning, growing, and sharing,” said one UA student participant. “I met new people that I am still in contact with every day, allowing me to grow in different perspectives from people who share different and similar experiences. SDLC gave me firsthand stories and experiences from people across the nation and helped me learn about myself as an individual and share my own stories.”