Being a Student Leader
Daylahni ‘21 and Brianna ‘22 leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion workshops
Daylahni and Brianna’s blog post below about leadership on campus truly speaks to who they are. Daylahni, a senior boarding student who has been a part of our school since the eighth grade, is a student who thinks outside of the box and listens well to those around her in hopes of achieving the greatest end result. Daylahni has really developed into the leader she is during her time as a student. This is why her advice to not let your grade and age hold you back from leading is powerful.
Brianna, an eleventh-grade boarding student, has not shied away from sharing her thoughts and stepping into leadership roles within conversations and groups to benefit our school and our community on campus. She shares Daylahni’s perspective because she has never let her age hold her back. Knowing a bit more about these two campus leaders, I hope you will enjoy their great advice of diving into your passions, no matter your grade.
Being a student leader at Oldfields has no regard for your age. You do not have to be a senior in order to step up and lead. Honestly, your voice can be heard as soon as you get on campus as an eighth or ninth grader. Speaking up may be intimidating at first, but your voice is very important around campus and within our community. Your voice matters, and our faculty and staff really help you to find your voice during your time here. Using your voice can contribute to the community in a lot of ways, such as bringing awareness to certain issues, engaging in a club about a topic you feel passionate about, or even just brainstorming ideas surrounding events and topics that would benefit the community.
Not all leaders have to be vocal. You can show leadership through your actions. This is completely fine too, because you can still get your point across to our community. You will be seen, and your work will not go unnoticed.
We (Brianna and Daylahni), are the leaders of BAC, which stands for the Black Alliance Club. BAC is a place for Black students and their allies on campus to discuss important events happening within the Black community. We find ways to relate these messages to the ways that these events affect the Oldfields community. We also use this space to plan events on or around campus to spread information and awareness to our faculty and students, along with the community around our school. We also work to encourage action by our community against injustices in all areas of life.
Being a leader on campus can be daunting but it's definitely worth it. No matter how old you are, do not be afraid to step into these roles. We want to hear the voices of students of all ages and from all backgrounds.