Red Knights Learn Skills to Build Community

Five BSM high school students attended the 2024 Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) in Denver, Colorado. The event, sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), explored topics related to this year’s theme of Lifting as We Climb: Elevating our Schools Through Love and Justice. This is the third year Red Knights have attended the conference.

Liya Elias '26, Miya Hudson '26, Christin Gilmer '26, Corielle Luckett '27, and Harper Stevenson-Shimek ’26 participated in the multiracial and multicultural gathering of students who are considered leaders from independent high schools across the country.

“SDLC has been an eye-opening journey that left me inspired, affirmed, and motivated to continue advocating and building equity and inclusion in the BSM community,” said Miya Hudson ‘26. “I’m so thankful for the insight and new connections I’ve gained, and I look forward to carrying this momentum forward.”

The conference was led by speakers selected by the NAIS from all different backgrounds and from across the country, each trained in a variety of ways to lead students through an exploration of cultural communication skills, strategies for social justice through dialogue, and learning about the power of networking. 

The Red Knights attended large group sessions as well smaller SDLC ‘family’ and ‘home’ groups. “The setting allowed us to learn different ways of sharing and also how to hear the unique perspectives of others,” Harper Stevenson-Shimek ‘26 said.

By attending the SDLC, BSM students learned skills that can strengthen and nurture the culture of community at Benilde-St. Margaret’s. “I am super excited to bring the skills I learned back to BSM,” Stevenson-Shimek explained, “I am always looking for ways to improve the culture and experience at BSM both for myself and others in our community. Whether that is students, faculty, staff, parents, or alumni, my goal is to take the wonderful things that I learned at the conference and start to work to apply it to BSM.”

The five students who attended this year’s event want to build upon the positive experiences and efforts made by previous SDLC attendees in 2022 and 2023. “Students who participated in this year's Student Diversity Leadership Conference will join previous BSM attendees to facilitate discussions and guide their peers on the expanding awareness and capacity of the student body,” said Dennis Draughn, director of equity, inclusion, and belonging at BSM. “Additionally, our students will take part in the National Day of Racial Healing event, held in collaboration with the city of St. Louis Park on Martin Luther King Day 2025.”

The students also plan to discuss ways they can leverage Catholic social teachings to ensure BSM remains a place where compassion and hospitality are cornerstones of the school’s culture and experience for all. “I had the chance to learn from other students across the country, especially from schools on the East and West coasts, about how to foster a more welcoming and inclusive social environment,” Hudson said, noting, “I’m excited to bring those insights to Benilde-St. Margaret’s to promote dialogue that’s rooted in reverence and inclusivity for everyone.”

“I truly had the best time,” Stevenson-Shimek said, “While gaining important life skills, I also had the blessing of meeting many different people from around the country. These are likely people I will stay in contact with as well! It was overall a really cool experience and very different from what I have experienced before.”

Students who are interested in joining the conversations can reach out to Mr. Draughn.