After the Rev. Herring's visit to campus on September 22, members of Hill's Diversity Committee shared their thoughts about the experience:
Chabrina Bruno '10 (Barto, Pa.)
I don’t think that I have almost been on the verge of tears while at a required event, until the day the Rev. Al Herring came to visit our campus. The Rev. Herring spoke to the student body about diversity using interactive activities. He is an engaging man, and his style of presentation was entertaining. I loved when he had the students walk into the middle of the gym, based on their ethnic backgrounds, religious and non-religious beliefs, and hometown regions. It was extremely informative to see just how very different our student body is from one another.
My favorite part of the day came when the Rev. Herring asked a few students to share their personal story with the student body. It took so much courage to get in front of the school and I was so proud of and inspired by each of the individuals who stood up there. The way they expressed their feelings and thoughts was moving that I was almost on the brink of tearing up. I now feel a connection to those students that I would not have had otherwise. The Rev. Herring allowed each student of The Hill to feel proud of who they are as a person, despite their differences. I know that I learned so much more about acceptance and equality that day, and I am so thankful that Hill gave us the chance to meet the Rev. Al Herring.
Jennifer Kang '10 (Seoul, Korea)
When I first heard about "Diversity Day," I imagined a day designated to celebrate the people of color, like African Americans, Asians, Mexicans, and so forth. Thus, when I walked into the Mercer Field House, I did not even question the depth to which I would be guided to explore the concept of individuality. As the civilized people that we have been taught to act, all of us students had a certain amount of knowledge on the cultural diversity among ourselves. Being an Asian student myself, I have been through countless lessons and activities in which I was in the spotlight as a student of different descent than those around me. Just like me, many students, even the “whites,” have all participated in similar activities that highlighted and celebrated the differences of appearance and skin tone, since they were in elementary school.
No, it wasn’t the cultural diversity that was most remarkable. I was, in fact, struck by something onto which I had never put my mind. I was struck by the numerous ways in which the speaker could divide our student body, from religious backgrounds to sexuality. I was struck by all ironies present in all statements made about our student body. There were so many of us, but really so few. We knew of one another, but we did not know one another. We were all different, but all the same. It would be without a doubt that all of us learned more to respect one another’s individuality. What I truly earned from this day, nevertheless, was not just this respect that I believe we all have had since kindergarten. I learned self-awareness and perspectives that I had never known existed, things that are indescribable.
Emily Ott '10 (Princton, N.J.)
Working with the Rev. Al Herring was a truly amazing experience. I don’t think I’ve seen one single person move the entire school like he did. Sitting and talking with him at breakfast was a small glimpse into the caring and phenomenal mind he shared with us all. I absolutely enjoyed having him here and I know everyone else did as well.
Catherine Geeslin (San Francisco, Calif.)
The Rev. Herring brought us together as a school in a way I would have never thought possible. By having us identify with different groups and separate ourselves for the masses, we actually came together as a school. When the different groups came together, people were able to relate to people that they had never talked to before or thought they had nothing in common with. We all learned new things about our community and about ourselves that day.