News Post

Visitation celebrated its annual Diversity Day, a tradition dating back nearly 25 years, in early March. This year’s theme focused on Leading with Love - a tie to this year’s Salesian Network theme of Abide in Love. 

The day began with a keynote address from Michaela Harmon ‘25, leader of the school’s Best Buddies club. As leader of Best Buddies at Visitation, Michaela’s dedication to inclusion of and kindness towards differently abled individuals has inspired the club to participate in many events over the past year in our area.  She shared the story of her friendship as an elementary school student with a young girl who has Down Syndrome, and how her class worked to ensure she felt included by learning ASL to communicate better with her. She noted that making assumptions about what others are capable of can prevent them from reaching their full, God-given potential. Michaela encouraged her classmates to “keep an open mind, embrace the diversity around you.”

Following this all-school event, each grade rotated among a series of four panel discussions to learn from leaders who are putting Little Virtues into practice each day: thoughtful concern for others in serving the community; gentle strength in communication; humility in decision-making; and courage in creativity.

In a panel on leading with faith and service, Visitation's Facilities & Traffic Operations Manager Arjetta Faulkner-Ekandem, who also directs the Saturday School program, spoke about what has kept her dedicated to her role for so many years: “I love seeing you discover yourselves. And then you find the people you sync with, and you’re able to learn and grow because you feed off each other.” 

Her fellow panelist Rev. Dr. Jamall A. Calloway, Georgetown University Assistant Professor in Theology and Religious Studies, encouraged students to consider “what does this mean for you as a person?” when making decisions about their futures. Rev. Dr. Calloway said he often thinks of a sermon by Howard Thurman called “The Sound of the Genuine,” in which Thurman says we should reflect on that you are the only version of yourself. “You are a person of worth, value, esteem, brilliance - and there will never be another you in the world,” Calloway said. “Inherently, you have measureless worth.”

Another panel focused on community-based leadership and supporting those who may be living in fear. Jesuit Refugee Services Marketing & Communications Director Bridget Cusick said, “Our model is about accompaniment. We don’t just drop in and fly out. We go in [to the community], and we serve … Being accountable is doing that. We need to be with the people we said we would be with.” 

Rose Manigat of Little Haiti BK added, “I want to spark pockets of joy where we can … I’ve got to do everything with love. You listen with love. You work with love. You push with love.”

In a panel on respectful communication, the DC Peace Team worked with small groups to learn about nonviolent communication and conflict resolution and how it might apply in their teenage lives. Students identified moments where they had trouble with communication and identified times where communication was strong and respectful. Then they worked in pairs to figure out how they might respond when faced with one of two scenarios: a friend who went to the movies with someone else and was not honest or a group project where one member had not yet contributed. 

Finally, the panel on leading with creativity featured two authors - Nasozi Kakembo and Glory Edim - who spoke about the intersection of creativity, community, and advocacy. Nasozi has worked with artisans around the world and elevated their stories and products in her book, “The African Decor Edit.” Recently, she assisted one of the artisans in her community by helping them write a letter to Target, who had copied one of their designs, which resulted in the product being taken down from Target’s website. “I utilize my work to amplify their voices. At whatever stage, we have something to offer or pay forward,” Nasozi said. “Leading with love is complementary to abundance. There’s ample opportunity to create new understandings,” she said of building her global community. “That’s how you express love.” 

Glory, editor of the anthology “Well-Read Black Girl” and author of “On Girlhood” said she tries “to model acts of service … Practice how you show up for people.” 

After lunch together, students gathered in grade-based small groups to learn about letter writing and advocacy, which is a part of the Praxis project juniors complete in Theology class. Juniors and seniors guided freshmen and sophomores through identifying a social injustice they feel passionate about - including poverty, food insecurity, and more - and then researching the issue in order to write a letter to an elected official. 

The entire community reconvened in the gym to close out the day with a cultural celebration featuring Bollywood dance.