Strive Fall 2025 Workshops Deepen Dialogue and Community
海角视频 launched this year鈥檚 Strive workshops on September 19, reaffirming its commitment to fostering meaningful conversations about identity and culture.
Created by the Director of Community and Equity Alexis Dinkins and Assistant Director of Community and Equity Alex Holmes, Strive is a yearlong program that empowers students and adults to lead educational sessions. This year, the initiative aligns with the 2025鈥26 community theme: Building the We: Responsibility, Connection, and Growth.
The first session, 鈥淲rapping Our Heads Around the Conflict(s) in the Middle East,鈥 was presented in the Smith Room by Kim Frederick, who teaches Middle Eastern and U.S. history. In a question-and-answer format, she provided a space for students to ask about the Israel-Hamas war and its historical roots.
After collecting questions on notecards, she guided a discussion on why conflicts in this region have been so persistent, tracing issues from current events back to the post鈥揥orld War I formation of modern Middle Eastern states. She encouraged students to read news broadly and with a critical eye, comparing how different sources cover the same events, to better understand the complex politics involved.
On October 24, the next round of workshops continued to center on inquisitive thinking. The East Asian Student Association (EASA) and South East Asian Student Society (SEAS) co-hosted 鈥淪pectrum鈥 in the Great Room. Program leads Olivia Kim 鈥26, Joy Xu 鈥26, Ellie Rungrotkitiyot 鈥27, and Tal Richmond 鈥26 asked students interactive questions reflecting on their traditions and heritage, such as 鈥淒o cultural backgrounds shape the way we build relationships?鈥 and 鈥淗ave you ever felt like an outsider engaging with a different culture?鈥
That same day in the Ransome Room was the workshop 鈥淨ueer History: Looking Beyond the 20th Century.鈥 The program was presented by Davis Keeffe-Jones 鈥27 and featured his original historical research. Students examined primary sources from Ancient China, Greece, Rome, and Egypt through Victorian England and Medieval Europe, discussing how each era鈥檚 social and religious context shaped understandings of gender and sexuality.
On November 19, the final three workshops of the semester offered opportunities for hands-on learning. Levi Lasser 鈥28, Jeffrey Liu 鈥28, and the TARITA Foundation shared the history of General Tso鈥檚 chicken, a distinctly Chinese American dish. General Tso鈥檚 chicken was created by Taiwanese chef Peng Chang-kuei in the 1950s. It was featured in diplomatic dinners and later became sweeter to appeal to American palates when Chang-kuei moved to New York City and opened a Hunanese Chinese restaurant. After learning about how the meal came to be, students partook in a lively cooking competition in the SHAC.
In the Ransome Room, Umoja student leaders Jay Sanchez 鈥27 and Dami Demuren 鈥27 hosted 鈥淲e鈥檙e Here: Black in Fashion.鈥 The discussion highlighted influential trends and their historical roots, examining how fashion movements can shape identity and self-expression. The session concluded with a trivia quiz where students tested the knowledge they had learned.
Mia Rajagopal 鈥26 and Mikayla Osafo Grant 鈥26 of the Women of Color Alliance hosted 鈥淯npacking the Feminism Movement鈥 in the Great Room, opening with an overview of key eras in feminist history and spotlighting the contributions of women of color and LGBTQ+ people. A student panel discussed representation and identity at 海角视频, followed by a group reading of Sojourner Truth鈥檚 鈥淎in鈥檛 I a Woman?鈥 and a conversation about feminism鈥檚 continuing relevance today.
As the fall season of workshops came to a close, Strive continued to solidify its role as a cornerstone of learning at 海角视频. By creating spaces for connection, the series strengthens the school鈥檚 commitment to fostering a community where every perspective can be shared and heard.
