SENIOR GIFT
MAKING A DIFFERENCE The Class of 2021
A Legacy of Justice COMMUNITY GIVING In recent years, during the spring of their last semester at Castilleja, seniors form a gift committee to determine what their legacy at the school will be. A group of passionate social justice advocates, the Class of 2021 wanted to focus their gift on something that would most impact students. The events that transpired in the summer of 2020 deeply affected the Class of 2021 and galvanized them into action, leading them to dedicate their gift to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) initiatives.
CONNECTING ACROSS GENERATIONS Castilleja students and alumnae are drawn to make a difference. Maybe it’s intrinsic, and maybe it’s learned. For Viola Meehan ’82, it’s both. A boarder from Hong Kong, Viola was grateful for her teachers who made Castilleja feel like home, and for creating an environment where she felt she belonged. Reflecting on the deep impact of her teachers—like Mrs. Sheehan, Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Hsu, and Madame AndreopoulosHA—Viola realized, “Maybe I can make a difference for someone else, too.”
The Senior Gift Committee members, Lishan Carroll, Alana Stull, Mariel Gunadi, Sela Dingpontsawa, Aramis Mendoza, Diana Viveros, Georgia Wluka, and Saayili Budhiraja, felt it was important that their class’ gift build upon programs important to them. Lishan shared, “Castilleja has been our second home for the last 7 or 4 years and our teachers have given us so much. But we wanted to leave campus with something that we didn’t have when we got here.”
Viola spoke to the Class of 2021 Gift Committee about the importance of giving back, and her generous gift to the school inspired the Class of 2021 to also invest in Castilleja’s future. Effecting change does not always equate to financial giving; sometimes, modeling what we wish to see is crucial too. Castilleja alums understand the impact of demonstrating leadership. After their conversation, Lishan expressed, “Viola helped us understand the purpose of giving back early.”
Over the last several years, an increasing number of both students and employees have attended the Student Diversity and Leadership Conference (SDLC). For many, participating in this conference has been life changing, and the new ideas students bring back for diversity and antiracism initiatives have benefitted the entire school community. Knowing the far-reaching impact of these conferences, the senior class wanted their gift to support similar initiatives and opportunities.
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It’s a full circle moment when each graduating class begins to reflect on the ways in which they’ve benefited from the gifts of past donors, and thereby express their own gratitude by giving back. In addition to leaving behind a legacy of social justice advocacy, the Class of 2021 has also become part of a legacy of Castilleja graduates who are making a difference in their communities.
