The student perspective How Hockaday helps

vacations, or pointed out that she could not afford AirPods. Even if unintentional, these comments have stuck in Miele’s memory.

Affinity Council representative junior Leila Tarighi said last May, the Affinity Council discussed their concerns regarding income disparity at the school.

“Students aren’t very cognizant of those who are on financial aid and the income gap between their peers,” Tarighi said. “Due to this lack of awareness, there is also a lack of empathy and consideration. I think a lot of students feel like they can’t be vulnerable and they can’t open up about finances.”

During the Affinity Council discussion, Tarighi said she recognized there are inherent difficulties when considering financial status and has reflected on her own grappling with varying student lifestyles.

“Finances are an invisible identifier and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly who is struggling,” Tarighi said. “I struggle with not feeling like the Hockaday lifestyle belongs to me, especially since I came from a public school. The pressure of fitting into that lifestyle is honestly immense and I didn’t really realize until recently how it’s weighing on me.”

However, Tarighi believes change can be achieved to make the community more sensitive toward income disparity.

“Hockaday does not belong to one group of people,” Tarighi said. “Hockaday belongs to everybody and we’re all here for a reason. With that mindset and with that approach, we can alleviate a lot of the tension from the income gap.”

Miele said teachers and administration also play a role in making sure all students, no matter their socioeconomic status, feel welcome.

The college counseling team was helpful when it came time for her to start the college application process, she said. The average application fee for college is around $50 per application and sending in standardized test scores costs $12-$16 per school. The price for just applying to schools really adds up, as Hockaday encourages students to apply to around nine colleges, according to members of the class of 2023.

“College counseling did a great job,” Miele said. “I personally got a lot of help from Hockaday. They paid for 10 of my college applications, which was so helpful. They paid for my first ACT test and the AP exams I took.”

Co-Director of College Counseling Micah Lyles said counselors help students find colleges that are the right match for them all around, especially financially.

“Our whole process is built on helping students find colleges that match who they are and what they’re looking for in a college and we look at that in three areas,” Lyles said. “One is the academic match, one is the social, and one is the financial match. If financial need is a leader in that, then we really help students research schools that provide the most aid.”

Culbertson said she wants to ensure students feel included and welcome regardless of their income.

“If a student shared information with me directly, I would reach out to the financial aid office to see what else might be available,” Culbertson said. “We might not be tapping into everything, and we could see what else we could give students to feel that they could be part of the community entirely.”

Administration also makes events like all games, winter formal and prom free for students to ensure all can go. Culbertson said she also wants the student body to step up and think of ways to make Hockaday more inclusive of all students.

“I would challenge the student body to think about creative ways that we can do things for no cost,” Culbertson said. “I know that as we enter into the holiday season, advisories will do gift exchanges, and that is a chance for students to think about how we can do things for each other at a zero price point. So why not lean on that skill as opposed to lean on money, which can be an easy way out?”