3 minute read
Community Voices
Alexis Liston ’03
As dean of community and belonging, Alexis Liston ’03 is tuned into the needs of students and works to ensure that all students find a true sense of belonging on the Kimball Union campus. As part of the Student Life Office, Liston and her colleagues are focused on the health, wellness, and social-emotional needs of the students so that they feel well prepared for all facets of life. After graduating from KUA in 2003, Liston attended Mount Holyoke College and worked at independent schools and Dartmouth College before returning to her home on The Hilltop.
What is the goal of KUA’s student life programming?
Liston: We try to strike a healthy balance between having room to try things and having room to fail and learn from those experiences. At the same time, we want to have a healthy safety net and provide information before students enter situations where they’re not equipped to make decisions. Students’ frontal lobes still have a way to go before they’re fully cooked. They need to understand the consequences that come from decisions, so we practice them and talk through them so they’re not so challenging for a young person.
Why is high school such a critical time in someone’s life?
Liston: I don’t know of any other time in a human life when people are working so closely with other people who span a broad range on the path of development. Developmentally, a ninth-grader is going to have different needs than a 12th grader, so we are intentional about what programming they receive and when they receive it. We work through critical topics such as health and wellness, time management, healthy relationships, and relationships with substances. working a lot on identity development. It’s an important time to work with them on this process—who you are, who you want to be, or who you think you should be. We have such an amazingly supportive community that wants to push issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging forward, from alumni to faculty to parents. Our goal is to provide spaces for all of our community members to truly feel like they belong. It goes beyond a slogan or phrase.
Students have a lot going on. How do you deliver so much content?
Liston: We provide all this information in a lot of different ways. Advising provides a space where you have a trusted adult and a group of peers for open, honest conversations. At All School Meeting students hear from outside speakers and experts. And our Choices program is particularly important for our ninth-grade class. It helps them as they transition from wherever they are in the world to high school.
You’re an alumna, what brought you back to the community?
Liston: We have 17 alumni working for the school in various capacities from a range of class years. This is a testament to where we were, who we are, and where we’re headed. I didn’t realize how hard this job is, but all the values and beliefs were instilled in me as a young person and being able to give that back to people is so special.
As a student, I had incredibly close relationships with a number of adults on campus. It was nice to have adults in my life, in addition to my parents, who could provide different perspectives and supports. One of the best parts of my job is having those relationships with students. I love connecting with young people, to hear them and what’s exciting in their world, and what’s bringing them down. Sometimes I offer advice and sometimes I just listen. That’s one of the most important parts of KUA. K
Liston is the head dorm parent in Bryant Hall, where she lives with her husband, Joshua, and daughter Winnie.
