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The Interview: John Choi, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator
THE INTERVIEW: John Choi, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator by John Ferrari
One way or another, science faculty member John Choi P ’22, P ’24 has been thinking about identity his whole life — his own identity and the intersecting identities of the communities around him. Identities, he says, are stories, and he has always been interested in stories. So when The Webb Schools established a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program last year, Choi was a great fit for the new DEI coordinator position.
“ The purpose of the DEI initiatives we’ve come up with is to ensure every member of our community feels like they belong, and their contributions are valued. Our focus will be on how we support everyone in our community, particularly those who are underrepresented racially and ethnically,” said Choi in an earlier interview. “We’re focused on anti-racism and anti-bias behavior and want to facilitate conversations between all of the different constituencies from Webb.” ince Choi’s appointment as DEI coordinator, issues of diversity, equity and inclusion have come to the fore in communities across the United States and around the world, including questions of identity and the stories of individuals, groups and communities. Webb Magazine spoke with Choi to hear his story and his thoughts on Webb’s community.S Protestant church. The church served as a social network and gathering place. All those experiences shaped me. Looking back, it feels like a journey leading me to rediscover who I am as a person. WHAT LED YOU TO BECOME AN EDUCATOR? In the late ’80s it was customary for Asians to go into premed or engineering. My parents were different and didn’t put any pressure on me. In fact, they suggested I become a teacher or a pastor (laughs). This outraged me – like I wasn’t good enough to be a doctor or an engineer? Part of
WHAT WAS THAT TIME LIKE FOR YOU? my college career was to prove to them that I could do it.
WHERE DOES YOUR STORY BEGIN? I started college as an electrical engineering major, and it
I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and emigrated to Chicago didn’t take long to discover that’s not what I wanted to do. with my family at age 2. It’s a very blue collar, classic My grandmother’s medical problems made me realize I immigrant story. My uncle emigrated first, then my dad, wanted to go into medicine, and as a way to get into medical then my mom and me, about 6 months later, and then my school I thought it would be good to shadow doctors, so grandparents. My dad did janitorial work and drove a taxi. I went to Northwestern to help with cancer research. I
Later, my family opened the second Korean restaurant realized I could take graduate courses at a discount, so I in Chicago. My entire family became involved in the enrolled in a few education courses and realized I loved restaurant business, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. teaching. If I think about it in retrospect, I’ve always liked
At the time it was a sketchy area. Now I think there’s an telling stories, but I also love hearing stories and narratives
Urban Outfitters where the restaurant was. of other people. I chose to continue with my master’s in
education instead of medical school.
As a child, I saw my bicultural upbringing as a YOU CAME TO WEBB FROM THE LATIN SCHOOL OF CHICAGO. disadvantage. Now I see it as an advantage. Even if I wanted WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE LIKE THERE? to assimilate 100 percent... we were always a minority. That Well, there was no private school in my background. creates a sense of resilience in your spirit, but I realize now I thought, “OK, let me give this a try.” In the 2000s,
I was also constantly seeking approval. There were very few “multicultural education” was a buzzword, and I got
Asians in most of the communities where I was, but at the interested in that: it let me listen to stories that are different same time I was in a Korean community at home. I lived from my own. My master’s thesis was on “what does with my grandparents from the time I was 5 to 13, so out of multicultural education mean in a science curriculum?” necessity I had to keep speaking Korean and maintaining Although Latin has come a long way in its DEI efforts since that culture, and my family attended an all-Korean 2002, in the early years there was little traction for having
conversations about diversity and multiculturalism. I directed my energy toward creating an inclusive classroom and focused on my teaching. I love it; I love sharing, I love hearing students’ stories. I loved to share something about my culture, not just that I’m a Chicago Bears fan, but also that I’m Korean, and didn’t speak English until I was 7 years old, and that I built houses — that blows students away.
HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AT WEBB BEEN DIFFERENT?
At Webb, I knew the student body was diverse. There are also differences working at a boarding school — there are so many commitments! For my children, it’s been an eye-opener, seeing the wide range of stories and people. While it’s very diverse, Chicago is also very segregated, and that affects how people interact with those from different cultures. In Southern California, in general, I find folks more willing to accept everyone.
HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR POSITION AS DEI COORDINATOR?
It’s always aspirational – we can never say we’re done. It’s about ongoing education because we’re all at different places. I view this work as a way of making this a place of belonging for everybody. You should be able to bring 100 percent of yourself to the community, and the community should be actively inclusive and appreciative of people, and recognize that they bring value to the school. In the Webb community, I want to encourage people to take active roles to be allies to people who need it.
HOW DID YOUR WORK IN THIS AREA EVOLVE THIS YEAR?
I don’t know if I had too many expectations… other than the fact that I knew it would be incredibly demanding. This is the first time Webb has had this position. In five months, it’s been great. It’s become a lot more complex, too. Timing-wise it’s a lot, but there’s a lot of support around it. The faculty, administration and parents have been so supportive. And it’s a genuine sense of support, not just performative.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WEBB STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT IN THIS AREA?
I think the students appreciate identity here; this school is a place where people value diversity. Sharing your story, and discussing identity, is part of the normal student interaction here. Webb students love hearing people’s stories, and they miss that when they leave Webb. While the students tend to embrace and value diversity, they are less skilled or comfortable addressing topics of inequity. This is not unique to Webb, and there is some strong momentum to engage in conversations about equity and justice in an effort to make Webb even more inclusive and an agent of positive change beyond campus.
WHAT RESOURCES HAVE YOU BEEN RECOMMENDING TO PEOPLE AS THEY TRY TO LEARN AND EDUCATE THEMSELVES ABOUT DEI ISSUES?
The Southern Poverty Law Center has great online resources for educators and for families, Teaching Tolerance (splcenter.org/teaching-tolerance.org). From time to time I also send out individual articles to students and faculty — I would love to start a conversation. It’s important to have a shared vocabulary, and to encourage communication focused on sharing and listening, not trying to persuade. I’ve also been working with a group of colleagues on Webb’s new Community Read Program, which began with Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist. It says a lot that we’re getting a lot of involvement from students, staff and parents. It is a good launching point, and a springboard to launch conversations about identity, diversity, inequity and other topics. And it says a lot for the community that people come wanting to talk civilly and meaningfully.
