In Jan. 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order to terminate all diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and positions at schools. Almost a year later, UPrep’s DEI office hosted Social Justice Week, a week devoted to celebrating social justice and identity at University Prep. This week, students and teachers alike remembered the value of DEI at UPrep.
“Let me break down the words,” UPrep DEI director Taylor Kanemori said. “Diversity [is] diversity of thought, gender, status, religion… we know that more diverse communities work better together in a lot of ways.”
While diversity may be the most criticized aspect of the DEI acronym, Kanemori believes that the other two are just as important.
“Inclusion, not just are they included, but do they feel that inclusion piece?” Kanemori continued. “And equity, making sure everybody has what they need.”
UPrep head of upper school Susie Wu reiterated this and believes that DEI is a crucial aspect of community.
“When the federal government came down with its stance on DEI,” Wu commented, “we believed [the crackdown] was somewhat antithetical to what our institution is about. To me, the value of DEI is how we live it out every day.”
At the end of the day, Kanemori believes that DEI is about belonging, and belonging at UPrep is fundamental to puma pride.
“We want to make sure that everyone feels like they have a space here,” Kanemori stated. “They might just not wear UPrep on their shirts, but actually have some pride in their school and what they’re doing.”
