Campuses & Community
Equity & Inclusion
Stevenson’s Approach to Equity and Inclusion
At Stevenson, we encourage our students, faculty and staff, families, and local communities to take individual accountability for our collective progress toward building and sustaining a culture of belonging in our community. We seek to celebrate, empower, and unite our community to pursue a joyful life.
Everyone in the Stevenson community is considered a critical member of our equity and inclusion mission, which empowers students to respectfully navigate complexities of identity, foster inclusivity and cultivate empathy.
We develop students’ capacity for respectful communication and conflict resolution, and central to this approach is fostering a sense of empathy and curiosity over judgment and doubt. Through education and advocacy, we strive to create a community where we are all valued and empowered.
Our Key Terms
Equity
Defined as an understanding of individuals’ needs and a sustained commitment to providing the resources and access they require to ensure they have access to everything that our educational community provides.
Inclusion
Inclusion is the act of considering the diverse population we are serving and working to ensure that our policies, practices, communication and experiences are accessible to all community members.
Equity & Inclusion as mission-aligned work: We strive to make sure that those within the Stevenson community feel seen and supported, and that our students and employees have all the necessary tools and resources to thrive. We are committed to applying the lens of equity and inclusion to our lives together because these tenets guide our school mission. Moreover, we believe that the skills associated with them are closely linked to all of the other skills that are essential to a Stevenson education, such as critical thinking, active listening, collaboration, citizenship and culturally responsive leadership.
Upper Division Student Affinity Programs
Affinity programs are spaces where students can gather, learn, celebrate and grow under a specific shared identity. They meet once every eight-day cycle and always have elected student leaders and one or two adult leaders. We have cultivated an affinity program that has a place for all students in our community and always welcome new visions/ideas for our growing department. At Stevenson, we believe it is crucial to listen to the needs of our student population, and therefore our affinity offerings grow with each year. Student leaders are carefully trained for these positions, have monthly check-in meetings with the office, and are the key drivers in the space.
- BSU: Black Student Union
- LSU: Latinx Student Union
- GSA: Gender-Sexuality Alliance
- JSU: Jewish Student Union
- APISU: Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Union
- MRSU: Multi-racial Student Union
- NSU: Neuro-Divergent Student Union
- SAME: South Asian and Middle Eastern Affinity Space
- EmpowHER: Space for female-identifying students
- MOCA: Men of Culture Alliance, open to all male-identified students
- International Student Coalition
Stevenson at Its Best
What We Value, Who Our Students Become
We expect everyone to play an active role in building and nourishing an inclusive and caring community, knowing that a deep sense of joy and purpose comes from meaningful contribution to something bigger than oneself. Realizing this kind of community requires that we embrace diverse perspectives, talents and experiences and think beyond our individual interests towards a more collective vision of success, where all people’s contributions are seen, celebrated and matter.
As we build community, we are committed to engaging all people with openness and with a willingness to learn from, and about, everyone in our community. Such learning starts with cultivating a spirit of humility that allows us to challenge our preconceptions about those different from ourselves. And we strive to foster a kind of joyful curiosity that seeks connection, not only to others but to all aspects of our own identity, so that we not only discover our place in the world, but also find our role within a diverse community to collaboratively impact the world for good.
Equipped with a deeper understanding of, and respect for, one another’s backgrounds and experiences, we commit to approach all people with empathy, dignity and kindness. Kindness requires sensitivity to our own social position and an ability to use whatever positions of leadership, power or privilege we may hold to care for those around us. This means recognizing when we need to come alongside, be an ally and support others in our community. It also requires that we critically examine our own individual and collective practices to ensure they are continually becoming more equitable.
Living in a diverse and thriving community that is committed to the flourishing of all people is difficult and rewarding work. We are committed, then, to frame all challenges as opportunities for individual and collective growth, and to foster resilience and bravery by caring for each other through these difficult moments. Whether it is the discomfort of encountering and navigating a culture different from our own, discussing a topic that addresses social injustice, or needing to repair a relationship after a community misstep, we know we can be brave with the strength of our community behind us.
And as we live with kindness and with courage, we also expect all our people to act with moral awareness and accountability, and to not compromise doing what’s right because of self-interest or fear of judgement. As a community that seeks to understand the other’s experiences and connect with them with compassion, we aim to challenge injustice and strive to bring about a more loving world.
The natural outflow of an inclusive community that is curious, kind, courageous and committed to living lives of moral integrity is a community where people are empowered, can see their own and each other’s potential, and trust in their abilities to positively impact our community and their world. It is a community that strives for excellence, holds each other to high moral standards, and understands that no matter where we are on our journey, deep, meaningful impact is possible for all of us.
Isa Aguirre
English Faculty: Upper Division, Director of Equity and Inclusion
Isa’s focus is on the Upper Division at Stevenson. She teaches in the English Department and lives on campus in Atwood dormitory. Isa joined Stevenson in 2022, and within the realm of her work, she is passionate about representative, accessible and inspiring curricula, mentoring and supporting students in the affinity spaces, and creating sustainable and responsive structures for equitable and inclusive practices for the Stevenson community.
Joshue Orozco
Director of Community and Belonging, History Faculty: Upper Division
Josh works as a thought partner to both the Carmel and Pebble Beach Campuses to develop a cohesive and strategic approach to promoting inclusion, belonging and community engagement at Stevenson. He joined Stevenson in 2025 after a career in higher education as a philosophy professor and university administrator. He teaches in the history department and is passionate about helping students think critically about their lives, and institutions think critically about their practices and culture, so that we can – individually and collectively – bring about a more just and loving world.
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