On Wednesday, March 13, 18 Shady Side Academy Senior School students and four faculty members attended the second annual L.E.A.D. (Learning Equity, Acceptance and Diversity) Conference at Sewickley Academy. This student-led leadership conference focuses on equity and inclusion, and this year's theme was For What You Believe In.

SSA senior Ella Benec, senior Chayla Edwards and sophomore Charlotte McDaniel led well-attended workshops on The "N" Word Today, while the other students attended three of 20 student-led workshops over the course of the day. Everyone had the privilege of participating in The Defamation Experience, an interactive program that explores the intersections of race, class, religion, gender and the law.

Student attendees included: seniors Riya Agrawal, Ella Benec, Chayla Edwards, Lucie Green, Emmie Lau, Brooklynne Lowry and Daeja Sanders; juniors Isa Analo, Eliyah Roberts and Nina Singh; sophomores Selah Curran-Blakely, Charlotte McDaniel, Katie Sparvero and Paige Shea, and freshmen Jasmine DeBruce, Breonna Greene, Katie Thornton and Melody Yuan. Faculty attendees included Senior School History Teacher Pam Boehm, Director of Equity, Inclusion and Community Relations Lillian Grate, Assistant Athletic Director Katy Phillips and Senior School Counselor Creighton Runnette.

The daylong conference was hosted by Sewickley's Student Diversity Club and included high school students from public and private schools across the region.