Celebrate Diversity Month 2025: Recognizing Our Amazing Student Body
How do we recognize Celebrate Diversity Month 2025 at St. Agnes Academy? By honoring the rich cultural identities of our students and families! Read more in our blog.
At St. Agnes Academy, we celebrate the vibrancy and depth of our student body every single day. Our community thrives because of the unique stories, traditions, identities, and perspectives that students bring through our doors.
These differences don't divide us – they strengthen us. They inspire how we learn, serve, lead, and live together. As we enjoyed festivities during Celebrate Diversity Month 2025, we were reminded of the many cultures, voices, and experiences that shape our campus and enrich every aspect of campus life.
Learn more about why diversity matters at our all-girls, private Catholic school.
Celebrate Diversity Month 2025: Why It Matters to St. Agnes
We don't believe in checking diversity off a list. Instead, we live it – in the languages spoken in our hallways, the stories told in our classrooms, and the many cultures celebrated through our annual traditions.
The young women of St. Agnes carry family histories, religious traditions, and cultural roots that span the globe. In a single classroom, you might hear a conversation about Lunar New Year next to a discussion on Día de los Muertos, or see students preparing for Holi.
Outside the classroom, there may be plans to organize a Black History Month assembly or Soul Food Soiree with the brother organization across the parking lot at Strake Jesuit. We honor every event and celebration. And in doing so, we fulfill our Dominican mission: to seek truth, teach love, and strive for justice.
The world needs leaders who can see differences not as barriers, but as bridges. At St. Agnes, we develop those leaders by building a culture of inclusion and belonging that permeates everything we do.
This April, as we joined schools nationwide in observing Celebrate Diversity Month, we proudly uplift the young women who make our community shine. Each student brings something essential to the table – and in April, we recognized and rejoiced in their stories.
A Culture of Belonging: More Than a Month
At St. Agnes, our commitment to diversity isn't a one-month project—it's a year-round practice rooted in love, inclusion, and joy. We don't "add diversity" to our curriculum or our calendar; instead, we intentionally build it into the DNA of our community.
That starts with our Dominican pillars – prayer, study, community, and preaching – which challenge us to value every person's dignity and pursue truth through relationship. When students share their traditions, languages, food, or customs, they're not simply offering something personal. They invite the community to know them more fully, and we respond with gratitude and joy.
You'll see this in the classroom, where our teachers integrate diverse voices into every subject. Students read authors from many backgrounds, explore world religions, learn about social justice movements around the globe, and examine their own identities through guided reflection and discussion.
You'll hear it in the way our students speak up and advocate for one another. They don't wait for someone else to start the conversation – they lead it. They organize events, speak at assemblies, mentor younger students, and encourage others to learn with open minds and hearts.
You'll feel it in the way we gather as a community. Whether celebrating Mass, dancing during Holi, or sharing stories at the International Food Festival, we center belonging. We don't ask students to conform. We invite them to contribute.
Our Celebrations: Honoring Culture with Joy
We were proud to celebrate diversity by recognizing the fantastic students who make St. Agnes the dynamic, compassionate, and culturally rich community it is. Consider this sample of celebrations on our campus!
International Food Festival (IFF)
The International Food Festival is one of the most beloved events on campus, and for good reason. Every spring, our gym and cafeteria transform into a global celebration of flavor and fellowship.
Students and families cook, decorate, and proudly represent their cultural backgrounds at booths that span the continents. From tamales to tabbouleh, lumpia to lasagna, IFF becomes a sensory journey around the world, made entirely possible by the hands and hearts of our community.
Parents and grandparents play a vital role in making IFF a success. They prepare recipes passed down through generations, help set up the food, and take time to explain the significance of dishes or cultural symbols while serving them to our students.
You can see pride on the adults’ faces as they watch students beam with joy while introducing their classmates to their heritage. These moments create a ripple effect: students leave IFF more curious, appreciative, and connected than when they arrived.
Holi Festival
The Holi Festival, rooted in Hindu tradition, invites our community to welcome spring with open arms and colorful celebration. Our Holi celebration includes cultural displays, henna painting, dance, music, and the exhilarating color throw that symbolizes unity, love, and the beauty of diversity.
Faculty, students, and even administrators jump in, covering each other in clouds of powdered color while laughing, dancing, and fully immersing themselves in the joy of the moment.
But Holi is more than fun—it's meaningful. Students who celebrate Holi at home find a public space on campus where their tradition is not only respected but also embraced. Those new to the festival walk away with a deeper understanding of what it means and why it matters.
Cinco de Mayo
At our Cinco de Mayo Celebration, we honor Mexican heritage with music, traditional dance, storytelling, and reflection on the day's historical significance.
LAYA (Latina American Youth Association) and Spanish Club typically lead the planning, ensuring the celebration remains both joyful and educational. Students don colorful embroidered dresses and perform folklórico.
Similar to our Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, families contribute homemade dishes and festive decorations. And occasionally, a mariachi band joins us on campus! The result is a vibrant, communal affirmation of cultural pride.
Too often, cultural holidays are reduced to surface-level celebrations. At St. Agnes, we go deeper. We teach our students the historical and cultural context of the holidays they celebrate—and empower them to share that knowledge with others.
Lunar New Year
Our Lunar New Year Celebration brings together students and families from across East and Southeast Asian backgrounds to honor a cherished tradition that marks new beginnings. From red envelopes and lion dancing to cultural games and handmade decorations, the day pulses with life and significance.
Parents source, staff, and serve delicious food from nearby restaurants. Grandparents often attend, sharing the meanings behind family customs. Classrooms are adorned with gold and red lanterns and symbols of luck, each telling a story. Students from all backgrounds are welcome to participate, ask questions, and learn, creating a shared space of honor and excitement.
Behind the Scenes: The Department of Community Culture
None of these events would happen without leadership and vision. At St. Agnes, the Department of Community Culture, under the leadership of Monica de la Cerda, plays a vital role in building and sustaining our inclusive environment. This department leads our school's efforts to ensure every student feels safe, supported, and celebrated daily.
Monica and her team collaborate with student affinity groups, plan cultural events, support curriculum development, and host critical conversations on identity, race, equity, and justice. They don't shy away from complex topics. Instead, they facilitate spaces where students can explore their cultures, share their stories, and grow in empathy and understanding.
Monica empowers students to lead in building the culture they want to be part of. She mentors students, encourages parent involvement, and helps turn student ideas into schoolwide initiatives. Under her guidance, the Department of Community Culture doesn't just support diversity – it champions it.
Student Leadership: The Heartbeat of Inclusion
Our students drive much of this work. Through affinity groups like the Voices of Black Youth, Asian Student Union, Diversity Club, and LAYA, students lead with courage, creativity, and compassion. They organize events, create awareness campaigns, speak in the chapel, and mentor younger students.
Their work is inspiring. They don't just ask for change – they create it. They embody the spirit of our Dominican tradition by using their voices to preach truth and model love in action.
And they don't do it alone. Faculty sponsors, parent volunteers, and alumni support these clubs, helping students dream bigger and build stronger bridges across communities.
Families as Cultural Stewards
One of the most beautiful parts of our diversity celebrations is the active involvement of parents and grandparents. They don't just attend events – they help shape them. They bring traditions to life with food, storytelling, song, and hands-on activities. They model for our students what it means to be proud of one's roots and open to others.
When grandparents show students how to fold dumplings, write characters, or make tamales, they connect the past with the future. When parents share music from their childhoods or explain the meaning behind traditional garments, they transform learning into living history.
These intergenerational moments matter. They help students form deeper connections with their families, cultures, and each other. They help build a school culture that values authenticity, gratitude, and togetherness.
Living Our Mission Through Cultural Diversity
Everything we do at St. Agnes points back to our mission: Rooted in Dominican tradition, we seek truth, teach love, and strive for justice. Cultural celebrations on campus are not extras but essential expressions of that mission.
When we honor our students' cultures, we show them they belong. When we share traditions, we grow in understanding. When we build bridges across differences, we make justice real. And when we celebrate the incredible diversity of our community, we become more fully who we are meant to be.
When asked how we embraced Celebrate Diversity Month 2025, we can confidently answer that we did more than just recognize our students' identities – we rejoice in them. We lift them up. We give thanks for the stories, traditions, and perspectives they carry. And we recommit ourselves to creating a space where every student thrives.
Want to learn more about how we support diversity and inclusion at St. Agnes Academy? Interested in joining or supporting one of our student affinity clubs? Contact Monica De la Cerda, Director of Community Culture, at monicadelacerda@st-agnes.org. She’d love to hear from you!
