Monica Zhang '21

Monica Zhang '21 attended the National Association of Independent Schools Student Diversity Leadership Conference: “I learned how much I live in a bubble at NA, and I also learned how to listen. It was only through deep listening of others' struggles that I was able to open my eyes to the world around me and truly see how privileged I am within and without the NA community. Listening does not just mean hearing what someone is saying only to immediately reply and cut them off; to truly listen means to process someone's words and respond in a manner focusing on them and not yourself. I realized that when a friend tries to talk to me about an issue, I always try to relate it to a problem I experienced; however, I learned from SDLC that it is important to stop magnetizing your own problems, especially when your peers need you the most. I hope to share this skill of deep listening with my NA community.”