In the Fall of 2013 two juniors, Shantel Honeyghan and Tracey Lafayette, developed the original concept of Leadership In Diversity (LID), or as they originally named it "Project L.I.D." A few factors played into their decision to start this organization. They recognized that there was a need for support for students from underrepresented backgrounds looking into the field of education and also a place for students to share their stories and important information.
On October 16, 2013, the Daily Campus published an article celebrating the increase of diversity on campus. Despite this campus wide increase, "the Neag School of Education had the lowest percentage of minority students. Only 57 Neag undergraduates were recorded as non-white, just 21.0 percent." This new information further encouraged Shantel and Tracey to start this organization in hopes that they could not only support students who were already in the School of Education, but also so they could support students who were hoping to apply for the program. The two immediately got to work on making their vision a reality.
In the Spring of 2014, Leadership In Diversity (LID) officially became a registered Student Organization at the University of Connecticut.
On October 16, 2013, the Daily Campus published an article celebrating the increase of diversity on campus. Despite this campus wide increase, "the Neag School of Education had the lowest percentage of minority students. Only 57 Neag undergraduates were recorded as non-white, just 21.0 percent." This new information further encouraged Shantel and Tracey to start this organization in hopes that they could not only support students who were already in the School of Education, but also so they could support students who were hoping to apply for the program. The two immediately got to work on making their vision a reality.
In the Spring of 2014, Leadership In Diversity (LID) officially became a registered Student Organization at the University of Connecticut.
Shantel Honeyghan
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Tracey Lafayette
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Fun Fact:
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LID is a pun based on the idea of educators closing the achievement gap, or better yet "putting a LID on it!" Through our organization we hope to educate all future educators about how to be more culturally relevant/responsive, while also increasing the amount of teachers of color in our schools!
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