Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, and Belonging

Our Approach

At Hewitt, we engage students, families, faculty, and staff in ongoing diversity, equity, inclusivity, and belonging (DEIB) programming. Parents and guardians are invited to join K-12, student-driven assemblies and celebrations throughout the year. We also host a variety of educational programs that speak to the needs of Hewitt families and provide tools, resources, and education around pressing matters in our ever-changing world.

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Hewitt empowers and expects our community members to embrace multiple points of view, to engage others with empathy and integrity, and to champion equity and justice in all areas of our lives.

As a school dedicated to the education and leadership of girls and young women, we believe that there are many ways to be a girl or a young woman, and that the strength of our community depends on all students experiencing healthy development and a sense of belonging. To learn more, read our Statement on Gender Diversity.

Our institutional equity and belonging work takes place throughout the year and includes community gatherings, professional development for faculty and staff, as well as K-12 academic programming. This work is constantly evolving in response to the specific needs and interests of our community.

K-12 Overview

Lower School

Starting in lower school, our K-12 program affirms the tremendous impact of inclusivity and belonging on healthy identity development, cross-cultural relationship building, and empathy. In our lower school literacy, social studies, and social-emotional learning curricula, essential questions help learners think critically about who they are and their place in the world around them.

As the oldest members of our lower school, fourth graders take the lead in planning and hosting monthly community assemblies as part of their leadership program. At these gatherings, K-4 students have a chance to educate their peers about issues that are important to them and celebrate the many identities and experiences that are represented in our student body. Additionally, lower school families help us foster a deeper connection between home and school by visiting their student’s classroom to share their unique cultures and stories.

Middle School

In middle school, themes of diversity, equity, identity, and belonging are threaded throughout our academic program. In particular, our English and history curricula intentionally incorporate voices from a wide breadth of cultures and experiences, and the world languages department incorporates texts by writers from across the Spanish-speaking and Francophone world. Middle schoolers also extend their learning beyond the schoolhouse through field trips to the many different institutions and cultural landmarks that New York City has to offer.

Middle school student leaders host monthly assemblies for grades 5-8 to highlight issues important to their peers and celebrate our community. Parents and guardians support this work by collaborating with middle school students to host classroom celebrations and learning experiences.

Upper School

As students enter the upper school, they consider their future place in the world and take on leadership roles. Through courses such as Dangers of a Single Story: The Literature of Immigrants, Refugees, and Displaced Peoples; Comparative Religions; Political Theories, Practices, and Conflicts; and Uncovering Climate Change: Science, Economics, and Culture; students examine the foundations of their beliefs, consider those of others, and grapple with the resulting tension. Across our upper school, we challenge students to consider multiple perspectives as they explore and research everything from feminism to globalization, current events to ancient civilizations.

Upper school students play a central role in leading monthly community gatherings and cultural celebrations for their high school peers as well as our K-12 student community. Through our Young Women’s Cooperative, upper schoolers also facilitate optional spaces for students in grades 9-12 to engage in meaningful dialogue around identity and culture and foster a sense of connection and belonging.

We encourage upper school students to take a stance on matters they find important, from proposing student spaces to participating in marches, writing to elected officials, or attending local and national conferences.

Examples of Our Programs

For Students

Our optional community spaces give Hewitt students the opportunity to engage in regular, developmentally appropriate conversations surrounding topics of identity and belonging. At Hewitt, these spaces enhance student experiences by fostering belonging, connection, exploration, and support. Through initiatives like the Young Women’s Cooperative, we bring groups of students together to build compassion and strengthen our community’s commitment to inclusivity across identities.

For Faculty and Staff

At Hewitt, we employ research-based practices for educating girls in a richly varied and globally interconnected world. We recognize that the work of creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community is ever evolving, never complete, often difficult, and deeply rewarding. In addition to professional development opportunities outside of school, Hewitt’s faculty and staff participate in monthly Professional Learning Communities centered on a variety of topics.

Community Assemblies

In collaboration with student leaders, Hewitt’s Office of Institutional Equity and Global Partnerships organizes a series of cultural assemblies to celebrate the diversity of, and provide meaningful learning experiences for, our students, faculty and staff, and families. Each year, these K-12 gatherings highlight different cultures and identities in order to foster a deeper sense of belonging and inclusivity at our school. Recent gatherings include:

Black Student Union Assembly
Christmas and Christian Heritage Assembly
Diwali Celebration Assembly
Eid and Ramadan Assembly
Hanukkah and Jewish Heritage Assembly
Hispanic Heritage Month Assembly
Lunar New Year Assembly
Neurodiversity Awareness Assembly
Pride Celebration Assembly

Meet the Institutional Equity and Belonging Team

Alia is wearing a cream colored blouse. Her hair is in long light brown braids.

Alia Carponter-Walker, Director of Institutional Equity and Global Partnerships

Alia is an experienced educator and equity practitioner. A SEED Certified Educator, she has taught in Madrid, Havana, Buenos Aires, and New York City. Before joining Hewitt, she served as the middle school dean and member of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Team at Poly Prep Country Day School. Alia brings a global perspective and a deep commitment to fostering inclusive and equitable communities through thoughtful leadership, systemic change, and authentic engagement.

An alumna of a New York City independent school, Alia earned her B.A. from Skidmore College, where she double majored in international educational policy and dance with a minor in Spanish. She holds a master’s degree in school leadership and policy from the University of Pennsylvania, where her thesis, "Finding Where I Belong: Dismantling ‘Brokenness’ of Black and Brown Students at Predominantly White Institutions," examined the experiences of Black and Brown students in New York City independent schools.

Julie is wearing a blue v neck top. Her dark brown hair is pulled back in a half up-half down style.

Julie Dewey, Middle School Institutional Equity and Belonging Coordinator

Julie is a seasoned educator with over a decade of teaching experience, specializing in middle school humanities for the past eight years. Julie joined the Institutional Equity and Belonging team as a natural extension of her passion for history education and commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable community. Julie’s background in teaching history has equipped her with a deep understanding of diverse perspectives and the importance of social justice.

Julie believes that fostering diversity, equity, and belonging is crucial for middle schoolers as they navigate the formative years of identity development and social awareness. As Hewitt’s middle school institutional equity and belonging coordinator, she hopes to bring a blend of empathy, insight, and innovation to creating learning environments where every student feels valued, heard, and a sense of belonging.

Mawa is wearing a cream colored long sleeve shirt and a matching cream colored hijab.

Mawa Ballo, Lower School Institutional Equity and Belonging Coordinator

Mawa joined Hewitt as a fourth grade lead teacher in 2023. Before coming to Hewitt, she specialized in teaching humanities and writing at charter schools in Brooklyn and the Bronx. As Hewitt’s lower school institutional equity and belonging coordinator, Mawa supports faculty and staff in facilitating open dialogues and respectful listening between families, administrators, and staff to help to create an even more inclusive and accepting learning environment.

In this role, Mawa also collaborates with colleagues to expand knowledge, learn from diverse perspectives, embrace new challenges, and integrate new skills and pedagogy into her own teaching. Additionally, she co-facilitates Hewitt’s lower school students of color community space, where she enjoys watching our youngest students express themselves and form connections across grades.

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