Equity Pluralism Inclusion & Community (EPIC)
Welcome
Lake Forest Academy is committed to building and sustaining an inclusive school community that acknowledges, respects, and values the varied lived experiences of the community members. We strive to ensure that ideas and behaviors that oppress others are challenged and addressed through an educational process. Our perspectives are informed by our lived experiences and our differences that include but are not limited to gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status, physical ability, religion, sexual orientation, as well as a variety of physical, intellectual, and spiritual qualities that make us all unique individuals.
For Lake Forest Academy to maximize every student, employee, alumnus, and family’s opportunity for growth, development, and lifelong success, we encourage true encounters among the varied groups that contribute to the cultural mosaic that makes up our institution. To inform the community about the positive benefits of a multicultural, inclusive educational program, we have programs that facilitate a true understanding of what it means to live and participate in the global world.
Lake Forest Academy celebrates differences in cultures and identities as a strength that adds value to the LFA experience. The school seeks to create dialogues and cultivate awareness of the enriching aspects of cultural diversity, foster respect for the integrity of the life experiences of others, and develop an understanding of the multiple vocabularies with which we interpret our lives.
The Office of Equity Pluralism Inclusion & Community provides the support and programming needed to make Lake Forest Academy a welcoming and safe place for all students who choose to come here.
Sincerely,
Lusanda Mayikana, Ph.D.
Dean of Equity Pluralism Inclusion & Community
Equity Pluralism Inclusion & Community Contact
How We Got Here
Since the Academy’s inception in 1857, we have catered to students from all over the world. Starting with admitting only White male U.S. students, we have grown to include students of all genders and races and welcome students from across the globe. Ferry Hall, founded in 1869, merged with LFA in the fall of 1974 to become a co-ed institution. The Academy welcomed its first international students in 1891, and this poignant history of its global orientation resonates with who we are today. We welcome students from close to 40 different nations, including the United States.
When Dr. Strudwick established the office in 2002, it was under the supervision of the Dean of Multicultural Affairs. In 2007, Dr. Strudwick wanted to incorporate pluralism into the title to emphasize acceptance and the removal of hierarchies in the demographic representation and life of the LFA community. In the interim, educational institutions across the nations shifted the emphasis on diversity to include equity and inclusion. After many years of operating in the Office of Pluralism and Multicultural Affairs while attending to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) matters, we noticed that this function had evolved. To highlight our efforts to build a culture of belonging and to ensure community members feel acknowledged, appreciated, supported, and valued, we retired our longstanding Multicultural Affairs Committee to form the DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Council when the Head of School Equity Taskforce (HSET) folded in 2022. We then transitioned from the Office of Pluralism and Multicultural Affairs title to the Office of Equity, Pluralism, Inclusion, and Community (EPIC).