By Melia Benetos ‘27

On Monday, January 19th, Wyoming Seminary students came together to honor the life and lasting influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through an incredible opening chapel, student-led workshops, community service, and an all-advisory debrief. The day started with a lovely chapel led by Reverend Carrick, who talked about how important it is to remember Dr. King and how hard he worked to help bring equality through peaceful protests. After the ceremony, students made their way to workshops led by their peers. From “Becoming Powerfully Chalant” to “Different Beginnings, One Journey: Exploring how Diversity Forms Communities and Enriches Traditions,” there was truly a workshop where everybody could learn about something new and truly put themselves into somebody else’s shoes. Simran Sharma ‘27 reflected on her experience, saying “MLK day was an amazing experience because we got to go to different workshops and learn about the different aspects of oppression. I think it was a great way for students to learn more about the effects of MLK day outside of classes.” Simran participated in the workshops “Education for All? Access, Censorship, and Prejudice in Learning” and “Crash Course on the AIDS Crisis.” Nancy Dahal ‘28 had similar feelings, sharing that “MLK day was a really interesting new experience! I deeply appreciated all of the work of the presenters and I thought the workshops I was in were really fascinating! I also got off well with everyone in my slates, so I found it a really fun day off from school!” Nancy engaged in the “Crash Course on the AIDS Crisis” and “Misogynoir: Hardships that Black Women Face in Modern Day Society.” After attending their workshops, students and faculty enjoyed lunch and then came back together in their advisory groups to debrief about what they learned and what Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy meant to them. Although both students and faculty originally saw MLK day as a well-deserved day off from a busy school day, throughout the day, they discovered that it was so much more than that: it was an opportunity for everyone to get educated on many different topics and come together to remember Dr. King’s lasting impact on the world.