Students believe in the power of representation

Imagine walking in a classroom day after day and not hearing your home language, opening books filled with characters who look nothing like you, or noticing that your culture is missing from lessons and school events. For many students, it's their reality. When representation is absent, schools risk making students feel invisible, disconnected, and unsure of whether they belong. But when representation is present, everything changes. Students see role models who reflect their identities, hear their history acknowledged, and find their cultures celebrated. Representation builds trust, challenges stereotypes, and creates a school environment where every student feels safe enough to be themselves.

PRISM (Pride, Raising awareness, Involvement, Support and Mentoring Alliance) Club president Sophia Theodore sees representation as something that shows up in the everyday parts of school life. To her, it means  “incorporating diverse perspectives, identities, and teaching into the curriculum and student life” whether that's in the classroom, through fundraisers, or simply knowing you're in a space where you can be yourself. She talked about a recent PRISM trivia day focused on LGBTQ+ history and media representation. It felt unexpectedly meaningful to her: “There was such a genuine, vibrant energy between everyone participating,”  she said. “I remember thinking about how much I didn’t know we needed this.” Students from different grades were laughing, learning and just being comfortable around each other, something she wishes happened more often.
 

At the same time, she worries that clubs like PRISM  “get lost in the haze of the other wonderful programs a school may have to offer.” She explained that attendance is low not because students don't care, but because the club itself can feel intimidating to people who aren't sure if they belong there. “You shouldn’t let the name and goal stop you,” she said. “It’s open and available for everyone, and the members and teachers involved provide an amazing atmosphere and support system.”  She believes the school could help by offering monthly, optional seminars or presentations tied to cultural or identity based events.  “Offering a speaker or a presentation from this school’s diverse clubs might allow people to learn more about marginalized groups and the beautiful impact they have on our community,” she said.
 

Theodore also pointed out that teachers and administration sometimes undermine how much a student's identity outside of school affects how they show up inside it. “It may be hard for someone to understand what may be impacting a student when they themselves haven’t faced that issue,” she said. That's why she believes learning about different communities, their history, challenges and contributions makes schools more understanding and welcoming. She's proud of the diverse clubs at Nutley High, like the Asian American Student Union and the Spanish Honor Society, and appreciates the daily announcements that highlight underrepresented communities during heritage months. But she still hopes for more visibility and more intentional support. As she put it, “Knowing that you’re in an environment where you can express yourself, no matter your background, race, or sexuality, is vital to a student’s experience.”

Theodore’s experience reflects a bigger issue that extends far beyond one school. New Leaders, a national non-profit in NYC that prepares school leaders who reflect the community they serve, also backs up Theodore’s point. A blog post on its website entitled, “Why representation matters in our schools,” explains how representation allows students of color to imagine bigger futures when they seem themselves reflected in the educators and leaders around them. Yet, despite the fact that half of K-12 students identify as people of color, only one in five principals do, and just eight percent of superintendents are leaders of color.

This “representation gap” matters. When school leaders share the same racial identity as their students, the outcome improves from higher achievement to better participation. Representation also builds inclusive culture where stereotypes are challenged and all students feel valued. 

For junior Hirva Rana, as an Indian American student, representation is tied to recognition and belonging. “It’s important to see people who look like me or share my background because otherwise I won’t feel seen or heard,” she said. Without visibility, “you can feel weak or as if your voice didn't matter, ruining your self confidence.”

Rana feels most at ease when surrounded by friends who share her identity. “It makes me feel connected in a way I can't connect with people who don't share my identity, " she said. When representation is missing, "I feel isolated and alone, and it makes it difficult to articulate my view on things.” To her, representation means being portrayed accurately in school, in government, and in media without stereotypes. At school she rarely sees many teachers or staff who reflect her community. “Some teachers are women, which makes me feel seen or heard but not fully represented,” she said.

She believes real changes start with “having a diverse staff as well as student-led programs, like our Asian American Student Union” helps students feel more included. Representation she emphasised boosts confidence, participation, and a sense of safety. “When people are represented, they are more likely to feel that their voices are being heard, and that encourages them to participate.”

Rana also shared that she once felt pressured to hide parts of herself. What helped was “connecting with people of the same identity as me and fostering a circle of friends and family that uplifts me.” Many students find similar strength in cultural groups, everyday traditions and teachers who model respect for all backgrounds. Rana's message to educators is that “Diverse students won’t come unless they feel safe; normalized prejudice is a rampant problem. To make the school inclusive, first fix the issue of students being casually bigoted, and genuinely create a space that celebrates all cultures, not just a handful.”

Another perspective comes from Bill Kuhn, Head of School at Birch Wathen Lenox, a private K-12 school in NYC. In his article “Seeing Ourselves: The Power of Representation in K-12 Schools,”  Kuhn describes how students thrive when they see themselves reflected in curriculum, leadership, and classroom materials. He highlights how inclusive teaching practices and diverse role models increase engagement and confidence, especially for students from marginalized communities who often go unseen. He recalls celebrating Brazilian culture in his classroom to ensure students felt valued, and recalled how a young boy saw himself in President Obama which affirmed the child's sense of identity. Kuhn argues that culturally responsive education encourages students to show up, take risks and believe in their potential.

Junior Amerie Chin, who is Asian and Jamaican, agrees with this sense of belonging but from a slightly different angle. “When you see people like you, it shows that your identity matters and you can succeed, too,” she said. At times, she hasn't seen her culture reflected in lessons or around the school, which left her feeling excluded. To Chin, representation means “being seen and understood,” for who she is, and when teachers or peers don't share her identity, Chin says they still “understand things about my culture and make me feel more comfortable.”

She believes schools can improve by including “more diverse books, lessons, and activities,” and creating “more student-led cultural events.” When representation is present, she said, “you feel safer being yourself.” She remembers feeling proud during a cultural event when she saw projects connected to her identity. Friends and teachers who showed interest in her culture also helped her feel accepted. Her advice to students is to “be open-minded, listen, and respect everyone’s backgrounds,” and to “include different cultures in lessons and make sure no one feels left out.”

The importance of representation in curriculum is also supported by research from Edutopia. In a 2019 article, Teacher Natalya Gibbs describes how she builds her classroom library around the idea of “mirrors and windows,” a concept developed by scholar Rudine Sims Bishop, which allows students to see themselves in characters who share their identities, skin color, family structure, language or culture. Windows expose them to people who are different from their own. Gibbs explains that when students don't see themselves in characters, they internalize the message that their experiences don't matter. But when they do, engagement rises and students feel more connected to school. She also notes that even small changes, like adding different books or materials can make students feel seen. This directly reflects Chin's belief that representation in lessons and classroom content helps students feel understood and safe.

The Edutopia article reminds us that students need "mirrors" to feel seen and “windows” to understand the world. All three students make clear that representation changes how you move through school. It affects whether they speak up, whether they feel comfortable and whether they believe they belong. When schools make space for every culture and identity, students feel it. They grow into themselves instead of shrinking back, creating a place where everyone could breathe a little bit easier.




                                                                        Works Cited

Kuhn, Bill. “Seeing Ourselves: The Power of Representation in K–12 Schools.” Medium, 2023, medium.com/@BillKuhn212/seeing-ourselves-the-power-of-representation-in-k-12-schools-ab5299a06d74.

Fleming, Nora. “Why Diverse Classroom Libraries Matter.” Edutopia, 14 June 2019, www.edutopia.org/article/why-diverse-classroom-libraries-matter/.

‌New Leaders. “Why Representation Matters in Our Schools.” New Leaders, 21 Sept. 2021, www.newleaders.org/blog/why-representation-matters-in-our-schools.

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