Welcome Our New Ambassador: Gillian Stoltz

Gillian Stoltz, 12th Grade

The Walker School

Marietta, Georgia

Instagram: @gillian.elisabeth

My name is Gillian Stoltz, and I am a senior at The Walker School in Marietta, Georgia. Over the past few years, I have found myself becoming more involved in current events and social issues after my favorite Social Studies teacher pushed me to join Model United Nations. I found myself wanting to be on committees that focused on Human Rights, Women's Rights, and Civil Rights. I ended up taking a Civil Rights Movement course last year, and I was immediately hooked on learning more.

I attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) in December, and a friend from our school's delegation led me to the National Diversity Coalition (NDC). I could not think of a better way to connect the work I am doing at Walker and our own Diversity Alliance with a national network of students devoted to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their school and outside communities! I come from a family where both my parents' siblings and close friends are called my aunts and uncles, and I have always been surrounded by a loving community of people of many different racial and ethnic backgrounds. I have always had a big voice being involved in theatre, and I now am learning when to use it and even not use it in order to amplify the voices of others, many of whom are just like those I call my family.

I go to a predominantly white institution (PWI), and as a white person, I am aware of the privilege that I possess. My goal, and the goal of our Alliance at Walker, is to create a safe space for students and faculty of all races and ethnicities to feel like they can speak about their experiences, without the fear of being talked over or gaslit as a result of PWI culture. Through our work, we are constantly noticing ways that we can improve the environment at our school and push each other to have tough and necessary conversations. I am so excited to continue to keep learning how I can be a better white ally to my friends and family, and I am ready to dive headfirst into the NDC!

The Ambassadors of The National Diversity Coalition are student leaders from schools all around the nation that collaborate in the coalition to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion at their school. The Diversity Alliance Executive Team will collaborate with you to elevate your DEI work on a bigger platform with various events and initiatives. If you are interested in joining, please fill our Join Us Ambassador Form.