Nearly one in every 12 Urban students co-leads an affinity space. These leadership roles can offer a space to explore one’s identity and positively impact other students by creating a sense of belonging to a community.
“MESH, for me, is a space where I get to talk about my experiences,” Multiethnic/Multiracial Affinity Space (MESH) Co-Leader Anushka Chandran ‘25 said. “Coming to MESH [is] eye-opening for me [because I’m able to ] process my own feelings around being mixed. … It’s become a really big safe space for me in exploring my identity.”
Other leaders also see their spaces as a place to delve deeper into their identities. Co-leader of Jewish Student Union (JSU), Talia Becker ‘25, said “[JSU is] my way to connect with my Jewish identity and also learn about being a leader.”
Moments of connection in affinity spaces are a rewarding part of being a co-leader for many in that role. “Seeing people connect with their Jewish identity, … seeing [the] progression of those people and seeing them consistently come [to JSU] for a second year and then [a] third year, is just a great feeling to see that. [That] and then [seeing them] want to lead and want to inspire the younger kids, as well,” Becker said.
Many affinity space leaders apply to these roles after attending their space as a member. Antiracist White Privilege Awareness Ally Space (AWPA) Co-Leader Griffin Hayward ‘25 said, “[After] watching AWPA be this really big space my freshman year and then [there being] fewer people in the spring of last year, I didn’t want AWPA to just peter off.”
Attending MESH as a member contributed to Chandran’s desire to become a co-leader. “The space mattered a lot to me and I wanted [to] continue to make it a space where it mattered to other people too,” Chandran said.
Adults at Urban observe how these leaders build their spaces to be welcoming. “Being in a room where you can say something and someone knows exactly what you mean, you can build from there together. [It] is a really powerful moment of belonging and I think it’s very rare,” Jason Feldman, Dean of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, said.
Ideas and connections formed within affinity spaces can extend beyond Urban. “We, [AWPA leaders,] definitely want to hold discussions and digest some media. But we also really want to work with organizations outside of Urban to bring about the change we’re talking about … we want to put it in practice in whatever way we could,” Hayward said.
Co-leading an affinity space can require a unique level of commitment and dedication. “If the co-leader doesn’t care about the space they want to lead, why would members want to care? I feel like that’s what keeps me continuing to be excited. I love the space,” Chandran said.
Affinity space co-leaders may show this care in different ways. “There’s a lot of room for people who identify as shy or introverted or as quiet,” Feldman said. “I think that’s a huge [form of] leadership and it’s important to model that so that when ninth graders come in who also feel that way, they can see a quieter leader who is meeting discussions in a different way. It doesn’t always have to be out loud.”
