Progress Updates
IMSA’s mission prioritizes the well-being and success of our students. This pillar focuses on creating a space where every student feels safe, recognized, and supported. By fostering a sense of belonging, strengthening relationships with teachers, and ensuring students feel secure in their identities, IMSA helps students reach their full academic, social, and personal potential.
Third Quarter 2025-2026
Third quarter progress strengthened student belonging and psychological safety by enhancing inclusive classroom practices, expanding identity-centered dialogue and cultural programming, improving coordination among student support systems, and empowering students through leadership, mentorship, and community-building experiences. Highlights include:
Equity and Excellence Workshop Prepares Admissions Review and Selection CommitteesThe Office of DEI provided a workshop for volunteers and staff/faculty who served on the Admissions Review and Selection Committees. The training examined inequities in education by identity group in the State of Illinois. Planning is underway to refine recruitment outreach to better connect with diverse student interests. Collaboration began with Student Life and Co-Curriculars/AD. Additional efforts include creating Zoom-based interest groups to help prospective students connect with IMSA’s community in a safe, supportive way.
Instructional Adjustments Enhance Student Belonging in MathematicsThe Math team spent dedicated time at the February Community Day developing key instructional adjustments to focused on enhancing student belonging and access in mathematics by identifying barriers to success in IMSA’s inquiry-based curriculum. Key instructional adjustments include explicitly teaching students how to approach worksheets and collaborate effectively, providing organizational tools and transition workshops to build confidence, offering targeted summer enrichment programs to reinforce foundational skills, and reviewing electives for cultural relevance and equitable accessibility.
- IMSA Examines Connection Between Resident Counselors (RC), Faculty and Support Staff and the impact on Student Success.Resident Counselors, Faculty, and Support Staff engaged in a February Community session identifying opportunities to improve their connection/relations to support student success. Gaps in communication can lead to students falling through the cracks, misunderstandings about roles and workloads, and lack of clarity regarding follow-up. The group aimed to address these gaps to improve respect, boundaries, and collaboration for more effective partnership and coordinated support for students. The following collaborative recommendations emerged:
- Lunch vouchers for faculty/RC lunches to help break down silos
- Require Res Life staff to attend one academic class and faculty and support staff attend oneevening/weekend event per semester.
- In addition, a student support protocol was established:
- Role boundaries and areas of overlap should be clearly defined to support effective collaboration. Faculty primarily focus on academic performance and classroom climate but should loop in others when patterns begin to affect a student’s well-being or residential experience. RC’s center their work on residential life and socio-emotional well-being and should involve others when academic functioning is impacted. Support staff, including counselors and advisors, focus on providing formal interventions such as counseling, advising, and accommodations, and should be engaged when a student’s needs require structured or specialized support.
- Equity-Centered Dialogue Creates Space for Race, Identity, and Belonging.Student Leaders from CCE, BHSC, and Poetic Justice facilitated Race Talks programs by designing and leading structured, equity-centered dialogue spaces focused on race, identity, and belonging. They prepared by reflecting on their own identities and anticipating group dynamics, then opened sessions by establishing purpose, framing dialogue (not debate), and co-creating community agreements to ensure a respectful and psychologically safe environment. During the sessions, student leaders guided participants through inclusive icebreakers and facilitated small- and whole-group discussions using intentional prompts, while actively managing participation, encouraging diverse voices, and addressing harmful comments through restorative approaches. They supported participants in moving from dialogue to action by helping identify key issues and potential next steps, and closed sessions with reflection and feedback.
- Training Student Leaders on the Equity & Excellence Plan
IMSA Residential Counselors and Residential Student Leaders participated in a train-the-trainer Equity and Excellence workshop and ultimately facilitated a session for all students. This workshop focused on sharing IMSA’s definitions of Equity and Excellence, examining educational inequities, and reflecting on the students’ individual educational experiences including challenges and supports. The student diversity climate survey was administered at the conclusion of the workshop. - Student Retreat Focuses on Empowering Self and Martial Arts
The Office of DEI hosted a Student Retreat that supported students in developing confidence, self-awareness, and identity clarity. Using The BETi Method™ (Becoming Empowered Through Intelligence), students: explored how personal narratives and emotional awareness influence confidence and decision-making, distinguished between external performance expectations and authentic identity, reframed self-doubt and challenges as catalysts for personal growth, and designed a personalized Future Self Blueprint grounded in strengths, values, and vision. In addition, the students participated in a self-defense workshop which emphasized the importance of education, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and goal setting. - Black History Month Read-In Features Documentary Highlighting Historical Black Oppression Across Illinois
The Office of DEI hosted a Black History Month Read-In focused on Black civil rights and resistance in Illinois, including a screening of Against the Current, a documentary highlighting Black resistance and historical narratives across Illinois, from Chicago to Cairo. Narrated by CPS high school senior Kyla Nash and directed by Asif Wilson, it spotlights overlooked stories of Black organizing against systemic oppression. - Interfaith Read-In Promotes Understanding and Respect Between Faiths
The Office of DEI hosted an Interfaith Read-In, an event where IMSA students and staff from diverse cultural, religious and spiritual backgrounds congregate to read, share and discuss meaningful pieces that promote understanding and respect between different faiths while sharing diverse perspectives with the hopes of creating and fostering an environment of harmony, peace and goodwill amongst one another. The event speakers were Azam Nizamuddi and Rev. Daphne Cody. Azam is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago where he also served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Theology. - Black Student Union Showcases the African Diaspora in Annual Culture Show Performances
The Black Student Union directed, choreographed, wrote, and produced their annual culture show, “The Asé Awards.” Asé means “the authority to make things happen,” often translated as “so be it” or “so be so.” The award-themed production highlighted black excellence and empowerment, dove into Black history and explored many cultures. Audience members walked out with a brand new, eye- opening understanding of Black excellence around the world. - Council for Campus Equity Facilitates Diversity ConversationsThe Student-led Council for Campus Equity hosted an Immigration Simulation event and a Courageous Conversation event to foster open dialogue about uncomfortable, or taboo topics, such as race, inequity, and conflict, to drive positive change, build trust, and promote understanding.
- STEM 4 Minorities Launches Mentorship ProgramThe new STEM 4 Minorities student club launched its first mentorship program connected 20+ students with 15 mentors. The program also facilitated discussions on college readiness, imposter syndrome, and mental health.
Second Quarter 2025-2026
This quarter, we advanced our work to ensure that all students experience IMSA as a place where they belong—emotionally, socially, academically, and culturally. By strengthening relationships, elevating identity safety, and re-imagining transition supports, we are building the conditions for students to thrive both in the classroom and across residential life. Highlights include:
- Expanding Inclusive Recruitment & Student Engagement
Planning is underway to refine recruitment outreach to better connect with diverse student interests. Collaboration began with Student Life and Co-Curriculars/AD. Additional efforts include creating Zoom-based interest groups to help prospective students connect with IMSA’s community in a safe, supportive way. - Community Day: Strengthening Belonging Across Adult Teams
Members of the DEIU Leadership Team are planning a session for Community Day focused on improving communication and collaboration between Residential Counselors, academic faculty, and support staff. This work aims to strengthen the safety net around students by ensuring they experience consistent care and connection across every part of the Academy. - Deepening Faculty Capacity to Support Diverse Learner
Differentiated PD tracks continued this quarter, with ongoing work on supporting diverse learners. Licensed clinical social worker Jermaine Wall will join the IMSA all-academic team on Wednesday, February Feb 18 for a day of professional learning. Mr. Wall will work deeply with our academic PD strand focused on supporting diverse learners through unique and relatable pedagogy and promoting belonging. He will also provide a keynote during lunch for the entire academic team. - Identity-Affirming and Empowering Student Programs
Students engaged in a range of belonging-focused programming, including Race Talks, an HBCU Panel, an Environmental Justice Seminar, and a Building Self-Confidence Through Spoken Word workshop. These experiences help students explore identity, voice, community, and purpose. Math Sense of Belonging Initiative
For Community Day, a session led by the Math TC and the Math representative on the DEIU Leadership Team for math colleagues, will focus on Students’ Sense of Belonging in Mathematics. This session will center on inclusive strategies that build confidence, persistence, and identity safety in mathematical learning environments.Re-imagining the New Student Transition Experience
Significant work has begun to redesign the transition journey so students feel connected, informed, and safe from the moment they enter the community:Increased awareness-building around transition resources
More consistent, two-way communication with students and families.
Strengthening early relationships between students and faculty/staff to boost emotional safety.
Gathering student-defined understandings of “safety” to ensure supports align with their lived experience.
Drafting posters/digital boards with QR codes linking directly to support resources.
Revisiting the Soph Seminar curriculum to expand exposure to support systems and trusted adults.
Planning short-form videos (Reels/TikToks) to help students explore lesser-known spaces and resources—doubling as admissions and social media content.
Reassessing the Big Sib program and training needs.
Reviewing the Academy Advocates model and advising options for all students.
Conducting a thorough review of Residential Life programming for sophomores, including onboarding structures.
First Quarter 2025
Academic Deans and the TCs are reviewing class schedules through a lens of equity by focusing on quality vs. quantity. Based on the results of the Challenge Success survey, the Support & Engagement period has provided time for all students to reach their faculty members and support team daily.
The team is considering how to build a structure around various non-traditional modalities and is also thinking about how to incorporate new ideas like evening classes, seminars on I-days, and weekend classes This year, Fine Arts, Wellness, and Computer Science are piloting different structures including asynchronous time. We look forward to more of these opportunities in future years.
Academic professional development is focusing on three tracks this school year: Responsive Teaching for Diverse Learners, Assessment Practices and Processes, and Curricular Design and Delivery for Various Course Modalities & Structures. This focused professional development is providing our academic team additional resources to provide responsive teaching and learning to our students.
A cohort of sophomores took the Intercultural Development Inventory Assessment this fall. The score will provide IMSA with a baseline from which to measure their cultural competency over the next two academic years.
IMSA is incredibly diverse, which creates great opportunities for our students to understand and appreciate differences among their classmates. Celebrating through culture shows is one way IMSA showcases its diversity. October 3-4, Asian Students in America (ASIA), one of IMSA’s four culture clubs, celebrated the heritage of Asian and Pacific Island countries with their show. November 7-8, ISA (Indian Student Association) celebrated Diwali with their performance. The Black Student Union Cultural Show is scheduled for February 27-28, 2026 and the Alma Latina Cultural Show will be held April 24-25, 2026.
DEI, History/Social Science, and Science departments collaborated on our Equity and Excellence Scholars Series to feature a conversation with environmental justice expert, poet, and musician, Mr. Marcus Sibley.
A Race Talks program featuring Dr. Courtney Wilkerson was held on November 13. The event aimed to build a positive racial identity, find solutions to racial injustice, improve race relations at IMSA, and bring IMSA closer together with mutual understanding and respect. Race Talks was sponsored by: DEI, BHSC, CCE, Poetic Justice, and FOCUS.