Westridge alumna Alicia Henry ’01 currently serves on the Alumnae Board as co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice (DEIJ) committee. A resident of Washington D.C., she has worked in politics for 12 years, including for Senator Barbara Boxer, then-Representative Karen Bass, and currently for Washington D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson. Her passion for developing leaders and community advocacy is evident in her volunteer work with NAACP Afro Academic Cultural Technological Olympics (ACT-SO), National Conference of State Leaders, This is My Brave and College Summit among other organizations. She holds a degree from University of California, Davis in African American Studies with a minor in Spanish.

We sat down with Henry to discuss the impact of Westridge on her life and career and her priorities as co-chair of the Alumnae DEIJ committee.
 

Tell us about your career so far and some of your takeaways from your experiences in politics.

After working in California as a manager for a group home for girls, I bought a one-way ticket to my uncle's house in D.C. and started interning in Representative Karen Bass’s office (now the first female mayor of Los Angeles). I went from there to Senator Barbara Boxer’s office, and then to D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson’s office—and 12 years later I'm still in D.C.

I've always had an interest in running for political office. No two days are ever the same, and I've learned a lot just through osmosis, whether it’s the art of negotiation or the importance of building relationships. One thing I'm always learning is that you don't necessarily have to be an elected official to make an impact, and there are so many ways to impact change.

In terms of my time working in government, I think the biggest difference between the federal and local space is just the scale. When I was working for the Senate my boss was representing an entire state with upwards of 38 million constituents; it's not that she wasn't involved in the minutiae but she was working with folks across the aisle and throughout the country to impact change on a federal level. What I learned from local politics is that it is more community and constituent driven and access to the members is greater.

How do you think Westridge set you up for success in your career?

One of the great things about Westridge being an all-girls school is it not only gives you an innate sense of confidence, but this incredible sense of self. My mom’s mantra is “there's no such thing as no,” so being fearless and bold is something that my mom nurtured in me. And I think Westridge gave me the space to apply and explore that, which helped me develop key leadership skills. As a student I felt confident fluently speaking a second language when I was abroad during *Interim Week, or creating a club on campus where I could talk about the challenges of being a Black woman. I just felt so empowered, and that sense of empowerment is something I have carried throughout every job that I've had.

[*Editor’s Note: Please note that Interim Week has been renamed to Discovery Week.]

What would you say to any Westridge students who have an interest in a career in politics?

I would say your story is really important. Stories make us who we are. Our stories have power, and they are how you connect with your constituents. Another thing I’d say is be fearless and don't be afraid to fail. Running for office is not for the weak of heart. So you really do have to be fearless and just be prepared to be in it for the long haul, and it's okay if you don't succeed first, but know that you have everything in you to be able to be successful.

Tell us about your experience as a student at Westridge.

Westridge developed a love for theatre for me, but I was an athlete my entire time at Westridge—mostly track & field and basketball. I also did dance all my years at Westridge and was content editor for Spyglass my senior year. The language department is also one of the best things I think that Westridge provided and that has stuck with me today. We were required to take Latin but I also took Spanish, and through Interim Week I was able to study abroad twice, once in Madrid and then central Mexico in the 12th grade, which was really great. But I think the most impactful and important thing for me in school was to have been involved in DEIJ work.

Tell us a little bit more about the DEIJ work you were involved in while at Westridge.

I identify as a Black woman, and during my time at Westridge it was a PWI (predominantly white institution), so students of color often had additional challenges to deal with. While at Westridge I began regularly attending the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference—a four-day conference with breakout sessions and affinity groups where we could learn and share our stories, and when it was over we could take back what we learned to our schools and implement the ideas. Those conferences really drove my interest in DEI work. My senior year, I created the first African American Culture Club (this was before Westridge had affinity groups), so it was a lot of navigating a new space that hadn’t existed on campus before.

While I was at Westridge, I was also on a DEI Committee made up of faculty, parents, and the head of school at the time (Fran Scoble), and we would meet quarterly to talk about issues related to DEI and what the school was doing. While I think everyone knows what the terms diversity, equity, and inclusion mean now, when I was at Westridge there was not nearly the amount of understanding and awareness around those issues and how they impact students. At the time, coming of age and navigating this complex space of identity was challenging, and this is one of the reasons that I stay so connected with Westridge not only in the DEIJ space, but in general. My experience taught me that representation matters, so when I do have the opportunity to visit campus or just be involved with campus, I want other students of color to know that we exist, and we hear your stories, and we're here for you.

How have you stayed involved with Westridge as an alumna?

I am currently finishing my third year on the Alumnae Board where I currently serve as the co-chair on the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice subcommittee, and the reason that I like staying engaged and connected is to really dig deep into issues and have meaningful conversations.

In 2020, there was a subcommittee of folks in the African American community that were really driving the DEIJ work behind the scenes, especially after seeing students publishing their stories on “Black at Westridge.” We really wanted to add our voice to the conversations and the work the school and the nation began doing in response to the murder of George Floyd. It was important to have conversations about accountability and restorative justice to make sure the school was a place that was not only inclusive in terms of population representation, but also in terms of curriculum and faculty. Do students see themselves reflected in what they’re learning? Do students see themselves reflected in staff at Westridge? We created a list of demands from the Black community and met with the Board of Trustees and with previous head of school Elizabeth McGregor, but one of the most important things to us was bringing someone like Ian Tatum (Westridge’s director of equity) on board as a full-time position to be able to help the school do that work in an intentional way.

As co-head of the DEIJ Committee, what are some of your priorities, and looking ahead, what are some things you are excited about in the school’s future?

I co-head the committee with Nicole Rabaudi ’90, and because it's new, one of the things that we're working to do is even just let folks know we exist. We’re doing a lot of work within our alumnae affinity groups to build relationships and networks, but we are also working on ways to connect with the current student affinity groups. We have alumnae looking to be mentors to those groups, but the students can drive what they want those relationships to look like, whether it’s asking for help getting ready for college, or even just letting them know that there's a space that exists to answer any questions they might have.

The one thing I want to emphasize is that it is work, and the community involvement across all levels­­—parents, faculty, staff, alums—is important in building an inclusive and affirming culture and community at the school. Former head of school Liz McGregor often spoke of mirrors and windows­­—seeing ourselves reflected and also having a view into a new and different perspective and culture. And I think the more folks that you have invested—really working to understand, and actually living and breathing what this means, the easier it is to achieve your goals.

How would you like to see alumnae get involved at Westridge?

The beauty of growing into who we are is that you can get involved how you want. And I think Westridge has a lot of entry points where people can find something that's important to them and we can come as ourselves. But I also think that even if your experience wasn’t as positive, I think it’s important to be involved in the school so you can help shape change. Figuring out what speaks to you personally and maybe what impacted you most while you were at Westridge and how you want to engage from those impact points is important, and there are so many ways to do that.
 

Click here to learn more about how you can get involved as a Westridge alumnae or sign up to join an Alumnae Board Committee.