Future Educators of Diversity is a club located at Hall High School and Conard High School. FEOD meets every other week on Thursdays at 2:30 in Benjamin Norland’s room. 

The 2022-2023 leaders of FEOD are Benjamin Norland and Tamashi Hettiarachchi. Some students who participated in the club are Jaelisse Wallace, Jaelhani Wallace, Dynasty Johnson, Micheal Mack and many others. 

FEOD was founded in 2021 by Kim Ambroise.  While anyone and everyone is encouraged to join, it is a club that encourages diversity in education. It helps students of color find careers in education and it gives them the opportunity to learn about the different career choices. 

More recently members have been going to different West Hartford elementary schools – like Morely, Bugbee and Braeburn.  FEOD participants read books and participated in class with the fifth graders, first graders, third graders and kindergarteners. Students of all ages enjoyed themselves, especially while playing tag. 

During the FEOD meetings, club members talk about different ways diversity affects schools. It can be a really safe space for a lot of students of color because we all go to this primarily white school. And for students who have transferred to Hall from schools with predominantly Black and Hispanic students, FEOD creates a welcoming environment.

Hettiarachchi, a science teacher who is one of the leaders of the club, was asked, “How do you think being a diverse teacher has impacted students?”

She replied with, “I think that being a teacher of color is important because there are so many different insights and perspectives that teachers of color bring into the classroom related to classroom management, curriculum and collaboration in the classroom.” 

When asked what made her want to be an FEOD advisor, she replied with “In college I was a part of a similar group called LID (Leadership in Diversity) which supported pre-service educators of color. This was the first group where I felt welcomed and it was a truly powerful space to be a part of. I did not have a space like that as a student and now as a teacher, being able to create and facilitate this space is a really amazing experience. Moreover, if we want educators of color in the field we need to have a space where we are supporting them and giving them the resources and opportunities to succeed.”

If you are interested in joining next year, reach out.  There will be a lot more trips and opportunities for students who are in the club and it is going to continue to inspire kids to work in the education field