I went to private schools from age four to eighteen. Private school can be tough for Black students because at times there are so few of us. I attended a private high school in La Canada, an affluent predominately white suburb in Southern California. I went to Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy.
I loved the classes, teachers, and my friends, but micro-aggressions and blatant racism were rampant amongst the white and wealthy students. I’ll never forget a peer saying “all Muslims are terrorists.” She was in my AP US history class, where I had a teacher who made me feel more comfortable being Black at a private school. Mario “Mar Par” Pariante changed my life forever. As a member of the academic decathlon team, he took me and my teammates on trips to New York and London. The essays I wrote in his class inspired me to become a writer, something I will be grateful for forever.
Despite the lack of Black representation at Flintridge Sacred Heart, the school will always have a special place in my heart due to the education I received. It made me the strong-minded, confidant woman I am today. But it was not easy being Black there. I was fortune enough to have five Black girls in my class of ninety five students. One is a marketing manager, another is an incredibly successful corporate lawyer.
Private Schools Lack Diversity
It’s important to note that private schools are falling short when it comes to racial diversity, partially due to them being so expensive. Private school is not affordable for many Americans, but especially Black people. The average yearly income of a Black family in the United States is $46,600. A top-tier private school can cost up to 50,000 a year.
Although some Black students face adversity, successful Black private school alumni are making the most of their education. From becoming executives at Fortune 500 companies to making famous films, many Black private school graduates are excelling in their careers.
For example, Cole Swanson majored in film and television production at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Swanson has made several films— and he’s just getting started. He wrote and directed the film “Betty and Blue’’ starring revered actor Keith David.
He also collaborates in front of and behind the camera with Converse. He is a proud member of Converse All Stars, a global community of creatives driving change to shape the future.
Swanson attended Polytechnic School in Pasadena, CA, and is thriving in his career due to the guidance and education he received there. When he first started at Poly he was one of few Black students in his class.
“Going into Poly I felt like a fish out of water, especially in my first year there. Adapting to the privileged world that is Poly was a bit of a challenge at first,’’ he said. “I was able find who I was and create a strong grasp on my identity. I adapted and embraced who I was as one of few Black kids at that school.”
Black Alumni Are Using Their Network
Many private schools have a vast network of alumni. From working on Wall Street to being on set, some Black private school graduates have very high salaries. Some Black students didn’t go to private school to make money. They are using their education to make the world a better place.
“Going to a private school, I was able to count all the Black kids on one hand. That excludes sharing our experience. It is incredibly important to create an affinity with people like you,’’ Swanson told me. The relationships people build with fellow Black private school alumni and teachers of color can last a lifetime.
Chadd Cosse also benefited from his high school’s network. He went to Flintridge Preparatory School, one of the top private schools in Los Angeles. The school has attracted the children of Hollywood A-Listers including including actors and directors. But Cosse wasn’t there to rub elbows with high powered people. He received a stellar education at Flintridge Prep and is now an associate at Goldman Sachs, where he makes at least six figures.
Gloria Ventura, the former college counselor at Flintridge Prep, has helped many Black students from private schools thrive. The Stanford alum has worked at several prestigious private schools and has mentored students even after they graduated. Cosse said Ventura “goes the extra mile for students.” He still speaks to her occasionally. ‘‘She’s in it for the long haul,’’ he told me.
He credits Flintridge Prep for his success in corporate America. “I felt supported by prep and it was one of the reasons I got into Yale. Yale spearheaded my ability to work at Goldman Sachs,’’ he said.
Graduates Are Feeling Grateful
And Mercy Bell, a Stanford alum and operations lead in tech, said her high school was very diverse compared to other private schools. She went to Andover, a highly competitive boarding school in Massachusetts. She believes the school was unique because there were Black students from a across the world. “It was every type of Black. It was the diaspora. The conversations at dinner really blew up this idea that Blackness is a monolith,’’ she told me.
Bell had at least 20 Black friends during her four years at Andover. The boarding school is known as one of the top private schools in the United States. Despite the pressure to excel, Bell and her Black peers did well during their time at Andover and after graduating as well. “My friends are all thriving professionally,’’ she said. “It was a group of Black nerds crushing it in school. It was like summer camp but make it school.’’
Swanson also feels a deep sense of gratitude for his education at Poly. His film career wouldn’t have been possible without going to Poly. ‘‘The feature film I did in Italy was not possible without going on a trip with Poly and doing a homestay. That homestay inspired me,’’ he said. ‘‘I saw the landscape and envisioned young Black kids being in this space and it is completely normal and completely possible.”
In spite of dealing with racism and feeling uncomfortable as one of few Black students, Black private school alumni are killing it in their careers. And we won’t stop any time soon.
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