Student Programs

Every year, UPrep brings six students to a national conference, the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). According to NAIS, SDLC is "a three-day, multiracial, multicultural national student conference that focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community". We also bring about eight students annually to a regional conference, the NWAIS (Northwest Association of Independent Schools) Student Diversity Leadership Retreat. As opportunities arise, we bring students to additional conferences and workshops.

LEAD at University Prep is a mandatory, student-led and designed Upper School program where students gather in assigned groups once per month for peer-facilitated conversations about real-world issues. LEAD provides our students with a safe and productive space to develop their skills in dialogue, empathy, and interacting with people who may have different opinions or experiences.

The LEAD program encourages students to practice navigating discomfort by speaking up, listening to others, and sitting with disagreement. It also empowers student leaders to plan and facilitate discussions with their peers.

UPrep's affinity group program offers voluntary identity and interest-based spaces that enable our students to talk about and bond over their shared experiences. Although members of an affinity group may share a common identity, such as gender or race, it does not mean that everyone in that group has had the same experiences. Rather, affinity group participants recognize that their shared identities have an effect on the way they move through the world.

The goal of UPrep's affinity group program is to facilitate students' positive identity exploration and development towards the larger goal of creating an inclusive and thriving learning environment. Our affinity groups offer a time and space for empowerment of individual students and of the group within the greater community. 

Affinity Groups at UPrep:

• Asian, Pacific Islander Student Union (APISU)
• Black Student Union (BSU)
• Indigenous Affinity Group
• Latine Student Union
• Middle Eastern Student Union
• Multicultural Student Union
• Muslim Student Association
• Queer Student Union
• White Aspiring Allies

In addition to our affinity groups, there are also clubs that fall under the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging umbrella, including:

• Gender Equity Club
• Jewish Culture Appreciation Club
• Students of Service