Tigard High School (THS) students use affinity groups year round to make THS more inclusive. 

   An affinity group is a group of people linked by a common purpose, ideology, identity, or interest. Affinity Groups play a vital role in ensuring an inclusive environment where all are valued, included, and empowered to succeed,” DEI toolkit from the New York State Library said. 

   Many schools, including THS offer affinity groups to students with the hopes of increasing inclusivity within the school. 

   In addition to the hope of more inclusivity  THS says on their website, “The goal of our affinity groups and our student equity work in general is to give students space and support to become active members within a community to make our school a better place for all.” 

   Additionally, affinity groups at THS have specific changes that they would like to see to feel more represented in our community and school. 

   “I want to change the lack of small group celebrations. I want to bring the community closer together, not just the school community but also the Tigard community as a whole,” said freshman Idaly Bazoria Castillo, part of MECha and No Place for Hate. 

   Accordingly, these goals can be hard to achieve alone. This causes affinity groups to think about how other students not a part of that particular group can help them feel represented within our school. 

   To be able to accomplish this, “We can work together to be more inclusive of our peers by providing support to one another in moments of conflict,” said junior Rebecca Khosravani, lead of MENASA.

   Students need to use their voice to support one another in moments of conflict. 

   For example Khosravani said, “ It’s important to be an advocate for yourself and people around you.”

   In the end even though affinity groups work hard to make our school more inclusive without the help of others it will be very difficult.