By Karinna M. Carrillo
My name is Karinna M. Carrillo and I went to Laguna Blanca School for thirteen years. A private school nestled in Hope Ranch and Montecito– two of the most lavish neighborhoods in Santa Barbara, California. Montecito and Hope Ranch, where the average property value is estimated at over $2 million.
My dad was the school’s janitor. I grew up knowing that he was coming home from work late, tired, and probably sad. He stayed working there because he wanted to give his kids an education that would endow them with an opportunity for better than what he had. At the time, Laguna provided its workers with the opportunity for tuition remission for their children. This is how my sister, brother, and I were able to attend the school with an average annual tuition higher than California’s own public universities. My siblings and I probably made up half the school’s then “diversity”. There was also my cousin, and three Black students; that was it for the school of under 400. We were the financial aid kids, the not-white kids, and the janitor’s kids; I knew this from as young as I can remember.
Unlike the public schools in our district, at Laguna, we had to pay for everything–our books, our lunch, and our very expensive, navy blue, white, and red uniforms. I recall my classmates arriving with the brightest white button downs and being envious of the girls who were lucky enough to own trousers, skorts, and dresses. My siblings and I typically had what Sears had in stock. We arrived to campus with the best our family could afford. Soon enough though, I remember receiving a letter that we should be certain to only wear clothing that included our school’s emblem and were from Lands’ End’s magazine. They didn’t ask if we were OK or needed support. That was the beginning.
Before owning a home computer, my sister and I used the ones in the faculty room while my dad worked. Again, my family received a letter asking all workers to stop bringing children to work to use school computers. There was no personal inquiry regarding your students’ wellbeing or ability to access resources. No inquiry regarding your staff’s ability to provide childcare. Laguna didn’t see race, they didn’t see class. They never asked. Almost as if mentioning the words would imply offense. “Community,” they proclaimed, but “unity” there never was.
By sophomore year, I was well aware of class differences between my classmates and me. The problem was that my sister and I went to school with some of the country’s 1%, and Laguna did nothing to support the students who weren’t. Students whose parents were surgeons and CEOs; students whose parents never worked, but were wealthier than I ever knew. We went to school with families who owned islands, lived near Oprah, inherited chewing gum companies–that type of generational wealth that isn’t seen with Black, Indigenous, or People of Color because systemically, it wasn’t meant for us.
My sophomore year, hiring private college counselors was all that anyone was talking about. Meanwhile, I was just learning what the SAT was. I was a first generation student, but Laguna didn’t see these differences, and they definitely didn’t act to instill any sense of equity on campus. So I missed class trips and went without certain textbooks because of financial barriers. My dad worked side jobs for a Laguna teacher and in exchange she agreed to review my college essays. To my surprise, however, when my parents and I visited Laguna’s college counselor, he advised that due to our likely need of financial aid, I should probably just consider attending the city college. He did not once refer to programs for minority students, advise on any scholarships, or acknowledge my academic excellence. To him, and by extension, Laguna Blanca, I was different and didn’t measure up to the students whose parents paid for the school gala or new gymnasium. To him and Laguna Blanca, I wasn’t worth their time. That same year they took away staff tuition benefits. White faculty only.
I went on to graduate from the University of Southern California with a merit scholarship and currently attend Columbia University with a merit scholarship for my academic achievement and leadership in public health. Everyday, I work to advance the health and wellbeing of low-income communities and communities of color and know now just how valuable the experiences during the formative years of a child are.
Laguna Blanca School is not built to support students of color, marginalized students, students from working families, or immigrant students. It exists to support the wealthy, privileged, and white.
You’ve posted the black square. You’ve proclaimed student diversity. As a student who represents a likely very high percentage of your school’s historical diversity, hear my demands:
1. Hire Black, Indigenous, and POC (BIPOC) educators. I did not have one Black teacher. I grew up never seeing a teacher who looked like me nor my parents let alone one who acknowledged my ethnicity. Hire them and not just as your custodial staff. Hire BIPOC and give them positions of leadership. Put them on your board, make them your president.
2. Establish a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce. This taskforce should exist to ensure the success and safety of BIPOC students, faculty, and staff.
3. Create a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. Add this officer to your board of trustees who exist to ensure the school is accomplishing its mission and upholding its core values of scholarship, character, balance, and community. The current board of trustees serves as counsel and guidance, however, the positions are filled by some of the most wealthy parents and alumni.
4. Commit to the advancement and success of your BIPOC and low-income students. Hire staff who are invested in supporting students of color. Ensure your BIPOC students have all of the resources they need to succeed.
5. Facilitate discussions and create space for your BIPOC students, staff, faculty, and allies. Racism is real; classism is real; xenophobia is real. Not discussing it does not make it go away. Talk about the issues our world is grappling with. Host community conversations and education surrounding how to be an ally.
6. Create a community advisory board for the Hope Ranch Patrol. The advisory board should review racial and identity profiling, partnerships with the larger Santa Barbara Police Department (SBPD), officer training, and disciplinary matters. This advisory board should release significant findings and advancements to the school community.
7. Acknowledge your own Anti-Blackness. The only way forward is for all to recognize the role we’ve played in White Supremacy. Laguna Blanca School must recognize how it, as an institution, is deeply intertwined was created to support white people and not communities of color, but will work to dismantle our racist past.
8. Pledge to financial responsibility. The school should commit to financial donations to organizations like Black Lives Matter and additional resources for its BIPOC and low-income students.
Sincerely,
Karinna M. Carrillo
Laguna Blanca School Class of 2013
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No one in the US thinks they are racist. Ask a White Supremacist, and they will say they only want to promote their own race. I come from a “white” middle class family, both my parents had professional parents and they all went to college, even back in the 20s when not that many people did. My sisters and I are solidly middle class and own homes and have decent healthcare. I’m sure our success is all due to our individual efforts and has nothing to do with our background and ethnicity. Hah.
Not the point Shasta
“Angry white men”. Please give this exhausted trope a rest. All white men are not “angry”. All white men are not “racists”. Anybody of any color is not “all anything”. People have expressed views here on Edhat. You can agree or disagree with them but you should not dismiss them as ‘invalid’ by claiming they originate from a source you imagine. Until this kind of racism stops we are never going to make things better. Please, please, stop with this race baiting. It helps nobody.
@1:16 p.m., do you also hold events for “mens rights?”
@Bigman, please say you’re not seriously comparing the plight of Sicilians to those of people of color? African Americans and Natives have been killed, lynched, and murdered at far greater rates by white people in this country than this one anecdotal story.
I checked out the ad that Laguna put in a local paper listing all the colleges their students that accepted their students . If SBHS, SMHS, and DPHS had done the same thing, I bet their lists would have included even more impressive college acceptances. I was surprised that LB did not have any Ivy League schools, UCs, etc. . Yes, some reputable ones but our public school graduates do as well or, I would argue, better. I would also argue that a child going to a local public school will get a top quality education with full parent/home involvement. Not helicoptering but knowing what their student is doing every day (just ask the child) and participating in PTA, etc. Make sure your school has the highest standards…..for all levels of learners. And vouchers do nothing but take money away from our public schools…..with very little oversight and not the best educational standards in place.
1:40 pm, Bigman was just giving us a bit of history. It’s not a competition of “Who got lynched more.” I took it as more of a comment on how foolish we are to make evil judgments about people based on their race or ethnicity, and how these judgements change over time.
Holy smokes! The opponents of equal rights are out in force here today! I tried to explain what white privilege is and how it applies to the comments and get slaughtered here! If you refuse to even consider that we, as white people, will ALWAYS have an easier time in life than people of color, then you’re pretty much as bad as a card carrying racist. Just THINK about it before you start stomping your feet and crying about it.
PDW – ok boomer
12:37 – You’re really asking too much of these simple folks. Reading and comprehending the article would require an actual interest in wanting to understand.
11:16
“I cannot understand this writer’s world view.” Yes – it is hard for some to understand white privilege and have zero understanding of challenges that minorities face. Two things can be true at the same time – the writer received a free education and experienced issues related to class and race at the same time.
Great for Karina for getting a wonderful education. That education will likely set her up for future success that will, in turn, provide opportunities for her family that her parents didn’t have. This is the cycle that will help level the playing field. What I’m hearing isn’t that LB and other schools aren’t working for minorities (obviously it worked for her), it’s that the progress isn’t moving fast enough to her liking. Just 50 years ago I would bet she would have never had that opportunity. While I can admire and respect the changes BLM and other activists are demanding, people need to realize that these changes take generations and we have made progress over the years. Rather than blasting LB (the very institution that deserves credit for her future success), she needs to be thanking her parents for making huge sacrifices to get her the best education.
PDW – “she’s literally had it easier than just about everyone” – Yeah, that would make sense unless you READ THE ARTICLE. Her father was a janitor, they had no money for uniforms, or even a computer. Yeah, she had help with tuition, but only because her father worked at the school. It’s easy and lazy to say “oh, they got free tuition so they are more privileged than poor old me,” but it’s completely missing the point. People of color don’t have the same advantages as white people. If you can’t realize and understand that, then you never will be able to fully empathize with others.
I demand the school change its name to Laguna Arco Iris.
“These things take years”
They shouldn’t and don’t need to take years – and that is what this revolution is about.
I’d like to see the Country Clubs open membership to those of us economically challenged. Scholarships?
I believe I said these things take “generations”, not years. That’s the reality.
To the person(s) who disagreed with Generatree’s comment – you realize, don’t you, that you essentially said that the change we need SHOULD take years, right? It’s truly disgusting.
It should be noted that, if three siblings attend that school on a full scholarship for 13 years each, they receive over $1.1 Million in financial aid during that time. As someone who was in the student body slightly later, I hope this fellow graduate did her homework. When I graduated, our Head of high school was a black woman and our junior high director was a man of Asian descent. My friends on financial aid got to go on all of the academic trips we took to Europe and New York. The college counseling was amazing (I think the new college counselor has been there 5 years). It seemed like the school was doing a lot to try to become more diverse.
I just looked. They have a kid going to CALTECH (hardest school in the country to get into) and a few kids going to UCLA and Berkeley, so there are UCs. Maybe you saw another year? And since when is a college acceptance list the measure of a school? What about just being better-suited in a smaller school environment? Agree on quality available in publics though. Just a matter of navigating the system, which is tough for lots of kids.
No race baiting about it she just told her story and a fine story it is very Honest. Thank You for sharing your struggle.
Perhaps instead of getting defensive and trying to prove she’s wrong, acknowledge that she had a very different experience from you and your perceptions of this school are shaped from your own experiences, just as hers are.
Her feelings are certainly real and valid. I’m not trying to prove her wrong; I think she’s awesome for writing this. But our leaders when I was a student were people of color and the school did not spare any expense as far as providing for financial aid students to make it equitable. I graduated later though, so maybe the school just changed a lot from when she was there.
And again – it doesn’t need to take years, and people are demanding immediate change. The status quo isn’t working.
Awesome piece of writing, and congratulations on your grit to overcome the racial/class obstacles to attend USC/Columbia. I bet you made your family proud, and I hope your essay has an impact. Also congratulations to your father, for his self-sacrifice to help you with your path forward. I am proud of you!
Great letter. Thank you! I’m a white male whose kids were able to attend Laguna Blanca. The education was very good (for the most part). However, when you repeatedly hear kids who are 13 or 14 making racist comments, you start to wonder about what values are being taught at home. We constantly had family discussions about values and choices.
From my perspective, there were many fine families, but some who were worse than obnoxious. The faculty was good; however, the administration was beholden to the wealthy families who bankrolled the school and had little integrity.
The few students of color were paraded out on school brochures to give the illusion of inclusiveness.
I’m glad my kids went there, but I am also glad they moved on, expanded their universes, and survived that culture.
How ungrateful that she’s complaining that she got a 98% discount but should have gotten 100% and then some. As a poor mixed race girl this letter makes me kind of sick. I guess once you’ve been given so much for free you lose touch with reality? I try my hardest not to accept handouts but when I have to I don’t complain that it wasn’t enough.
What I am sensitive to in this controversy is that the author seems to have no self awareness that she got what public school children are denied. It would be great if she pointed out that private schools like this are anathema to the American ideal of equality. I don’t think she is about to reject her new found advantages. We need to recreate the idea of public education as a promoter of all. She should be arguing for the funding of public schools instead of quailing about the perceived failures of her advantaged education.
Yep so tone deaf they let all 3 of janitors kids go to school there…FOR FREE! Those jerks! Do you even hear yourself pit, honestly.
Karinna,
Your parents did everything they could to get you a great education, what an amazing blessing. I am delighted to see you embraced your education and have been successful.
There are resources in Santa Barbara that perhaps you and your parents were not aware of such as computers for families, who would have given you a computer. I also would wager if you would have asked one of your teachers they would have helped to get you a computer and books.
While education is very important, learning to advocate for yourself is equally important. Maybe those letters and notices were directed to you, but there is always someone that is willing to help. You might need to ask 10 different people but you will find them.
Doesn’t sound like RHS even read the article.
“…he advised that due to our likely need of financial aid, I should probably just consider attending the city college”.
As one who was raised on limited financial means and did attend SBCC (among other colleges), I resent the backhanded insult to this institution. I would hold that the education ‘available’ at city college is comparable to the first two years of any major college. Note that I said ‘available’ in that the learning is truly up to the student no matter what college they attend. Certainly nobody has to pretend to be on the rowing team to attend SBCC but contend that does not make their educational value less than USC.
Trying to not comment…am white…had so many bible thumpers, and the Gate folks, at La Colina, trying to keep a hush , hush, group..when I moved here, years ago…didn’t
know what to think…not Laguna, but still was
not inclusive…
Thank you! For writing. There is more to be said I’m sure.
Did you major I’m writing? Do you want to write? Email chsmac@gmail if you do
The writer did get to USC and then Columbia so it looks like Laguna served her very well. That’s about $500,000 worth of education between the three schools that presumably she or her family did not have to pay for.
Oh give me a break and stop playing the victim. This is an expensive PRIVATE school. Meaning you can either afford to attend or you can’t. If you can’t afford the uniforms, don’t go. If you can’t afford the class trips, don’t go. You are not entitled to a private school education.
Served her well, and know she can use that knowledge to improve conditions for the kids coming after her. Isn’t that what the US is supposed to be about?
Coraline & RSS – you’re both missing the point.
Treated unfairly b/c of race/ethnicity, or because of wealth? I went to a public school and there were kids who couldn’t afford all of the field trips, and there were still disadvantages between those whose parents could afford certain things and those who couldn’t.
Seems like the school was very tone deaf on these issues, probably because they didn’t come up very often. Let’s hope they do better in the future, because it doesn’t serve their students well to be so segregated from the melting pot that is the US.
What point? That it’s a private school that can chose who they admit? If you go to a public school that doesn’t happen. Everyone is admitted regardless of financial background. And even then, there are disparities between kids from affluent families versus less affluent. Hence the school lunches and the like. A private school, by it’s very nature, is not required to provide for all students regardless of financial means.
It’s not about being sensitive. It’s about math. If going to this school is not within your budget, then you don’t go. There was no unfair treatment because of her race/ethnicity. Unless other students were allowed to use the school computers and she wasn’t. Which doesn’t seem to be the case since she stated herself that “…my family received a letter asking all workers to stop bringing children to work to use school computers.” Key words being “all workers”.
People seem to be missing the point. it is very easy to say that she should leave the school if she cannot afford the tuition. The problem is that once she was accepted to the school, the administration repeatedly failed to provide an equitable educational experience. The student was not treated fairly due to her background, including her race. Unfortunately socioeconomic status in this country is a proxy for race. They go hand in hand. A school is responsible to understand and assist the student to overcome barriers where necessary. Additionally , the author is now using her education and platform to make the experience of future students better. So I fail to understand why people are so defensive of a more equitable experience for all students.
Karinna Carrillo, thank you for being brave enough to hold up this mirror. If nothing else, you will have caused some very important discussions today. You aren’t saying anything surprising–but you have the guts to say it out loud. Thank you for this profile in courage.
What an amazing young , honest, young woman, who wrote this.
I remember, with 2 young daughters, wanting them to go there..
We couldn’t afford it.
Turned out fine, at San Marcos.
My wife and I work 40 and sometimes up to 60 hours a week to pay the mortgage on our home, health insurance, taxes, both local and federal, car payments, living expenses, etc. I am now going into debt to send my first kid to college because “privileged” middle class people like us don’t get financial aid from colleges for our kids. I lay awake at night wondering how we will pay for the other two? We don’t get free health care. (Ours is $2,500 per month). We don’t get free computers, clothes, books…
Why does this writer think she should have gotten more than the free excellent education she was handed? I would LOVE for my kids to have gone to 13 years of private school for free. I would love for my kids to someday go to USC and Columbia but there is NO WAY we could ever afford these private colleges as a middle class family. Maybe I should have become a janitor instead of an accountant? Then all three of my kids could have afforded to go to USC and Columbia. I just cannot understand this writer’s world view.
JT that really is the bigger issue isn’t it? I mean, the area served by this school is predominantly non-minority. Why is it that every “lavish” area of SB, as this author refers to, has so few minorities? Also, even in a public school system it is not unusual for the boards of those schools to be predominately wealthy, non-minorities – most people have to work and the ones who serve on these boards often have time to do it b/c they may be wealthy and have the time/resources to do it. It almost sounds like she’s advocating for abolishing private schools all-together. They don’ have to cater to all students like a public school does. I don’t see that happening any time soon given the state of our public school system.
Talk about entitlement!!!!! She got a free education at the best school in the area, which put her on a path to get a great (FREE!) education at two more great schools (USC and Columbia). This is the very definition of tone deaf entitlement. She got more than just about any/all kids growing up in Santa Barbara…but she demands more…and more…and more. She wants the tuition to go up at Laguna Blanca, how else to afford additional staff and teachers that meet her criteria and demands and make donations to groups of her choosing. We’ve done a wild disservice to our youth…we’ve convinced them that they are special, and amazing and need to be heard on anything and everything that they have a thought about. Youth truly is wasted on the young.
Coraline and RSSB – It’s not only clear you both don’t get it, but you’re aggressively unable to open your mind to see how people of color are mistreated in our local community and beyond. Your comments are best kept inside your white privilege and white fragility bubble.
No one taught them that some things cost more than they can afford, and more importantly, no one made them aware that life is not fair.
I have zero white privilege. My family immigrated here and I am 1st generation. They were poor, treated poorly AND discriminated against. We survived and thrived regardless. My parents would have loved to send me to private school but couldn’t afford it and didn’t qualify for any assistance due to not being in defined minority groups. I worked for everything I have, so did my family. We didn’t get free tuition anywhere. As a result I am grateful for everything they struggled to provide me. Not bitter. I think those who need to check their privilege at the door are those who feel guilty and as a result, put up black squares and signs in order to assuage that guilt. All the while they don’t get it.
Thank you Karinna for speaking out!
PDW & Ides – nope. This is about a student being treated differently due to her ethnicity. Nice try though.
Laguna Blanca is doing their students a disservice by not allowing more diversity into their school program. Their affluent white students will benefit greatly by connecting and learning from peers with different backgrounds.
We all tend to interpret and frame our own actions in the best possible lens. It’s telling though that she was angry that her parents were sent a letter asking workers to stop bringing kids to school after school hours to use the computer. Some here are seemingly interpreting that as racism. But might a more logical reading be that the school rightly didn’t really appreciate workers having their kids with them during their evening work and simply couldn’t allow unsupervised children using school property outside of school hours? And what an interesting throwaway line she has in there ” Laguna didn’t see race, they didn’t see class. ”
Is this a discussion about mistreatment in the community, or is it about perceived slight due to a person’s ethnicity when the reality is the slight is imagined. The faculty computer is not a student computer. The clothes with the logo are to be worn by all students, not just some. The third party counselors can be hired by anyone who can pay them. You people with your “trophies for everyone” are the ones missing the point: there are things that you can’t afford, and things you can. Live within your means. If you can’t, then go make more money like anyone else would have to. If you’re fortunate enough to get tuition free education at a private institution, enjoy it instead of demanding more. If you want more, work for it.
Lesson learned Laguna Blanca…NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED!
Ahahah @ Coraline. Let me translate your post: “I have zero white privilege so allow me, a white person, to contradict myself by saying all the hard things I’ve had to go through in this life by being white.” hahahah read a book.
SBREADER you mention ‘if they knew, they would have gladly taken care of uniforms and computers.’ I agree. I went through Laguna as a white kid on scholarship. There were alot of discrepancies between me and the other kids – i.e. the ski trips, huge homes, etc. that I’d never experience. But I never assumed I should, because I knew my family’s financial status. The ratio of teachers to students is amazing (my class in the 70s had 8 kids. Total!) But even then I slid through the cracks due to clinical depression and my family falling apart. No one knew. I ended up attempting suicide at 16 and looking back, I wondered, how could they not know something was very wrong??? Because I didn’t tell them.
Thank you Karinna! Disregard the hateful comments from people who clearly don’t understand.
Looks like many changes since this approx. 2000-2013 timeframe.
Appears that Laguna has a new head of school, college counselor, and new heads of upper, lower, and middle. The head of upper school is a BIPOC woman.
They currently have computer labs at all LBS schools that students can use. Typically, most middle/HS schools don’t allow students in faculty rooms as teachers need their own space.
Today’s California schools have extensive teacher discussions on social justice.
If the school provided, 12 years of tuition, (at approx. $30K), for three family members, that is at least $500K in 2020 dollars.
Personally, I am both moved and impressed by this former student’s accomplishments. (culminating in an Ivy league grad school).
Also, for her father’s role in making these dreams come true.
However, she should acknowledge that it was also the school and other parents that helped substantially.
Yes to all of this, well written and thought out. Thank you for being brave and sharing!
“Courage faces fear and thereby masters it. Cowardice represses fear and is thereby mastered by it.” MLK Jr.
Karrinna – Thought provoking letter. I’m curious what are your views on the so-called “voucher” system, giving families a much bigger voice in deciding what schools to support?
Why do you assume that the comments you disapprove of are from white people? Do you think all people of certain skin colors think alike? That is so racist. You don’t have to agree with what others are saying but it seems misguided to simply dismiss points of view you disagree with by assuming these views must come from “whites” or “men” or “rednecks”, etc. Move out of your bubble! Plenty of good people of all races and classes don’t actually agree with you either. That’s what it means to live in a democracy.
No public school voucher system is going to cover private school costs like Laguna Blanca. Maybe at a large Catholic School. They’ve had the voucher system in LA in the guise of Charter Schools for a while now. Has that helped raise test scores across the District?
Was it though? She’s had literally the best education money can buy for FREE since Kindergarden and all the way up through Columbia…she’s literally had it easier than just about everyone. And again, I’m assuming that most people on Edhat live in Santa Barbara and Goleta, so all of us are quite privileged no matter what race we are…we all hit the jackpot to live here…
Maybe she can use the fantastic educational opportunities given to her by others and get a lucrative career and then set up a scholarship fund to assist economically disadvantaged students for the school. Pay it forward to achieve the changes you want.
Re read the article. Nowhere does it say that her education at Laguna was free. She says, “At the time, Laguna provided its workers with the opportunity for tuition remission for their children. ” Even at a lower tuition, the cost may have been a heavy burden for a working class family.
There are so many things wrong with this rant from this now 25 year old.
The slant that is taken is that the school was white privilege, only rich white kids and against minorities. That is complete and utter nonsense. I am a parent of a student that was there, in high school at the same time as the author of this letter. Guess what . . . we received financial aid . . . as white people! I do not think I can disclose the amount that we received, but needless to say, we paid well less than 1/2 of the normal tuition. We didn’t get a free ride. Yes, textbooks are expensive. This is not a Laguna issue, this is a textbook cost issue. I am sure that the textbooks at USC and Columbia are just as expensive. However, we were able to RENT them for a nominal fee. I think we spent about $50 to $75 per semester on rentals.
I think that you are barking up the wrong tree. Laguna is not a racist school. Laguna is not a privileged school. Laguna reflects fairly closely, the local community in private schools. Laguna by being a private school does NOT have to accept anyone and everyone. You obviously are an intelligent woman. They saw something in you and you did well in that system. I would suggest that you argue that MORE of the Laguna system be used in the public arena. Perhaps we, as a society, would get more intelligent people.
I would strongly suggest that all the things that you see wrong in society are not the result of Laguna. I’d suggest that you remember Paradis’ teaching.
Interesting and well written letter. I suppose your experience is as old as education itself. One could exchange your experience for many from the past and the present. All lineages, races, creeds, religions or castes, throughout history, have a similar tale to tell. —- The one line that stuck out for me was “Laguna Blanca School is not built to support students of color, marginalized students, students from working families.” This is correct and is the cold hard truth of the matter. All private schools cater to a particular demographic. Please know that this exclusion exists in every country, in every culture, around the world. Its human nature more than some American cultural bias. After all money is colorblind. There are wealthy in every land and every culture and yet, each suffers from the same problems. Life aint fair but it seems that you’re kicking its butt. Congratulations on your success. May it continue.
Thank you Karinna for your thoughtful letter. You clearly make some valid points about the various inequities that exist at Laguna Blanca and probably every elite private school. Clearly there is great room for improvement! The education you received at Laguna Blanca (current full-price tuition: $394K for 13 years) and USC (current full-price tuition: $232K for 4 years) has served you well, since most people would not be able to craft such a well done piece.
DaveB. You say your family is white, and that LB is not a racist school. If it were, how exactly would you know?
Coastwatch so you are saying no conservatives game the system? That’s really naive.
I take issue with a lot of what Karinna has to say. And I find it unfortunate that kids this age feel that they must make ‘demands,’ rather than suggestions. It’s pretty telling. If you want to help make things better, then contact the school directly and privately and tell them how you feel. Did she do that? I doubt it. I wonder if she realizes that if the school hires a Director of Diversity it would cost at least $100,000 per year and that eliminates money for 2 or 3 full scholarships. As an alumnus who attended Laguna and one who has supported the school financially for more than 40 years, I can tell you that a significant portion of charitable dollars raised by the school go toward financial assistance for those that need it. It is only recently that schools are realizing that they also need to commit some monies for financial aid kids for other expenses, like travel and ski trips so that they can feel included. But this is happening! Maybe not in 2013, but it’s happening now. Also, those terrible 1% families she references — they contribute probably 80% of the monies raised by the school to keep it going and to build new buildings, etc. They are not required to give money — they do so because they care about their kids and their community. As somebody else stated, this is a private school. Those of us who send our kids to private school still pay taxes to support public schools, by the way!
SACJON – you make a lot of assumptions and infer a lot of bias in my posts that simply is not there. I didn’t say anything about not making progress towards racial equality. I didn’t say a Latino majority equaled racial equality. When you grew up in Santa Barbara public schools it was probably quite a bit different than it is now. You completely avoided my points about this public letter about a private school having nothing to do with race and everything to do with socioeconomic status.
OK Boomer.
“Life is not fair” – “there’s no more racism” – “they should be happy with what they have” – “some Latinos teased me for my skin color” – yadda yadda yadda…… If you outright refuse to even consider the fact that you have no idea how much more difficult life is for a person of color, you’re no better than a klansman (or woman). Y’all should be ashamed.
Please retire the boomer slur. Boomers are as diverse as any other age group.
Because the definition of racism is to believe that your race is better than others.
For all the years that we were there, that was never promoted by the teachers, the headmaster, the admissions department.
Just because someone doesn’t accept a person who is not their race to their school does not make them racist.
You sell yourself short when you write that stuff I’ve done it a million times it never feels better… It’s like slapping yourself in the face.
I went to LBS in the 60s, The school’s idea of cultural diversity at that time was letting in someone who didn’t live in Hope Ranch or Montecito. To the best of my recollection there were no minority students at all. Many years later I attended a volleyball game at Laguna where a group of boys taunted a player on my daughter’s team who was of Japanese ancestry using culturally-abusive language. It was an embarrassing display. I am heartened by Sundown’s updates on the School. All of us, as we mature, need to embrace change.
I congratulate Ms. Carrillo on her achievements and thank her for her comments.
perhaps her best course of action is to earn a lot of money with her free “elite” degrees and create a “diversity” scholarship at Laguna Blanca. Better than biting the hand that fed you…..
We have a social responsibility to hold our friends, families and communities accountable by holding up a mirror to them. What looks back isn’t pretty. Karinna’s comments need to be taken in a constructive rather than a destructive light. Yet the mirror reflects some ugly comments demanding that Karinna, and all BIPOC, be grateful, quiet, complacent, and to feel lucky to have seat at the table, a seat that many imply could/should/would have gone to a person who would have “fit in” better. A graceful response by Laguna Blanca could simply have acknowledged the painful experiences on campus for students like Karinna, and promised to eradicate continuing conditions that make stories like hers still possible. Instead, they patronize by calling her open letter “powerful.” For starters, elite schools must stop using BIPOC students as tokens in glossy brochures. They should pledge not to expect that BIPOC will teach fellow students diversity lessons at their own painful expense. BIPOC are shouldered with teaching race lessons to peers in how they respond to bias, bullying and ignorant comments by peers, teachers and parents. These experiences leave scars that sometimes need to be picked at—especially now. Karinna got into her undergrad and graduate elite schools on her own merit, and despite her K-12 education. LB is not an Ivy League feeder, which is why LB doesn’t have the courage to applaud Karinna’s strong voice, activism and advocacy. The lesson in the mirror is lost on LB. They make an empty pledge to prioritize equity–as followers and not leaders.
8:18am – you missed the entire point of her letter.
RHS reading the article would just get in the way of his dogma.
Oopsie — looks like you missed the point of her letter as well.
You missed the point. This isn’t about the quality of SBCC education, it’s that the counselor told every other student to aim for ivy leagues while because of her finances and ethnicity (not intellect) she was told community college. She wasn’t even offered scholarship options to assist with finances. That is the whole point.
@5:09 – then you could have said that without mentioning how much her education costed.
@06:47 She wasn’t “asking” as you stated. She was “demanding.” It was a well written letter but when she used the demand word it negatively affected the letter.
Thank you Karinna,
For your thoughtful and informative letter.
You have shined a focused bright light on an institution with harmful policies. Best of luck to you, and as always, never mind the critics.
@TJTom – People of color have been politely asking for equal rights for decades now and nothing has happened. I’m fine if they’re not only demanding action but taking action. As a white person, we haven’t been listening, instead we’ve been criticizing. If you’re only focus is the way she worded something instead of what the words actually mean, you need to take break and reflect.
140 comments, 29 of those deleted, ARGUING over whether or not people of color should be given equal rights in this day and age in OUR community. That there is such a strong debate here is disgusting and despicable. What is it that you people (those who oppose her demands for equal rights) find so offensive about this? Why should people of color still be treated differently? Why do you oppose efforts to bring equality to our system? Why?
10:22 You may find others viewpoints as “disgusting and despicable” and would like nothing more than to silence any opinion that does not conform your world view. Thank god we live in a country where people have the right to freedom of speech regardless of how offensive to some.
COOLIO – Yeah, you didn’t read my post, did you? I ASKED, 4 times, for your opinion. Did you read the last FOUR sentences asking for your opinion? I am not trying to silence anything, I am asking why you feel this way. Why didn’t you answer my questions?
@ Coolio – you were literally asked for your point of view, you were not in any way “silenced.” You yourself chose to be silent.
She actually specifically demands to be treated “differently”…I think that’s the issue that some are having.
But she flat out says “Laguna didn’t see race, they didn’t see class.” She doesn’t want things to be equal. She wanted to be treated differently then everyone else…she wanted extra things and free things that other people didn’t get. She didn’t want equal rights…she wanted more than everyone else.
Her letter is not about racial equal rights, that’s the thing. Her letter is about socioeconomics that applies to any race, followed by racial demands.
DUKE – comprehension. Your quote does not indicate her feeling that there was no racism, far from it. It was written in the context of the school IGNORING the challenges of lower class non-white students. That’s actually the whole point of her demands. She wants the school to acknowledge and provide moral and some financial assistance to non-white students who don’t come from money. What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with wanting the obvious disparities to be addressed? Why should non-whites of little means not have the same access to resources as needed?
Matty – those “racial demands” call for resources to help make the education experience equal for those non-white students coming from poor backgrounds who don’t have the same chances as white students. By dismissing these, you are really just supporting the idea that there is no difference in treatment, and that is just not true.
“provide some financial assistance”??? She literally was on a full scholarship…isn’t that the definition of “financial assistance”? And what disparities does she want addressed when she criticized the school for not having disparities? She was obviously given a great education that set her on a path to USC and Columbia but there is no acknowledgement of that. And the swipe at SBCC is wrong…SBCC is awesome and a great path for many students…disparaging that is elitist at best…
Great piece. Our white-washed, scared-to-talk-about racism community of SB needs to hear things like this. those who comment in disgust, anger, prove the point you are trying to make. Yes, even in our great little town, racism runs wild. Keep the conversation going, Speak Up. BLM.
MATTYBOY: socioeconomics apply to all races, but in vastly different and concerning ways. The argument that “some” (read: very very very few) white people are socioeconomic ally disadvantaged is tired and really miss the point.
Perhaps in the context of a public school, but Laguna Blanca prides itself on listing and celebrating each and every students school acceptance…and they helped her get into (and a scholarship to) USC. So perhaps if she had opened this up as a broader conversation than I could get behind it, but it comes across as quite angry and entitled.
MATT5154 – Yep, look how the majority of comments here oppose any efforts to move toward racial equality. Many think they’re “not racist,” but by vehemently opposing any change toward this goal, they’re showing their true colors. Refusing to even consider the feelings of a whole group of people is basically, well….. racist.
So very proud of you, Karinna!
It doesn’t seem right to criticize an institution that helped you and set you on a path for life because they didn’t do extra things above and beyond what everyone else (and everyone else was paying) received. I get that we’re in a time and place where seemingly everything is a race issue, but this simply strikes me as a young person who is a bit clueless lashing out. Perhaps as someone who left with quite a few SBCC transferable credits I find the disparagement of our fine little CC a bit annoying. So perhaps I am taking her letter in the wrong way and she means well…but it was written from a perspective of such entitlement that I struggle to get past the verbiage.
DUKE – It is refreshing to read your willingness to at least try to empathize. Perhaps her words were not written in a way that makes you comfortable, and that’s ok. Her message is that a school like this should have more resources (NOTE: resources do not mean “free money” as many here think) for people of color. The tone may be a bit hard to swallow for those who are on the fence, but message is clear: there were no resources or personnel while she attended that addressed and dealt with the different treatment of white and non-white students. She is asking (yeah, “demanding” may be much) that for FUTURE students, they have more resources available. Again, resources does not only equal money. Minority personnel, task forces to understand the issue of racial disparity, etc. All she wants is for future students to be treated and dealt with the same as their rich, white counterparts. If you can just understand that, then it is a great start and hopefully others can finally open up to a little empathy. Thank you.
Even praise of a young person like the author is objectionable to some of you here. Shameful.
1. Hire Black, Indigenous, and POC (BIPOC) educators
The recent Head of Upper School was a black woman. The head of the Middle school was a homosexual Chinese man. They were great leaders for LBS. The front office of the Lower School is an amazingly sweet black woman. Not to mention Asian and Mexican faculty. I think that’s pretty diverse.
My siblings and I typically had what Sears had in stock. We arrived to campus with the best our family could afford
There is a used/recycle uniform program that makes NICE skirts polos trousers with the school emblem only $5!
There is so much financial aid support and tutoring support for students of all ethnicities it’s amazing.
I am sorry Karrina went through this and felt this way. But she should look into the current status of the school before demanding change. The school must have changed a lot since she attended because the stories she tells of and demands she requests does not sound like the Laguna it is now. The school is greatly supportive and equal especially compared to other private schools! It is a great education as well as community. I am upset she is making this great school sound so bad.
I find some of the very bold and righteous comments frustrating when they are hidden behind online usernames. I invite all of you that freely commented behind the protection of a username to email me directly: theresaonthego@yahoo.com. I will add you to an invite list for us to have a brave, face to face, dialogue about this. I will coordinate it and look forward to your willingness to discuss and listen. All invited to email me.
TLH805 – Thank you! I’m thinking maybe we have a registry for all the brave bigots and “unintentional racists” (those who refuse to even consider that BIPOC are treated disparately) to sign their real names so we all know who to avoid when shopping around for goods and services. If you’re so confident that your archaic viewpoints are correct, then you should have no problem proclaiming yourself to the community so we can chose what businesses/professions to support or avoid.
Right. I’m white. I grew up in Payless shoes. I felt an extreme amount of insecurity about it when some of my classmates had an endless assortment of Adidas and Pumas (which were the cool sneakers at the time). They were also wearing jeans that unbelievably cost something like $150 in the late ’90s. I had $15 pants from Wet Seal. It had nothing to do with race. My own father has a lot of shameful memories of having to wear shoes with holes in the ’50s and ’60s. He was the son of a guy who worked at a gas station. Racism is real, but not everything unpleasant that is experienced is the result of racism. In fact, many more experiences boil down to class dynamics. And many experiences of shame, insecurity, feeling “looked over” etc. are in fact universally experienced, even by those we might think of as “privileged.” I find much of the current language extremely divisive, myopic, and unlikely to bring people together – more likely to drive them apart.
Mattyboy – if you can’t comprehend the racial aspects of this letter (yes, without the demands) then you’re not as astute as you think. It’s the lack of resources (not money, you need to stop obsessing with money) for minority students that is the root of this. Why else would her demands be for such resources? She was treated differently and lesser due to the lack of understanding and available mentors/counselors, etc for her situation. It’s sad to see you try so hard to deny her point of view.
COASTWATCH Why are you shaming parents for wanting the best for their children?
It’s not driven by politics or race but by cold hard reality. Average school or under-performing school, am I missing something from the parenting manual?
Regarding the open letter: I had a son who went to Laguna Blanca and yes it was a huge sacrifice for our working family to have him get such a great education but well worth the sacrifice. At that time, a good part of the Gala proceeds went to provide an education (scholarships) for students like YOU. Many of us parents worked long hours on the Gala to pay for YOUR education and I am amazed that the things you remember are the inequity moments, I am so sadden that education that your father sacrificed for (the education in the tune of over $500,000 to your family), that other parents donated for, is so unappreciated by you and that you feel, after your USC & Columbia education, it is appropriate to slap the hands that reached into our pockets to have you & your family as welcomed part of this amazing school community.
Again, it saddens and infuriates me that your take away from 13 years of a fine education, with fine people, that got you Merit Scholarships to 2 of the finest private universities in the country is so negative that you have gone to KEYT and Edhat, why not just go to Laguna Blanca with your suggestions if you really wanted to change things.
Thank you, as a parent of a Laguna student in the past I am so offended after I gave so much of my time, talent and hard earned funds to enrich the Laguna Blanca community for ALL the children. She should have written this letter to the Board & Head Master, not EdHat and KEYT.
@11:49 AM. Best comment in this entire thread . Thank You.
What an amazing story of perseverance.
A father makes a decision to take a job so he can give his children and amazing education.
A student endures the difficulties of life and perseveres for 13 years to graduate and go on to a 1% college and Master’s program.
A small school, unprodded by government regulations, does what it can to help the children of one of its employees and others in the community who cannot afford the tuition.
Along the way the school realizes that it can do even more for the members of its community.
Where else can perseverance be so rewarded ?
Where else can an alumna fearlessly exercise her right to criticize those who played such a big role in allowing her to reach for the stars and attain her goals.
There are few places on earth where this amazing story could have taken place.