Students at DVC have felt a lack of equality when it comes to the opportunities where they can be chosen for leadership roles. They believe that this could be due to not being close enough with a teacher or a certain group of students, or simply being overlooked. 

There are some concerns about bias or unequal chances of obtaining a leadership role in the school community. DVC has many leadership programs that are offered, the most noticeable being Leadership, Student Ambassadors, and Overnighter leaders. 

However, students have noticed that only certain students get picked, and these students often end up being the ones to be spotlighted when multiple other students are just as capable. They feel as if the distribution for the choosing process is biased towards students who are closer to staff or are more well-known. Due to these beliefs, many have become upset. Louie Rios, a DVC 11th-grader, expressed his feelings on the matter. 

“It made me pretty mad because I feel like I put a lot of effort and thought into my application and I didn’t get in, whereas other kids who did get it very much seem to be favored,” Rios said.

Another perspective is that the choice that happens is biased towards students who write better or have better grades since they might have more persuasive writing abilities. Sicily Anderson, an 11th-grade student from DVC, shared her thoughts on the topic.

“…sometimes [students’] writing skills are better than others. And those kids usually are kids with like, higher GPAs,” Anderson said.

This could become a serious issue in the DVC community because it can cause tension between students from those that are missing out on showing their capabilities due to unfair selection. 

According to the National Society of High School Scholars, “Equality in education is necessary for students to have the same opportunities to start off with positive educational outcomes, and equity helps to make sure those equal opportunities are adjusted to make room for students who might need extra help and attention.” 

Students want to be given a chance to showcase their leadership abilities and not be dismissed because they have a lower GPA.