Historic Alumni of Color Panel

You are witnessing a moment in Country Day history right now,” said Andrew Ledee, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to an audience of Middle School students in the Debbie Kerrick Theatre on Oct. 20.

Mr. Ledee referred to the panelists on the stage, Monique Lee Bahadur ‘73 and David Waddell ‘73 who had returned to campus for their 50th reunion. They were the first Black students to graduate from Country Day in the school’s history. Joining them was Alisha Davis ‘88, the first Black Distinguished Alum to be selected for the honor by the Alumni Advisory Council.

Ms. Bahadur, who now lives in London, remembers GCDS as being like no place she had ever been. “It opened my eyes to a whole new world. Living outside the US now, I know that my Country Day connections go deep in the world. I have friendships that I’ve kept throughout my life.” Ms. Bahadur started a marketing firm in London and currently sits on several volunteer boards.

Mr. Waddell, who works in fundraising for first-generation college students, is a GCDS Class Representative and is also still in touch with many of his former classmates. “Anything that I’ve accomplished in life from learning how to be disciplined, committed, and love what I do started here.”

Ms. Bahadur also remembers the challenges. Her family came from the segregated South and moved North when she was young. “I was born in a segregated hospital. I went to a segregated school when I was little. Things were better in the North, but of course there were challenges. It was the seventies. For example, I wasn’t able to go to parties at private clubs because they didn’t allow black children there.”

For Ms. Bahadur, the biggest adjustment was socioeconomic. “I’d never seen such wealth and privilege. Being here just opened my eyes to a whole new world, and I had to learn how to be a part of this world.”

It was very important to Ms. Bahadur’s family, especially her father who was a teacher, that she was reaching her potential.

“My dad was always meeting with the GCDS teachers making sure that I was on top of my academics. I had really strong parents who just kept me walking the straight line.”

Along with his brother and sister, Mr. Waddell and his siblings were the first students to integrate the school. “My mother was determined to have her kids get a GCDS education. That, plus it was a time when the school knew that integration was the right thing.”

There were challenges for Mr. Waddell as well. “I was looking for acceptance and spent a whole lot of time thinking that I was not good enough for this reason or that.”

Over the years, he has reconnected with classmates who were struggling with other forms of acceptance and adversity. “I’m so grateful for these friendships.”

Distinguished Alumna Alisha Davis graduated 15 years after her two co-panelists and is currently a producer and writer for Good Morning America (She told the students that she uses the skills she learned at GCDS every day in her job. “I learned how to think, how to analyze, look at the world, and put my thoughts together. GCDS taught me to be curious and thoughtful.”

As the only Black student in her class, Ms. Davis said that the current students are fortunate to have a DEI department. All three panelists expressed enduring gratitude for their teachers. “I had deep connections with not just fellow students, but a lot of teachers were very supportive.”

In her parting words, Ms. Bahadur said that students should take advantage of their opportunity to attend GCDS. “Strive for excellence in academics. I was somewhat ambitious before coming to GCDS, but my hunger for learning grew here.”