In each feature of The Explorer this year, the Editors-in-Chiefs will have a column highlighting the efforts of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in and around Hudson, as well as issues around DEI that affect HHS students. We hope that this column highlights the students and staff of Hudson that are trying to make a difference and build a better, more welcoming community for all. The second article highlights student Kayli Rego, who has a focus on Asain American Pacific Islander (AAPI) advocacy and fighting to add AAPI curriculum to the Ohio school curriculum.
Rego has been part of the Cultural Proficiency Advisory Committee since its inception in December of 2020. Since then, Rego has been actively part of improving the lives of AAPI HHS students. Rego is the founder and president of the Dear Asian Youth (DAY) chapter in Hudson which, she made clear, was open to all students of all backgrounds, not just students of Asian backgrounds. About the club, Rego said, “The main international organization’s goal is to educate, celebrate and empower Asian youth. At Hudson, we go off of the national goals, but we also go into providing a safe space for BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) students.” Rego later explained the activities D.A.Y focuses on are cultural-based, saying, “we are trying to educate the Hudson High School student body about different cultures that they may be unfamiliar with.” Last year, D.A.Y hosted a “You Belong Forum” where students talked about the overall sense of belonging in HHS, a sense that, according to the panorama survey taken last year, was lacking. Rego said the main goal of the club is to promote inclusivity, “no matter how you identify, whether that is cultures or traditions, everyone is accepted, because that is how it should be.”
Last February, Rego went to the Ohio Legislature to argue for the passing of Senate Bill 214, which would require AAPI history to be included in Ohio K-12 public school curriculum. Rego argued the bill would “provide more information to the Asian American aspects of our country.” There was also a second bill Rego went to show support for, House Bill 224. If enacted, the bill would “create an AAPI headquarters in the Ohio Senate, so Asian Americans would have more representation in government.” Currently, Rego said Asian Americans are extremely underrepresented in the Ohio government, even though there are over 300,000 AAPI Ohioans in the state. Rego, who was the only high schooler in attendance, went with the organization A.S.I.A, which stands for Asian Services In Action, and is currently an advocacy intern for the group. Rego went to speak with senators who were against the bill, one of those being our local senator, Kristina Roegner. Senator Roegner said that “she would look into” the bill and do further research, not giving Rego a straight answer on the matter. In the end, it wasn’t enough, as Rego explained, “the message we were trying to send to the senators was not reciprocated and in the end it was not successful.”
Rego believes that Hudson needs to work on inclusivity and has a long way to go, a common belief of many Hudson students and residents. The best way to make change, Rego says, is through the Cultural Proficiency Advisory Committee. About the committee, Rego explained, “although slow in change, opening up the conversation on what we can do is the first step.” In regards to other ways Hudson can improve its’ inclusivity and diversity, Rego said it is important to continue to find change in “education and educating teachers on how they can talk about and handle those issues.”
On a personal note, Rego said that she has never experienced racism in Hudson, but she said one of her friends, who is African American, has experienced racism in this school. Rego illustrates, “there are a couple of students in the school who will call her slurs to her face, and it has been addressed with the principals.” This student is not the only one who has been harassed or bullied because of their race (or gender, sexuality, background, etc) in Hudson, as the school has a history of racism.
Kayli Rego is just one person in Hudson who is trying to make a difference for the lives of minorities at this school, but her impact can be felt all over the city and the state. She is standing up for the 300,000 AAPI Ohioans who aren’t represented in government and even more BIPOC people who are, once again, very underrepresented. Rego is giving a chance for the minority students at HHS to have a voice and express their concerns with how they feel belonging in Hudson. Rego has already made such a difference in Hudson and we can’t wait to see where she continues her mission of inclusion and diversity.
