Our alliance, Parents for an Inclusive LILA, was formed to foster inclusivity and a sense of belonging for all. Our cultural diversity brings our 65 nationalities together. This parent group is passionate about creating a culture that values difference.
From this group have come several parent-led and parent-run initiatives represented below:
- Adoptive & Surrogate Family Group
- Asian Affinity Group
- Black Affinity Group
- Español & LatinE Affinity Group
- Jewish Heritage Group
- LGBTQI+ Affinity Group
- Middle Eastern Affinity Group
- Parents of Neurodiverse Children Group
- The Bookshelf
- Cultiver, v: to cultivate Nurturing spaces for allyship to grow.
The Affinity Groups at LILA aim to build community and promote inclusivity, belonging, and celebration of the rich diversity on our campuses. Our Affinity Groups build connections and spaces where families can freely share their experiences, ensuring their voice are respected and celebrated. Together, we build a community that embraces, uplifts, and unites us all.
Meet our Group Leaders
Don’t hesitate to reach out! They’d be delighted to hear from you! More questions? Email Juliette Lange, Director of Admissions & Diversity.
Parents of Neurodiverse Children Group
Jeff Vespa
Grade: Kindergarten
Affinity Group: Support Group for Parents of Neurodiverse Children
My wife Emily and I have two daughters, Genevieve in 4th grade and Josephine in 1st grade. We had to take Genevieve out of LILA this year as she has learning differences that were too much for her to learn properly at LILA. We took over this group last year when we got her diagnosis.
This group is to support parents with neurodiverse children and to share our stories with each other.
Black Affinity Group
Alicia Moo-Pow
We’ve become long time transplants to LA from NJ, and are a non-French speaking family. Casey started in preschool in West Valley, attended Los Feliz for pre-K through 5th grade, and is currently enjoying the lockers at Burbank. She enjoys playing with friends, video games, art, and her band MHMOK. She also plays tennis.
I co-lead the Black Affinity Group and formerly served as DEI liaison for the Los Feliz Parents’ Association (PA), and lend a hand to the Annual Fund team. I enjoy traveling and spending time with my family. We chose LILA because of its French curriculum and global perspective. Casey craves being the first to arrive and the last to leave campus – she loves this place! With LILA’s help, I hope Casey will continue to build life-long friendships and grow to be an insightful citizen of the world.
The Black Affinity Group is eager to create a community for the students and families who want to see more of themselves on and off campus.
Adoptive & Surrogate Family Group
James Noel and Louis Matthews
We are James Noel and Louis Matthews, parents to Sebastien and Chloe Noel Matthews. We are a British-Australian family passionate about fostering connections and building a supportive community for adoptive and surrogate families. Leading the adoptive and surrogate family group at LILA, we aim to provide a safe space for discussions around surrogacy, adoption, and the unique experiences that come with them. By sharing insights, offering support, and celebrating the diversity of family-building journeys, we hope to build a warm, inclusive community within the school.
Latine Español Affinity Group
Julia Fontana Bassos
My husband and I are Spaniards who have made LA our home. We love that LILA affords us an opportunity to expose our three gringo boys to the values that were instilled in us as kids, and we’re passionate about raising them with an awareness that the world is a diverse, fascinating, and complicated place.
Latine Español Affinity Group
Natalia Fernandez
I was born and raised in Uruguay, speaking Spanish with a peculiar accent that I insist on passing on to my two LA-born kids (a work in progress). I love that LILA is a place where many cultures converge and where my kids can be exposed to different ways of living.
Asian Affinity Group
Ivy Gao
We are a native Chinese family with a passion for learning different cultures. We have children in 2nd and 5th grade at LILA.
The history of Asian Americans is both triumphant and tragic, and integral to the American experience, but most notably, it is not well known in the mainstream.
The Asian Affinity Group’s mission is:
1. To provide an environment that supports and nurtures our children’s development of their Asian American identity.
2. To dispel simplistic perspectives and stereotyping by bringing awareness that the Asian American community is a broad spectrum of influential figures that have contributed to American history and culture in significant ways and will undoubtedly continue to do so.
The Bookshelf
Edythe Repoff
Max and I have had a wonderful experience bringing up our daughter Skyler in collaboration with LILA. Skyler started as a preschooler at the ELC (now in 4th grade). As non-French speakers with multicultural backgrounds, we’ve valued being part of an internationally diverse and inclusive community.
The Bookshelf is an open, parent-led group that works to provide the LILA community with a monthly list of books and resources that encourage healthy identity development, disrupt racism, and support open dialogue within the community, to empower kids and parents to make LILA an inclusive safe space for everyone. We aim to bring together a group of stories that portray a variety of voices, points of view, and experiences.
Jewish Heritage Group
Samantha Weisman
Our family has been with LILA for 5+ years and we feel very at home with the warm and welcoming community. We have children in Kindergarten and 3rd grade at LILA.
The Jewish Heritage Affinity Group provides a space for families with Jewish backgrounds to celebrate and learn about our similarities and differences. It creates a micro-community within the larger LILA community that allows families, and especially our children, to identify with each other and feel a connection to their own heritage as well as others who share their history and traditions.
Affinity Group Liaison
Melody Jiggetts
Grades: Elementary
Campus: Los Feliz
Affinity Group: Black Affinity Group, Latine Español Affinity Group
I’m Melody Jiggetts, mother to two LILA students. What drew me to LILA was the vibrant mix of cultures represented by the student body and, as the Affinity Group Liaison, I’m happy to help the school’s mission of embracing diversity by amplifying the voices of affinity group members.
I am passionate about helping the school community because I strongly believe in the importance of representation. Seeing diversity in our students, families, and staff is crucial for creating a strong and inclusive community.
Middle Eastern Affinity Group
Katayoun Hajiannia
Grades: 1st, 7th, 8th
Campuses: West Valley and Burbank
Affinity Group: Middle Eastern Affinity Group
My husband and I are originally from Iran. We are a family with three young boys. I have children at West Valley and Burbank. We are an active family in sports and participate in additional extracurricular after-school programs. We love traveling, adventure, and we treasure the memories we have made along the way.
This is a group for those who have cultural, ethnic, or geographical ties to the Middle East – a diverse region encompassing countries in Western Asia and parts of North Africa – or connected to these cultures through marriage. The group aims to celebrate its rich cultural, historical, and linguistic diversity. It offers off-campus cultural activities and discussions.
Private School Village Ambassador
Jadolphus Fraser
Grade: 1st Grade
Campus: West Valley
Affinity Group: Public School Village
I’m a first-generation North American with roots on the East Coast, now living in Los Angeles after relocating from Washington State and Vancouver, B.C. My multilingual family blends North American, Guyanese, and Jamaican cultures, enriched by multicultural and international influences. I am thrilled to be selected as the new Public School Village (PSV) ambassador. I am excited about joining PSV, LILA’s administration, and the leaders and members of the Black and Hispanic affinity groups to help fulfill the missions and achieve the goals of PSV, LILA, and the affinity groups to build a stronger and safer network that protects and elevates our students and benefits our entire community! Let’s go!
LGBTQI+ Affinity Group
M'Alyssa Mecenas & Susan Bush
We are M’Alyssa Mecenas and Susan Bush-Mecenas, parents to Eva and Maia (3rd grade). We are thrilled to lead the LGBTQI+ Affinity Group, and our mission is to provide support, programming, and learning opportunities for LGBTQI+ families, students, staff and allies so that everyone can bring their most authentic selves to the LILA community and always be warmly received with dignity, safety and respect.
Black Affinity Group
Siwatu Moore
We are New York transplants who have come to love the West Coast (mostly, though we miss the Caribbean food). We arrived in 2019 and have found the LILA community to be incredibly welcoming and helpful. Our two girls (kindergarten and 7th grade) love doing everything from weekends at the beach to school trips out to Joshua Tree. The last two years we’ve really been able to set our roots as things have opened back up. We’re excited to see what the future brings.
I am co-leader of the Black Affinity Group. Our mission is to create a space for black students and their families to navigate the challenges of the minority experience. In addition we plan to advise and work with LILA leadership to further realize the institution’s commitment to inclusion.
Cultiver
Marguerite de Bourgoing
Hello, I am Marguerite, one third of an Afro-Brazilian French family. I am the French component, with a slight British touch 🙂
During the pandemic, I was fascinated to learn that one child out of two in California is born from a foreign parent. Thanks to LILA, I’m grateful that I am able to raise my son Joaquim (1st grade), L.A. born and raised, in an international and multilingual environment. As a white woman, what drew me to LILA allyship club is sharing my ongoing interest in the intersection of arts, culture and identity. This is a journey in the making and I look forward to growing with my LILA cohorts as I go along.
Cultiver
Maya Paley
Hi LILA Community! My name is Maya Paley and I’m the mother of a Matteo (3rd grade), and Ella (kindergarten). My kids absolutely love being a part of the LILA community! As a multilingual, multiethnic, multicultural family, we feel at home in this beautiful community. I’m honored to add my support as the Co-Chair of Cultiver and hope to bring joyful, inclusive, and thoughtful events and experiences to our students, parents, and faculty. I look forward to seeing you all and cultivating even more inclusion, belonging, cultural consciousness, equity, and cultural sharing at LILA!
DEI at LILA
Questions about DEI at LILA? Head to our DEI webpage and read our DEI Charter by clicking the button below.