While summer is usually a fairly uneventful time for any school, several changes to Lake Forest Academy’s leadership occurred. These changes included Tom Johnson’s move to Interim Head of School, Paul Makovec’s move to Dean of Faculty, and Lusanda Mayikana becoming director of Equity, Pluralism, Inclusion, and Community (EPIC). However, opportunities for leadership are not just given to the adults, Lake Forest Academy has a plethora of student leader opportunities in the school as well.
Before becoming Interim Head of School, Johnson was the Dean of Faculty—working primarily with faculty rather than students. He grew up in New Jersey and attended a boarding school before majoring in politics at Princeton. Since then, he has been working in boarding schools, occupying many positions. Johnson labeled it the “full boarding school load;” teaching, residential, coaching, leadership, etc. In 2017, he joined the LFA community as the Dean of Faculty. He shared that over the summer, the Board of Trustees approached him about taking on the role of Interim Head of School, and he accepted. Johnson will lead LFA for the next two years while the trustees find someone to appoint as the permanent Head of School. Johnson explained that although this is not how he envisioned it happening, he has been working towards this position throughout his career. “I like the position, I like that I still work with adults but I work with students and parents more,” Johnson said. So far, Johnson’s favorite part of the job has been welcoming new students and families to our community.
Lusanda Mayikana, Dean of EPIC, has worked with the Prefects and Mosaic for more than 10 years. After rebranding her office to align with the values of EPIC, she has also renamed the Prefects previously named Multicultural Prefects are now called EPIC Prefects. Xitali Ocote-Arellano ’25 and Yiwen Lu ‘25 are this year’s EPIC Prefects. Mayikana said when Dr. John Sturdwick was the headmaster of LFA, he wanted to teach pluralism, which focused on the absence of cultural hierarchy. She emphasized how it aligned with the work she currently does and how it has developed over the past 15 years into what EPIC is currently. Even though the Prefects’ names have changed, they are still doing the same work they have done in the past. The EPIC Prefects help plan Multicultural day, run Mosaic and run community dialogues. “I am appreciative of how the Prefects are always reaching out to students and the commitment they put into their work, I am so grateful to the EPIC prefects with all the work they are doing,” Mayikana said. Seniors Xitali Ocote-Arellano and Yiwen Lu are this year’s EPIC prefects.
Ocote-Arellano EPIC prefect and Ferry Hall Proctor. She discussed how she manages both roles with school. “Balancing these roles with my academic responsibilities and extracurricular involvements can be challenging, but I believe the more work we put in as student leaders to make LFA a more empathetic, inclusive, and equitable place, the more we will grow to value those things later in life, making us more prepared to become educated citizens,” Ocote-Arellano said. In other words, while it may be busy for her, the work she is doing is bettering the LFA community. Ocote-Arellano said as a Prefect, “My role involves organizing events, such as FIRE Conference, Mosaic meetings, and Multicultural Day that promote cultural awareness and ensuring that everyone feels valued and heard.” In addition to all the work she does as a prefect, she also does important work as a proctor. Ocote-Arellano also added, “Whether it’s hosting movie nights in my room, leading dorm meetings, or representing Ferry Hall in Dorm Cup, my role is to ensure the well-being of students in the dorms and make Ferry Hall an inclusive and exciting place to sleep, study, and build connections in. I’m there to listen to their concerns, offer advice, and help maintain a positive atmosphere.” The work all proctors, prefects, student council and head ambassadors do has a grand impact on shaping our community to be the best it can be.
All student leaders of LFA have a big impact on making LFA fun with student activities. Proctors plan dorm events and make sure new students are settling in. Prefects help with morning meetings, LFA events, and more. The Student Council plans Prom, Homecoming, and class activities. Finally, head ambassadors give tours and bring new students into the school. All student leaders help LFA in more ways than we know.
