GFA Welcomes Coyle Scholar
By Will San Jose ’22 and Joseph Lublinsky ’24
On Oct. 21, GFA is hosting its Coyle Scholar, national ambassador for Braver Angels John Wood, online instead of in-person due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It does involve a little extra planning,” GFA Director of Marketing Michelle Levi, who works to choose the Coyle Scholar, said. “One of the things that we’ve really tried as a school [...] to do, is not just take what we would have done in a normal, in-person plan and make it virtual.”
Wood works at Braver Angels, a non-profit organization which helps bridge the divide between opposing political views. Wood is also a former Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County and a writer and speaker on subjects such as racial and political compromise.
“We recognized just how important it was for our community to talk about bridging a divide that often comes up in a political season, but also across the board,” Levi said.
Levi works as a co-chair of the Coyle Scholar committee, a subcommittee of the GFA Board of Trustees. A parent, trustee and fellow alumna also serve on the committee. Although Levi has plenty of experience coordinating with visiting speakers, the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic forced some adaptation.
“In many, many ways there’s more technology involved, and there’s a little bit more risk involved,” Levi said.
Levi added the danger of an online speaker is that the engagement of someone listening to the speaker from their home is lower than that of someone sitting in the same room.
Wood was scheduled after the initial pick for the fall Coyle Scholar, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, was forced to reschedule and recommended Wood to the school.
“In the current political climate, this is a perfect time for us to be leading with our own values and leading with our own empathy as a school,” Levi said.