Building Connection: DaVaughn Montgomery ‘03 Discusses Faith, Service, and Social Justice

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” This quote from Martin Luther King Jr. began an insightful School Meeting presentation led by Canterbury alumnus DaVaughn Montgomery ‘03. DaVaughn, who also led the Fifth Form retreat as a Saint Off the Hill, encouraged students to embrace faith, service, and social justice as interconnected elements necessary for servant leadership.

After fifteen years as an elementary educator, DaVaughn currently works as an education policy advocate in the District of Columbia. He recalls his time at Canterbury as being crucial to his understanding of the interconnectedness of community, which he says guides his work.

“World religions class opened me up to thinking that everybody, no matter what faith they have, can be connected through their faith in a higher power,” he said.

Throughout his talk, DaVaughn emphasized the importance of approaching service through the lens of equity rather than equality. While equality provides equal support for all, equity allows for more individualized support based on the needs of a unique group, community, or individual. One way to better ensure equity, he explained, is to engage directly with the population you wish to serve.

“We often think of service in terms of what we can provide to a group that needs something, but this is a deficit-based model, which can lead to the community or population you’re working with feeling judged,” he said. “I want us to shift our thinking. How can we leverage a community’s strengths to solve problems? How can we focus on what’s strong rather than what’s wrong?”

In the evening, DaVaughn expanded upon his presentation at the Fifth Form retreat. In small groups moderated by faculty and Sacristans, students were asked to discuss servant leadership, particularly as they prepare to become School leaders in Sixth Form next year.

“At first, the term itself confused me,” says Noah Indes ‘27. “But it became clearer the more I discussed it with my group: it is not leading for the sense of glory and status, but the opposite. Servant leaders strive to make things better for the people around them. Mr. Montgomery’s presentation changed my perspective, and I’m still thinking about how I can be a servant leader.”

There is, of course, no one answer to this question, and DaVaughn believes that Saints are in a unique position to step up. “Canterbury has a strong sense of community, and that doesn’t happen by accident. Students here learn how to build relations and make connections with people, which is important because the connections are what guide this work.”