Stephenson Castro, “Barbara Landis Chase” CaMD Scholar, presented on the Massachusetts Public School System on MLK Day.
Audience members scratched their heads as Inti Stephenson Castro ’25 began his CaMD presentation completely in Spanish. As he switched back to English, Stephenson Castro explained that their confusion was the everyday experience of many Spanish speakers in the United States and that lower-income communities are more prone to disadvantages because of language.
Reflecting on his presentation, Stephenson Castro pointed out how Andover’s environment could be insular at times.
“I hope my project made people realize that at Andover, we live in a bubble. We have immense wealth and many things we take for granted. I wanted my project to open people’s eyes to the reality that our circumstances are completely different from those in other parts of the country. Often, we view other countries as poor, but it’s sad that these issues also exist within our own community,” said Stephenson Castro.
Stephenson Castro emphasized how these language barriers exacerbate inequities and particularly affect lower-income communities. His research highlighted systemic issues like institutional racism within public schools. He aimed to influence audiences to shift towards more equitable education practices.
“I hope it raised awareness of this issue and inspired future students to speak out, lobby, or vote for policies that address disparities in public schools. I hope they will work to mitigate the suffering faced by lower-income communities… We, as a nation, are failing our people. It’s often said that if you get a good education, do well in school, and attend college, you can access wealth. But I know it’s much more complicated than that,” said Stephenson Castro.
Hananie Albert, Instructor in English, was Stephenson Castro’s faculty advisor for his project. She shared that his passion for his presentation contributed to its success. She highlighted how his presentation reminded everyone of the need for accountability, even in privileged spaces, including Andover.
“Inti did a great job of balancing critical analysis with deep passion and empathy… He didn’t just approach this as another academic exercise. He went into it wanting to amplify voices, highlight experiences, and ultimately advocate for change. And by the two standing ovations that he received last night, it was clear that he made an impact,” said Albert.
As part of Stephenson Castro’s presentation, he included family members as a way to provide personal anecdotes. Albert expressed the positive effects that this had on the presentation and how it was perceived by the audience.
“When he had his mother and his father, who are both public school teachers, come and give their opinions and share from their experience, it was a really great way to ground all of the critical analysis and the research that he was doing in everyday real experiences. Even at the end when his grandfather talked about being a part of segregated schools and our responsibilities now in 2025. His family’s contribution to the presentation really added depth and dimension,” said Albert.
Stephenson Castro’s personal experiences inspired his research on his topic. He shared how his own childhood struggle to find extracurricular opportunities fueled his determination to learn more and examine in his CaMD talk.
“When I was young, I noticed how just driving ten or 20 minutes in any direction from our city led to these beautiful suburbs. By fourth grade, when I wanted to join STEM clubs, my public school didn’t offer any of that. Researching different schools, I became infuriated that basic things like arts clubs, music, or robotics classes were limited based on demographics and income. It seemed messed up that our country restricts students’ passions because of these factors,” said Stephenson Castro.
Russell McLaren ’27, who attended the presentation, commented on how his perspective toward the education system changed after hearing Stephenson Castro’s CaMD presentation. From the way Stephenson Castro started the presentation in Spanish, McLaren was made aware of the language barriers that many Hispanic students face.
“The fact that I’m taking Spanish and I wasn’t able to understand. I understood some of what he said, but… there were some things that I couldn’t understand. So that definitely stood out to me. And he kind of just put us in the Hispanic people’s shoes because they’re in the same situation as the example. That really made me upset because imagine your family is struggling and you have to work really hard just to get better opportunities. And the fact that you don’t know a language that usually takes years to learn,” said McLaren.
Alex Lin ’28, another attendee, mentioned how the talk evoked thoughts about systemic racism. She explained how learning about systemic racism in school systems changed her perspective and made her realize the inequality that still remains today.
“Before, I never really thought about it. But [Inti] did highlight how important one’s education was in getting a job, making money in the future, and making a living for yourself. The fact that the system itself of public school education seems to be geared against certain races really shocked me because you’d expect modern society to have come further than that, but we still have a long way to go,” said Lin.
