Dunn School Aims to Expand Support for Refugee Students

From girls persecuted in Afghanistan to African refugees, Los Olivos boarding school is poised to help

Dunn School in Los Olivos is committed to providing a safe haven for refugees who have been displaced by war and shut out of the educational system. Head of School Kalyan Balaven recently traveled to Cairo, Egypt, to meet with various organizations and embassies to bring more students to the school and offer them a safe and secure environment. The school has a long history of serving as a refuge for students from around the world, and it is now looking to increase its efforts to support refugee students in crisis.

Balaven shared the stories of the refugee students he met with a sold-out crowd at the school’s annual auction and gala. The attendees were moved by the students’ struggles and made a donation of nearly $140,000 in scholarship support, which will cover the cost of travel, education, room, board, and amenities for one student, with nearly enough for a second. The school is now reaching out to the wider community for support to provide safety and security for all the refugee students.

“All of these students deserve to be seen, heard, and known,” Balaven said. “That is the basis for the whole student education we provide at Dunn, and our mission since the founding of the school more than 65 years ago remains our dedication to prepare our students for responsible leadership. Having gone through the hardships they’ve faced, these refugee students are dreaming of ways they can return home as leaders to make change. We can help them do that at Dunn.”

In response to the growing community of refugees interspersed with the boarding students and local day students, Dunn School has committed to providing more education to its student body around the subject. The school has created a program for refugee studies, which includes courses in refugee literature, environmental justice, and peace and conflict studies, to help all its students become agents of change and prevent the circumstances that lead to refugees in the first place.

The Central Coast community immediately responded last year when Russia’s in- vasion of Ukraine threatened the lives of a sophomore student and her family. Calls for donations helped Dunn not only secure aid for that student but also bring four additional students from Ukraine, some of whom were reading books underground while explosive air raids battered their neighborhoods above ground. Two of those boys are now admitted to several universities, including the University of Connecticut, which rewarded them with a large scholarship.

Dunn School has always been dedicated to providing a well-rounded education to its students and preparing them for responsible leadership. The school’s core values are emotional wellness, physical readiness, in- tellectual growth, social responsibility, and moral courage. The school’s commitment to providing a safe and secure environment for refugee students is an extension of its mission and values.

To get involved with Dunn’s effort to create a refuge for international students in crisis by donating, visit dunnschool.org or call (805) 688-6471.

About Dunn School

Dunn School is a boarding and day school located in Los Olivos, California, serving grades 6-12.

Founded in 1957, the school is dedicated to providing a well-rounded education that focuses on emotional wellness, physical readiness, intellectual growth, social responsibility, and moral courage.