“Grey’s Anatomy” Star, Alum Visits for Civic Engagement Day

E.R. Fightmaster ’10 spoke to Upper School students in The Schiff Center about media representation and the importance of empathy as part of their keynote speech for Civic Engagement Day, focusing on media literacy. “You are watching television because you have empathy for the people on your screen. If your screen has a lot of diverse representation, then you are developing empathy for different people. Empathy is this thing that fills your cup while filling the cups of other people. Empathy is what makes you charismatic, it is what makes you warm. Empathy takes your talent to a level that people want to see it. It is all about empathy,” they said. Fightmaster, the first nonbinary cast member on “Grey’s Anatomy,” talked about how being exposed to diversity helped them realize their own identity. “When you are encountering people who are not like you, you have the unique opportunity of learning more about yourself. It is so nice, you guys,” they said. The day was planned and organized by English teacher Marielle Newton, and history teachers Eric O’Connor and Kyla Young. As part of the day, students participated in a media representation game show and a media literacy escape room. Fightmaster answered student questions over lunch and did improv with theater teacher Marc Raia’s improv class. Students ended the day by filming video reflections of their takeaways of what they learned.