Esch Endowment
The Esch Endowment for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice & Belonging highlights our commitment to uplifting ALL students' unique identities, abilities, and life experiences.
Established in 2023, the Esch Endowment for DEIJB is the first endowed fund at Friends School of Wilmington and represents our sustained commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging at our school, in our community, and across the globe.
No longer tapping operating or annual fund dollars, the endowment supports faculty trainings, parent workshops, speaker series, need-based family scholarships, and experiential learning opportunities essential to cultivating an authentically inclusive environment for all. Funding also provides for innovative strategies to recruit and attract a more diverse staff, faculty, and student population to better reflect the vibrant city in which we live. Ultimately, the Esch Endowment advances our mission to make Friends School of Wilmington a learning community where people of all races, ethnicities, abilities, gender identities, and backgrounds not only feel welcome, but thrive.
We all profit from a more diverse, inclusive society, understanding, accommodating, even celebrating our differences, while pulling together for the common good.
-Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Meet Brenda Esch
Prior Head of School Brenda Esch was a veteran educator with more than twenty years of experience in teaching and school administration. She first became Head of School at Greenwood Friends in Pennsylvania in 2008 and eventually made her way to North Carolina, where she worked at Friends School of Wilmington from 2012 to her retirement in 2023.
Brenda led with a vision firmly grounded in the Quaker testaments of peace, justice, and equality. Her dedication to championing an inclusive and welcoming campus is reflected in the deeply-held respect our students have for one another. We are grateful that Brenda’s legacy lives on through this Endowment and the opportunities it affords to our learning environment. Thanks to her leadership, we remain a community that wholeheartedly embraces the rich tapestry of diversity and the experiences we may share with one another.
To learn more about Brenda from her time as Head, you can find her 2014 spotlight in Wilmington Magazine and her 2018 interview with WILMA.
