From Shy Military Kid to Lawyer to College President: 2024 Inclusive Leader Award Winner for Higher Education, L. Song Richardson
Once a young concert pianist, Leah Song Richardson is an American lawyer, legal scholar, and the current president of Colorado College. She was previously Dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Law. As a classically trained pianist, she performed twice with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and won numerous major piano competitions, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Harvard/Radcliffe concerto competitions.
What is your personal story, and how did you find your passion?
I spent my formative years on military bases, growing up as the shy and introverted daughter of a Black father and a Korean immigrant mother. Everything I learned about grit, determination, and perseverance in the face of obstacles I learned from them. My dad served as a U.S. Army officer and my mom worked tirelessly—initially on the night shift at a rope factory and later cleaning houses—to supplement our family income to ensure that my two brothers and I had access to the best educational opportunities available. To that end, our parents shielded us from the harsh realities of the racism and ignorance they faced, which allowed us to benefit from the rich racial and ethnic diversity of the army bases that shaped our childhood. This idyllic upbringing meant that race was not a defining factor in my early life, and I didn’t spend much time thinking about my racial identity.
College changed that. Suddenly, my racial identity became an intense subject of interest to the people around me. Classmates and others constantly bombarded me with questions such as, "Where are you from? What are you?" which I quickly learned was code for asking what race and ethnicity I was and why I looked the way I did. This experience, and many others, of being “raced” made me hyper-aware of my own racial identity and began a lifelong journey of learning about the impact of race on people’s judgments, perceptions, experiences, and opportunities. I’ve been asking questions about race, racism, and the way they shape equity and opportunity ever since.
The education I received both inside and outside the classroom shaped my future profoundly. Learning about, experiencing, and confronting the complexities of race and ethnicity in our society led me to dedicate my career to social justice, with the goal of expanding access and opportunity to everyone, regardless of their demographics.
I worked as a civil rights lawyer challenging and attempting to change the systemic inequities that exist in the immigration and criminal justice systems. Later, I became a law professor and focused my research on how implicit racial and gender biases not only impact the law and social interactions but also how students perform in the classroom. Teaching remarkable students and seeing how they consistently outperformed expectations fueled my commitment to creating more equitable opportunities for all students to access higher education and to thrive in academically rigorous environments, regardless of their scores on standardized tests and other purposed measures of intellect. This passion led to me becoming the Dean of the University of California Irvine School of Law and then President of Colorado College.
What led you to the leadership role for which you are being recognized, who was instrumental on your path to success, and how can the GlobalMindEd Inclusive Success Network inform, advance, and/or multiply your mission and goals?
Growing up, I never would have imagined that I could harness my shyness and fear of public speaking to become a civil rights lawyer, law professor, dean, and president. Finding my passion and purpose gave me the grit, resilience, and determination to find my voice and not let my fears hold me back. I learned to persevere even in the face of hardship from watching my parents do this their entire lives. I was also fortunate to have wonderful mentors and sponsors at each stage of my life who opened doors to opportunities that I never would have considered for myself. I recognize that I have been very lucky, and part of what motivates my work on access and equity is my belief that luck shouldn’t be the driver of the opportunities people have. This is why I share in the mission of the GlobalMindED Inclusive Success NetworkTM. By bringing together students and leaders committed to equity, this network can amplify my mission and goals.
What does Inclusive Leadership mean to you and what would you like others to know and do as inclusive leaders?
Inclusive leaders are willing to take courageous action in support of their commitments, to work with unlikely partners, to have difficult conversations across differences, and to use their voices, influence, and networks to help create a world that is more equitable and just.
What is the legacy that you would most like to leave the world?
I hope to have made a meaningful difference in increasing equity and opportunity for all through institutional and structural change, fostering a world that celebrates diversity and recognizes the potential in every individual. My hope is for a future where equal opportunities enable everyone to thrive.
