Founded 2026

Vanguard Society

A sanctuary of sisterhood for Black girls navigating
independent and boarding school spaces — and for the women they become.

Who We Are

You were never meant to navigate this alone.

✦

Vanguard Society exists to bridge, mentor, and hold space for Black girls in independent and boarding school environments — from the moment they arrive to long after they graduate. We are the network no one built for us, so we built it ourselves.

For the girl in the dormitory wondering if she belongs. For the alumna still unpacking what those years cost her. This is your society. This is your safe space. This is your sisterhood.

What We Offer

Three Pillars of the Society

01
Safe Space & Community

A curated community — online and in-person — where Black girls can exhale, be seen, and be celebrated without explanation or apology.

02
Mentorship & Guidance

Intentional pairings with women who have walked this path. Mentors who understand the specific texture of being Black in predominantly white elite spaces.

03
Healing & Wholeness

Structured cohorts, healing sessions, and reflective programming for alumnae ready to process, reclaim, and grow beyond their boarding school years.

04
Institutional Partnerships

Pitched directly to boarding and independent schools as an embedded resource — a bridge between the school, Black students, and an empowered alumni network.

Who We Serve

Two generations. One community.

✦

Vanguard Society holds space for every phase of the Black boarding school experience. Whether you're in it right now, or you've been out for years — your seat at this table has always been waiting.

Currently Enrolled Girls

Black girls in independent and boarding schools who need community, mentorship, and affirmation in real time.

Alumnae

Women who attended these institutions and are ready to process their experience, heal, lead, and pour back into the next generation.

Partner Institutions

Boarding and independent schools seeking meaningful, expert-led support structures for their Black students.

Programming

Our Cohorts

For Enrolled Students
The Vanguard Circle

An ongoing sisterhood cohort for Black girls currently enrolled in boarding or independent schools. Monthly virtual gatherings, mentorship pairings, and campus resource guides.

Monthly · Virtual + In-Person
For Alumnae
The Homecoming Cohort

A healing-centered cohort for alumnae ready to revisit, process, and reclaim their narrative. Facilitated sessions, guest speakers, and community building.

8-Week Cohort · Limited Seats
For Leaders
The Vanguard Mentors

Alumnae who are ready to pour back in. Trained, matched, and supported as mentors to currently enrolled students.

Application Required Apply to Be a Mentor →
For Institutions
The Bridge Program

A school-facing partnership program. Vanguard Society embeds as a trusted resource — advising schools on Black student support.

School Partnership · Pitch Us

Ready to Join?

Your seat is waiting.

Whether you're a student looking for community, an alumna ready to heal, or a school ready to build something real — we want to hear from you.

Sydney Jarrett, Founder of Vanguard Society
Sydney Jarrett
Founder, Vanguard Society
St. George's School, Class of 2016

A Letter From the Founder

Once upon a time, a little Black girl
from Atlanta dared to go.

She packed her bags and boarded a plane to Newport, Rhode Island — stepping onto the grounds of St. George's School with wide eyes, a full heart, and no roadmap for what it would truly mean to be one of the few. That little girl was me.

Boarding school gave me the world. It also asked things of me that I wasn't prepared to give — things no young girl should have to navigate alone. I learned to move through spaces that weren't built for me, and I learned, eventually, that my presence was never an accident. It was always a purpose.

Vanguard Society is that purpose made real. It is the sisterhood I needed at fourteen, and the healing space I needed long after I graduated. It is for every Black girl who has ever felt extraordinary and invisible in the same breath — and for every woman she becomes. You are seen. You are held. You are exactly where you belong.

Sydney Jarrett

Founder, Vanguard Society