The Girls Empowerment Leaders Club inspires students to push through difficulty to find success. It provides a safe space for students of every identity to celebrate the achievements of women and cultivate confidence, Girls Empowerment Leaders Club President Pavani Chir said.
Chir is planning to expand the club further over the next year, she said. They have held one session after school at the Innovation Campus and would like to do more in the future, Chir added.
“I see the Girls Empowerment Club as an organization in MHS,” Chir said. “I really want to expand a lot, like the way it’s expanded to the Innovation Campus. I also want to expand to middle schools and connect to them, so that they know about it, and then when they get to high school, they can easily join in.”
The club holds one meeting every month, each one focusing on a different historical female leader, ending with a fun Kahoot to top it off, Chir said. The goal of the club is empowerment, she added.
“The primary goal of our club has always been to empower women to join the workforce,” Chir said. “Women usually prefer or are forced to be at home, so we’re just showing them they have the opportunity, by showing examples of those who have done the same: breaking societal norms and then doing something really exceptional that we now really value.”
Before Chir was president, the club had only focused on leaders in STEM, Chir said. Now, their featured leader of the month ranges from every profession and every time period, she said. She felt personally connected to the issues the club was facing, Chir added.
“I have always been empowered by my parents,” Chir said. “My dad wanted me to learn martial arts and do what is usually known as manly. Even my mom, she wanted to be really strong, really soft at the same time too.”
The club has helped her develop from a nervous person to someone now confident in public speaking, publicist Rithika Parker said. The club also has a positive and supportive environment, she added.
“I think this club is a great place to influence other women, to become leaders or to follow their career path, no matter what other people say,” Parker said.
Trans-masculine sophomore Rhys Durante had been looking for a club that focused on important people in history, and had discovered the Girls Empowerment Leaders Club, Durante said. Despite the small number of attendees and the emphasis on women, he felt a sense of belonging, he added.
“I think while the focus is, of course, going to be on women in history, it’s great for everyone to know,” Durante said. “These women who have made so many advancements and introduced different things are rarely mentioned (…) So I really think if you want to learn more about that, I think it’s (the club) really important, and you get to talk about it in the club too if you have any questions.”