She's the First: Empowering Girls Through Education
In our very first blog post, we’re excited to introduce our chapter of She’s the First at BASIS Oro Valley. From our inspirations to the impact we’re eager to make, we hope to demonstrate that small actions can spark significant change. Join us as we dive into the motivations, dreams, and aspirations that led us to create a platform that's redefining what it means to be a girl with a voice, a dream, and the determination to make a difference. Below are the stories of the four girls who chose to embark on a journey and begin this club chapter.
Anvi Sharma (President):
Growing up, I spent my summers in India, sweating and sticky from the humidity. My grandma, a teacher, would take me to her school, seating me next to one of her students on a bench. All the girls would giggle at me, thinking that I didn’t understand them because I lived in America, and I would giggle back out of embarrassment. I watched as my grandma taught Hindi, inspecting all the focused students as they hurriedly scribbled down notes. In Rajasthan (the state my paternal grandma is from), a mere 57.6% of the female population are literate, and overall India has only a 70.3% female literacy rate. Throughout the years, I’ve realized how privileged I am to be able to receive full, cost-free education all the way through high school. We, as girls in America, receive much better conditions and terms for education than those around the world. While several countries have further developed their education systems, there is much room for improvement. My continuous connection to India and realization have inspired me to start our own chapter of She’s the First at BASIS Oro Valley. She’s the First stands to provide equitable balance in education and learning, providing aid to women who are unable to receive a formal education around the globe. To me, She’s the First is a hand or a step up we give to those who need it most, whether it be girls in Oro Valley, or girls in India. In our little town of Oro Valley, one of our many goals is to install sanitary product dispensers in our school bathrooms, and eventually move onto a bigger scale. To bring further awareness, we started this blog to track our journey and to hold us accountable, and to do justice to our mission statement.
Emilia Kim (Vice President):
She’s the First is an opportunity more than anything. By organizing with She’s the First, I have found myself fighting for gender equality through socially constructed methods. Our organization utilizes social media, storytelling, and advocacy to promote their cause and engage a broader audience in one common goal: gender equality. I hope that others see the work that we do as motivation for their own fights in life especially as we turn to the future. This year, I hope our team is able to maintain the goals we’ve set for ourselves. My main priority is empowering women throughout our schools. Hopefully, by gaining more representation in their classes, the girls in our school feel empowered to challenge stereotypical gender norms. As for quantitative measures, our team is hoping to pair up with students across Arizona to make sanitary products in school bathrooms common for all girls.
Nishita Karikatti (Secretary/Treasurer):
Women, whether it seems like it or not, are always put at a disadvantage. We see this inequality in our everyday lives from work to school to even something as simple as shopping in a grocery store. Women are always overlooked and their abilities are belittled. For example, personally, any job or activity that I do that may be physically demanding, a man must always be behind me because “I may not be able to handle the pressure.” This type of mindset is off putting and disheartening. She’s the First provides girls the opportunity to feel empowered and bring about change in education and learning for all women globally. I have worked and volunteered at many educational programs meant only for women and hearing my co-workers' stories taught me that much of the education I have right now is a blessing and that should never be taken for granted. Through She’s the First, we can create more such programs and allow women and girls the chance for a better education. This year, our first project is to install sanitary feminine products in our school bathrooms. Several schools don’t have feminine products in the bathrooms and in the case that they do, they are not hygenic. Bringing awareness to this issue and creating a change by placing clean, dispenser shelves for products such as pads and tampons can impact the lives of many girls in our district. Other than this project, we plan on creating a podcast with other important feminine figures who have much to say about women empowerment and would love to share their thoughts and ideas.
Katie Brummund (Community/Girl’s Rights Awareness Chair):
Throughout my life, I have found myself put at a disadvantage simply because I am a woman. Whether this be something as simple as not feeling safe in some public spaces, or having my athletic ability be overlooked and underestimated compared to my male peers, it has been a continuous and frustrating pattern. For me, She’s The First is not only a platform to help me express my voice and take action in my own community, but is also a way to proactively tear down stereotypes to ensure that other young women and girls don’t have to have the same experiences as me. I believe by starting this chapter of She’s The First at Basis Oro Valley, we have already made strides in the right direction towards that goal. This year our first main project is getting sanitary products in our own schools bathrooms, and then in schools throughout the Amphitheater School District and the greater Arizona area. I have been fortunate enough to have access to a variety of period products, but many girls are forced to use whatever they can find, which is unsafe and can lead to infections and other serious health problems. Toxic shock syndrome, a rare but very serious condition which can be contracted when a tampon is left in for an extended period of time, can lead to death in 30% to 70% of cases. It’s our mission to make period products accessible so no girl is forced to endure that.
It’s a continuous mission, and each of us has a role to play in ensuring that She’s the First reaches everywhere we will it to. Each small step towards equal education for girls is a giant leap towards a brighter, more inclusive future. Join us on our journey to more promising future!
