Women in public office. Women in space. Women in sports. Promoting the breaking of gender barriers is taking place by women all around, even specifically by 23 females at North Allegheny.

On March 8th, 2021, almost two dozen female students, teachers, and presenters joined a Google Meet to discuss women’s issues and celebrate International Women’s Day. Months later, the student organizers are discussing plans for a new club inspired by the very first meeting called Gender Equality Series. 

“I wanted to start this club because I thought it was necessary, especially after International Women’s Day,” said Savannah Guzzi-Garber, the co-director of the club. “There are so many stories that can be shared about sexual assault and abuse—not just women—that need to be known. I know that I didn’t know the information I now have because of this club. I believe others should have the ability to have the same thing.”

The club has values ranging from feminism to pro-LGBTQ+ rights to intersectionality, and they have held meetings on a variety of topics since the initial meeting in March. However, numbers have steadily decreased after the first meeting. 

“I honestly felt down when people stopped showing up to meetings,” Guzzi-Garber added, “but I am hopeful for the year to come. I am wishful that we can have those same numbers again. What we do is to help the NASD community and around to make inclusivity and the problems within our society more known.”

The group plans to hold a meeting every two weeks with a range of topics, as well as five larger events, including speaker talks and fundraisers. But the officers of GES know it will take a lot of work to start a club. 

Thrisha Kalpatthi, another co-director of GES, said, “It was quite difficult, as none of us had started a club before, but with teachers’ help, it was not bad.”

This year, GES hopes to make a club with a strong foundation, with goals of continuing beyond the founders’ graduations. 

“I also sincerely hope that GES lives on once the current officers are no longer in NA,” Guzzi-Garber said. “The last club like ours dissolved once the officers and faculty advisor left the district. We cannot dissolve, we can only grow stronger.”

For Guzzi-Garber, GES is driven by a moral imperative.

“Women are consistently left out of history,” she said. “We cannot let this kind of behavior continue, letting our future generations think it is okay. We should share our voices, making ourselves heard.”

GES hopes to have a material impact in the form of fundraisers, but they also hope to leave behind a legacy for the younger grades to latch onto. With a new group of freshmen interested, the officers have goals of making a lasting change and inspiring others to speak about their experiences. 

“I hope that our peers and the younger kids learn about the topics we discuss and have a mindset that everyone is equal no matter who they are and what they choose to be,” Kalpatthi said. 

Beginning the week of September 20th, the club plans to hold meetings every other Tuesday in the NASH library from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The logistics and organization officer, Risha Solanki, believes that even the simple act of signing up for the club makes a change.

“I hope that we can send a message to people that this is not only worth fighting for, but it needs change,” Solanki said.  “Our world faces so many problems, and rather than giving up hope and letting it stay the same, we need to work to change it and we can only do that with more people, people willing to act. If they join the club, they are already helping support so many people who need it.”