March marks the beginning of Women’s History Month. Its dictionary definition revolves around commemorating the contributions women have made towards American history. Yet, for PPCHS’s Women United club, March represents much more than a historical remembrance. According to junior Vice President Camila Correa, “Women’s History Month is all about appreciating the strength, courage, and accomplishments of women throughout history and honoring them. Each year, the National Women’s History Alliance chooses a theme for Women’s History Month, and this year’s is ‘Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.’ To me, it’s more than just a month of honoring– it’s a month of celebrating the women in our lives and truly appreciating everything we do for each other.” Women’s History Month is not only a commemoration— it’s a celebration. It celebrates the role women play as a fundamental pillar of American society, and recognizes women’s efforts that have historically been overlooked.

   This year, Women United has completely rebuilt itself from the bottom up. Its rebirth started at its very roots, after the executive decision to change its name. “The club was formerly Girl Power, but as a board, we decided to change the name for multiple reasons. We feel that Girl Power is a bit immature and condescending for the work we do. It gives the tone of something elementary, so we decided to change the name at the beginning of the year,” explains junior President Agatha Rivero. Yet, Agatha’s vision for the club was only just beginning. “This year, we have really focused on how we can benefit women outside of school,” she says.

   A typical meeting at Women United has a slideshow presentation about a specific topic, and is followed by a group discussion. “My favorite meeting this year would definitely be the ‘Should we believe all women?’ meeting where we played a fun game at the end,” says Camila. Meetings occur monthly, and are school-based. Since the meetings themselves helped the club gain a large following and traction, Agatha and Camila decided to expand Women United’s reach. 

   Rather than focusing on exposure at school, the duo decided to provide students with the opportunity of truly making a change in the lives of women in their community. According to Agatha, “We do fundraisers for The Lotus House, a shelter for women who have been domestically abused, and are currently selling club t-shirts in order to raise funds. This is also what we’re currently doing for Women’s History Month. The majority of the funds will be donated to the shelter.” And not only did they want to better the community of women around them, but also attempt to improve the comfort of womens’ individual lives. “We’re also doing a drive for menstruation products. Anyone who donates can be awarded service hours, or extra credit for select teachers,” she says.

   Although Women United has already made a monumental impact on the community, there’s far more still to be done. “What I like about Women United is that we actually do help our community. All the profits we make get donated, and we do drives as well to donate to women in need. In the future, we’re planning to have more fundraisers and hopefully even do an event where we can promote safety or a sense of community. The board has even been speaking of maybe having a self defense or knitting class, but for now our discussions are all we have on the agenda,” says Camila. Agatha adds that “as a junior, my main hope is that when I graduate, I want this club to continue as it has. Years prior, it was left by itself with no leadership. We also want to make a lasting impact on our school.” 

   Women United has definitely been a trailblazer of a club, promoting open-minds and demanding respect on the behalf of women’s voices. “Women United is an organization that aims to inform others about the systematic oppression of women and how we as a community can dismantle the patriarchy,” says Agatha. Both Agatha and Camila have been in the club since they were freshmen, and are more than excited to be actively making a difference— in both the club itself and the community. 

   As the first year of their leadership is coming to an end, the board already has an agenda filled with new ideas and opportunities to empower women in PPCHS and across the world. The club has already had a successful year, and PPCHS looks forward to their even brighter future.