Senior Sharmila Mysore recently started the Women Empowerment club at WHS. The club is designed for girls, young or old, who strive to empower themselves by joining and conversing about common problems women face in society.

“It is a place where girls may gather and express any kinds of frustration and inspirations in and outside of our school,” Mysore said.

The club had its kickoff meeting the previous week and is run by Mysore. The club’s advisors are school principal Allyson Mizoguchi, special education teacher Naomi Rosenthal, French teacher Sara Langelier and English teacher Kelsey Pitcairn.

“[Mizoguchi] and I discussed the fact that there is no group here that accomplishes our core values and strengthens the voices of women. It’s so imperative that this became a reality, and I knew I wanted to do everything in my power to start it,” Mysore said.

Many different schools have feminist clubs, but Mysore says her club takes a unique approach regarding women’s voices.

“My core purpose of this club is to bring out an important issue that our society faces that I don’t feel like we address in our school climate. It is our duty to be able to reach out and understand all kinds of barriers that keep us from our endeavors,” Mysore said.

By the end of her senior year, Mysore hopes to guide and mentor girls at WHS.

“I am [not a] boss [or an] ultimate leader. [More] I am here to guide and facilitate girls to discover their true passions and take those leaps of faith to accomplish them,” Mysore said.

Mysore hopes that Women Empowerment will continue in the future and will further develop into a bigger and wider known organization.

“I envision this club growing,” Mysore said. “I would be hopeful to pass the baton onto someone else next year and aspire to come back to see progress. Along with the teachers involved, we have a great, strong group of girls so far and it can only get better.”

Mysore is optimistic about the club’s success, not only in her high school career, but also beyond it.

“When I start something I know I am passionate about, I will stop at nothing to make sure it sees success. It is important that girls learn that too. Our school society will only benefit from this group and it’s important to understand that girls can do anything they aspire to do,” Mysore said. “I also aspire to join a club like this when I go to college, and if no such thing exists, I will start it.”