Women of West

Despite switching to a virtual format, Women of West still conducts community-building activities like hosting guest yoga instructors or having discussions about social norms. The club meets every second Wednesday of the month at 8 a.m. over Zoom, and new members can join the club by either sending a direct message to @pwestwow on Instagram or emailing Board member and junior Jeshna Kaparthi.

What is the purpose of your club? 

“Unlike feminist club, our main motive is to inspire young women, especially at West, to be the best verisions of themselves. Especially with virtual school, there’s a lot of room for insecurities and other things to arise, so we just want them to know that we’re here for them and to inspire every woman to rise up and be the best version they can be of themselves. That’s why a lot of our meetings are discussions where we talk about societal norms and how we can address them [and why we] have guest speakers address us and inspire us. Our first meeting of the quarter was just about yoga because we knew a lot of teachers were just piling on information and that a new format could be stressful. We didn’t want the first meeting to be more content, we just wanted everyone to relax and calm down so they could face the rest of their day.”

What is your favorite part of your club?

“I just love how welcoming it is when people join our Zoom meetings. Sometimes people have their cameras off when we go through the club and teach, but when we have our discussions they turn their cameras on and get to know people. There are a lot of positive vibes that people give off when they welcome and support each other.”

Why would you love to have new members join your club?

“We’re always looking forward to having new members join and we’re always looking for them. There is no finite amount of people we can have, there are no restrictions. As the club grows, the more people will know about it and the better a place West can be for women, and it can spread to other schools and make a bigger impact. We’re always welcoming and new members don’t have to feel left out, we’re always trying to bring women together.”