![WASC looks for more than the basic California State standards. According to chairperson Mike Woo, “As new rules and new concerns come up through society, [WASC] look[s] is the school doing something about that. Like the biggest trend post-COVID is mental wellness. So is your school doing something to address the mental health of the students? Along with are they still doing the proper academics?”](https://theburlingameb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3401-1200x1200.png)
![“For me personally, I want [others] to see the music program as a strong union because we can really bring out the life of our school,” Vega said. “We need music, you know? Otherwise, things would be really silent and dead.”](https://theburlingameb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/unnamed-1200x801.jpeg)
Empowering Women Through Discussion
October 14, 2016
With growing support for women’s rights movements across the nation, it is no surprise that teens at Burlingame feel passionate about the issue. In fact, at Burlingame High School, we have our very own Women’s Empowerment Club! The president and vice president of the club are seniors Priscila Tapia and Felicia Azzopardi, respectively.
Senior Priscila Tapia leads the Women’s Empowerment Club in a discussion about the struggles that both men and women face in regards to self esteem.
Tapia said she was inspired to start the club because “there weren’t any clubs [at BHS] that directly addressed the way institutionalized sexism affects not only women but men as well…[and] I felt that we all needed a safe space to talk about social issues that we were all affected by.”
The Women’s Empowerment Club strives to create a place to discuss women’s rights where everyone’s opinion is heard, without fear of judgment.
“The main goal of the club is to [address] the way patriarchy affects young women and how to overcome these issues. I hope this club rattles the way some people think, [and] liberates those who have been oppressed under institutionalized sexism,” Tapia said.
This club is bigger than BHS, as it brings issues to light that are relevant worldwide. Tapia explained that she “hopes that the club expands beyond the community because the more people who begin to unlearn patriarchal thinking, the more they will become accepting.”
In the heat of the current presidential election, women’s rights are becoming more talked about, especially with the support from Hillary Clinton. Clinton openly advocates for feminism, and support for women, which motivates many young women to vote for her. This campaign also challenges the entire public to have open minds and consider the way our society treats women, as well as what we could do to improve. When other stars in the spotlight express support for relevant topics, they are impacting everyone, whether they realize it or not. The Women’s Empowerment Club at Burlingame may just be starting out, but it is already changing the way people think for the better.
