TPA’s Herstory/Girl Up empowers people

By Tasmin Hurlbut

  Herstory/Girl Up is a club at Tempe Prep that strives to empower people in our community to explore the past experiences of girls and women to attain gender equality. 

   It focuses on serving organizations that champion women, educate their members and advocate for girls around the globe. 

   From the end of November to the beginning of December, Herstory is holding a drive for Maggie’s Place, a non-profit organization based in Phoenix that welcomes pregnant and parenting women and their children into a supportive home. Maggie’s Place provides life-changing programs and ongoing services to help these women become self-sufficient. 

The Tempe Prep Herstory/Girl Up club at a recent meeting.

   For donations, Herstory is collecting baby wipes, cleaning supplies, and baby diapers. Donations are being collected in four boxes around campus: the Student Center, the Student Union, the TPA Auditorium and the Front Office. 

   This year, new students have stepped into leadership roles: President and sophomore Tamsin Hurlbut, Vice President and sophomore Zoe Lenz, Secretary and junior Theresa O’Connor and Treasurer and sophomore Taylor Conley. The new officers have led presentations on the waves of feminism, the youth vote and the danger of single-minded history. They also organized a letter-writing campaign to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-AZ, in support of the $15 minimum-wage bill.

   Herstory meets every Friday during high school lunch in room 405. All who are interested in getting behind this message and making a difference in their community are welcome to join.