INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIONS FROM SOME OF OUR MEMBERS
NIKKI CATANGAY
Personally, I have been surrounded by so many degrading people as a female. The second you go on any social media platform, no matter how many positives, there are always a handful of pessimistic views on certain aspects of society. Girls have especially made their impact on our ever-changing world through certain rights such as voting. Seeing this, and knowing there was still work to be done, I decided to join in on the Girls Build LA project that my teacher had pitched to us in class. I did not know what I would do, more importantly what I was capable of, in this group. We decided to pick a health and wellness project that could easily affect everyone in our community. Periods. Along the way we ran into some roadblocks, as all projects do. Through the help of my fellow women I truly knew what it was like to felt empowered. A new lesson was learned with every obstacle through our own ingenuity as unique individuals collaborating on one common goal. With every presentation, donation, and meeting our school would slowly be educated on a topic very close to our hearts. Having our peers branch out to their relatives about our project was definitely a turning point as we had finally seen a change in our initial survey statistics saying that no one knew what the pink tax was. While a large portion of the 7 billion people on Earth still suffer, I know I have made a big difference in my community. Small steps can lead to big changes. Thank you to the LA Promise Fund for helping me reach my full potential with Ladies. for GBLA!
MARY BACUGAN
The issue regarding the lack of access of female hygiene products to underprivileged women is something that I've seen impact my community as well as myself over time. I was disgusted to hear that the Pink Tax (a federal tax placed on female hygiene products) existed in other states, and it really hit me when I realized just how much women have to spend to have sanitary products, to take care of themselves over something that is out of their control. Through the Girls Build LA group, we were able to directly address the issue and bring awareness to others in our school and community. In addition, we were able to do a donation drive, which heavily impacted our community and helped women with the provision of care packages. These past few months with these amazing women that I have worked with were definitely not easy, but our persistent effort and strength helped us push towards the end and showed how we can make a strong impact on our community with hard work and team work. I learned so much about myself and our group with every meeting and project that we worked through. This project has ultimately shaped me and taught me how to be a leader, how to work with others, how to manage resources and time, and so much more that I won't be able to get from anywhere else. The work that we were able to accomplish in these last few months have made me felt so strong and empowered as a woman in our society, and I look for nothing more than to grow as a leader and continue to give back to those who need it. Thank you LA Promise Fund for helping me get to know an amazing group of girls, as well as for helping me find a way to give back to my community. Go Ladies!
CHRISTINA VENTURA
Girls Build LA showed me how empowering the up-and-coming generation of women could be. I always knew women were strong, but to actually be a part of a group of hard-working and motivated young ladies has been an eye-opening experience. As a team, we were able to impact both the minds and lives of others in community, serving the underprivileged as well as other students in ways many wouldn’t think average high schoolers are able to do. Our project acts as a beacon of hope for us as individuals as well as other young women as we continue to fight and display what it means to be a Lady.
HANNAH CHOI
To me, GBLA means more than just a group, it means teamwork and family. Ever since I have joined this organization, I have worked with wonderful, empowering women that are passionate about making the world a better place. Planning rigorously for our next meetups and future events helped me develop my planning skills, and presenting in front of an audience many times forced me out of my comfortable zone. I have earned many valuable skill sets, but more importantly, I was also able to support our community. By educating the students and people around me, we were able to bring light to the issues surrounding the problems homeless women face during their menstrual period. Introducing the dangers and health problems homeless women had to face is a topic very few people know about, so teaching others about these problems will help them understand a little bit more about our world and maybe inspire them to help others around them. We were also given the opportunity to make care packages and give them to homeless women shelters. Hopefully, the care packages will encourage homeless women to stay at safe homeless shelters and let them know that they are not alone. We are all in this together, because we are Ladies.