Dakota High School’s chapter of She’s the First is back for the 2020-2021 school year. They began the year with their first virtual meeting on November 12th, and they hope to use the online platform to continue spreading their message.

She’s the First is an international organization dedicated to empowering girls and supporting their educations through scholarships. The group works with girls in low-income countries and provides them the resources to be the first girls in their families to graduate from high school. They strive to promote gender equality and allow girls’ voices to be heard to pave the way to a better world. Colleges and high schools can create a chapter of She’s the First within their campuses to raise money and spread the organization’s message. You can visit the She’s the First website for more information.

Four years ago, Dakota High School started their own chapter of She’s the First that is still running today. The club aims to educate about the importance of supporting girls’ education, and they plan to raise money to be donated to the organization. The club advisor Ms. Catanzaro detailed the process of how the club came to be. “A couple of students came to me because they had heard of She’s the First at other schools,” she explained. “I had never heard of it before, and then when I researched it, I was so impressed by what an amazing organization it was that I was really excited to do it.” Ms. Catanzaro emphasized how “all the money that you donate is going directly to education,” and this was a huge reason why she supported the club. “You know that money is going to go to some girl who really needs it, it’s really going to make a difference in someone’s life.”

In the past, the club has raised money through restaurant fundraisers and t-shirt sales, donating their proceeds to support the education of girls in Sierra Leone and Kenya. They have also created posters that they put around the school to spread their message visually. The club hopes to continue raising money and plan engaging virtual events during this school year. 

Anybody interested in the club and its message can join their Remind (@stfdakota to 81010) and follow their Twitter (@stf_dakota) for important information regarding future meetings and events. Their meetings occur every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month, with their next meeting taking place on December 10th on Microsoft Teams.