By CHLOE CITRON and EVAN SILVERA
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has launched the popular movement Lean In named after her much-discussed feminist manifesto that helps women worldwide feel empowered. Getty Images teamed up with Lean In to create a collection of images that portray women in “powerful depictions.” In our own spin on the project, we put the spotlight on a select few of the female population of Jericho, students and teachers alike, to showcase their own personal achievements and perspectives on female empowerment.
Click on any image to view the photo series.
Acting principal Ms. Rosenberg has much experience with female empowerment. “Being empowered is what you make of it. I don’t think people empower you, but how you carry yourself and the reputation you have contributes to empowering yourself. You empower yourself and that can vary from day to day.” Ms. Rosenberg has been a member of the Jericho community for almost her entire life, and the experience has allowed her to appreciate it in a different light. “There are many more girls that are going for things like engineering, computer science, and technology. There are new acceptable roads for girls to go down. The traditional things aren’t what girls are necessarily doing anymore.” She also believes that girls should do what makes them happy in order to be empowered. “Girls need to have a greater sense of self-confidence and should go with what they are good at. People will be a lot happier if they go the route they want to go instead of the route they think they should be going.”
A strong believer in the importance of female empowerment, English teacher Ms. Gulitti has an encouraging perspective on the subject. “I’ve never not felt empowered. Girls should keep pursuing what it is that makes them happy and what makes them want to learn. So yes, girls can excel in math and science, and I think that we do see that at this school. I didn’t become a teacher because it was a female job. I became a teacher because that was what I wanted to do.”
Senior Lauren Goldstein believes that the key to feeling empowered is being one’s self. “I’m comfortable pursuing things that may be uncomfortable for other people and not following the crowd. I don’t always do what is easiest or what is most popular, and being able to find my own outlets for whatever I want to do is empowering.”
Charismatic social studies teacher Ms. Bensen offers a thoughtful opinion on the empowerment of women at Jericho, and particularly on the term “bossy.” “Bossy is effective, but it comes with a tone of voice. If you’re bossy you have to have the tone of voice to affect change. Women might be called bossy when they take charge. Though in taking charge women might have to be more assertive than a man. Bossy gets a lot done. I’ve never minded being called bossy. Bossy is empowering.”
Science Research teacher Ms. McCalla is very dedicated to her students, and through her dedication she finds her empowerment. “I don’t know if everybody receives their proper recognition because it’s hard for some people to exude their excellence here. We have great students, but that doesn’t always correlate back to the teacher. I think that it’s more visual here, in the research program, because the kids say their success is tied to me, which empowers me.” Ms. McCalla believes in the potential of all of her students, especially her girls. “At Intel finals eight out of the top ten finalists were boys, and that definitely did strike a chord with me because there were brilliant projects there by brilliant girls, and they didn’t make it to the top ten. I don’t know if it was their personalities because that does play a role, but there are some biases in judging. That’s something that I have my eye on.”
Junior Rebecca Simon thinks that, “Everyone perceives the world differently, but the way I perceive the world is different from the way my peers do when it comes to my political views, the way I speak out in class, and the way I value education.” Simon believes that women can feel more powerful in the community by “caring more about education and our own empowerment because we do live in an oppressive society because of gender roles.”
Photography teacher Ms. Millmann feels strongly about the need for women to take charge. “I’ve always seen women in powerful executive positions in this district, and that has always been very reassuring. I think that women are underrepresented in government. Half of the population is made up of women, and yet they make up only a very small portion of government, so there’s that.” Ms. Millimann is a staunch advocate of women in general as well. “It’s nice to see girls making their own choices and see them having support for whatever it is they want to do. A sign of a good empowered young person is someone who is thinking about the community in a global perspective.”
English teacher Ms. Bouler has strong opinions on female empowerment. “I hope as a role model I can show you that you can be a little offbeat, you can be a little goofy, you can take some risks, you can lose your temper. You don’t have to be perfect to be successful and happy and empowered. Get a little messy, get a little sloppy, you know? Sometimes it’s the imperfections that make you unique.” When asked about the controversial term “bossy” she said, “Women should take charge. Some say taking charge is bossy, but I say sometimes you need a boss.”
Sophomore Marina Egbaria finds her empowerment through sports. “Playing lots of sports makes me feel like I have an influence in this school and makes me feel strong and important. I have had a lot of opportunities to excel through sports. For example, this year I was the only sophomore on varsity volleyball, and I have been on varsity basketball and varsity softball for my two years of high school. Sports have allowed me to be an empowered individual and without them I would be a different person. Not just in sports, but in life. Girls have to be confident in themselves in order to be empowered.”
Librarian Ms. Ryder feels that girls are capable of great feats at Jericho High School. “In Jericho, everybody is expected to do their best. I don’t see a lot of sexism. The invisible sexism is the part we really have to worry about, but I don’t see girls being judged on a different level.” Ms. Ryder would like to recognize the impressive achievements of the woman of Jericho. “I think we need to raise awareness because girls are already powerful – they just don’t know it. We have to highlight the accomplishments of women to bring them to the forefront.”
English teacher Ms. Hederian believes that the key to feeling empowered is expressing oneself. “It all comes down to voice. Voice, voice, voice. You have to recognize that your perspective is a unique one and it has a right to be heard. It may not be that you stand completely alone because I remember in high school somebody told me, ‘You should voice your opinion because until you do, you don’t know if there are ten other people in the room who agree with you.’ I think that having some confidence in your own perspective and speaking it more often and validating your own voice is really empowering. Too often we feel shut down or silenced, so being empowered means you respectfully voice your opinions about things.”
Junior Marti Rose Shanker explains how her disability empowers her. “I stand out for a number of reasons. I am probably one of the very few people in Jericho who has cochlear implants and is deaf. I have struggled my whole life, but I have accomplished so much and have overcome many obstacles. I don’t let it hold me back.”
