March is known as Women’s History Month, a time meant to celebrate the achievements, work and contributions of women. Clubs at CHS such as Women in Law, Girls Who Code, and Women in STEM have created a community for female students to learn and grow in many male-dominated fields.

Women in Law

Women in Law is a club for girls to learn about the legal field. The club is primarily a discussion-oriented group and analyzes past legal cases. Recently, they discussed the Flint Water Crisis with their guest speaker Attorney Leslie Mitchell Kroger.

“Even though there’s been progression in recent years, it’s still an underrepresented community in such a male-dominated field and so many legal opportunities,” club founder sophomore Victoria Raimist said. “Primary goal for women in law is to create a welcoming space for everyone and perhaps in the future do some enlightenment projects and give back to the community.”  

The club has invited guest speakers such as Judge Sue Abreu and Judge Emily Krause of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel of the NRC and are planning to invite more. To find out about their upcoming meetings and activities, follow the club’s Instagram @chswomeninlaw.

Girls Who Code

Similar to Women in Law, Girls Who Code is a club for girls who want to expand their knowledge in the field of technology. The club focuses on empowering girls and teaching them about various STEM fields.

“We do fun activities and data analysis to understand computer science,” junior Anika Giri said. “Computer science is a growing field and it’s important to at least understand the basics. Girls might not feel that motivated to join this field because of the male majority, but we want to support them and show them that it’s very much possible.”

Girls Who Code has hosted meetings on cryptography, website building and Artificial Intelligence. For their November meeting, Girls Who Code invited three guest speakers from Microsoft: Chloe Hassal, Vanshika Reddy, and Steve Shilling. Students can follow their Instagram @chantillygwc to receive updates on future meetings.

Women in Science

The Women in Science club focuses on experiments and activities such as making perfumes using natural essence, creating Christmas ornaments and earning opportunities for service hours.

“Women in Science is known for helping girls feel confident in pursuing science as a career,” junior Maggie Sun said. “I really like the hands-on component of Women in Science. It feels very practical as opposed to just listening to a lecture or doing your own research.” 

The club invites female guests who share their experience in the field. Recently, University of Virginia biochemistry graduate Kate Kraichely visited and Dr. Paule Valery Joseph from the National Institute of Health is set to be a guest speaker in the future. Follow Women in Science   Instagram page @chantillywis to receive updates and upcoming meetings.

“We foster a community of different women who are interested in science,” junior Rereoluwa Akinyemi said. “A lot of women are underrepresented in science and just having a community where you can fall back and learn with peers who have a passion for STEM is really incredible.”