Less than one-tenth of Fortune 500 companies are run by women. That concerns Luna Wang, the President of the Women in Business (WIB) club at Winston Churchill High School.
“Throughout history, there has been significant gender inequality in the workplace…today, the gender gap is gradually narrowing,” Wang said. “Our club is committed to offering an environment that allows girls to explore career paths in business.”
WIB, which hosts workshops and information sessions with industry professionals, is not the only club at Churchill helping women in traditionally male-dominated industries. Elizabeth Qiu leads Women in Politics (WIP). Her interest in politics stemmed from a politically-active music teacher who inspired her to learn more.
“Our goal is to increase student involvement and awareness in politics, specifically for women,” Qiu said. “We launched an active blog…I also helped launch an active GroupMe community since the breakout of COVID and we still have it growing strong.”
The club has had notable guest speakers including Montgomery County’s Student Member of the Board Hana O’Looney, State Delegate Lily Qi (a Churchill graduate), and former government official and business executive Amie Hoeber. Hoeber’s visit was arranged in collaboration between WIB and WIP.
Sonia Bhatia is in charge of Girls Who Code (GWC), which started as a national push to get more women in computer science. Bhatia joined as a sophomore to meet others interested in coding. GWC plans to eventually expand to middle schools.
“It gives girls a place where they know they will be welcomed and encouraged to learn about computer science,” Bhatia said. “I’ve learned the importance of problem-solving through coding and how working as a team is most helpful when trying to complete a project.”