Featured Image – Kimber Westphall, The Daily Morning News
Over a year ago, when I first wrote about gender stereotyping in youth sports, I was simply observing patterns and asking questions. I noticed subtle moments of exclusion, like the 10-year-old boy’s comment, “I didn’t know girls could do that!” in response to a female coach’s powerful kick. It struck me—these biases were ingrained even in kids as young as eight. After writing that piece, which now has thousands of views, I realized that this was more than just a topic to discuss; it was a call to action. I was ready to step up—not only as someone who talks about the issue but also as someone who actively works to make a difference. There’s still so much more to be done.
So, what did last summer look like? It started with an internship at Girls on the Run Bay Area, a program that uses sports as a vehicle for socio-emotional learning. Through this experience, I witnessed firsthand how sports can empower girls and change their lives. On the first day of the program, many girls were shy, inactive, and had little experience with sports outside of school. But by the end of the semester’s 5k, the transformation went far beyond running. Whether they loved it or hated it, these girls gained confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of accomplishment. The journey from uncertainty to empowerment was visible in their faces and actions. Despite being a small organization with just four employees, our intern team helped expand the program’s reach, ultimately contributing to its goal of reaching thousands of kids every semester.
Seeing the success of this program fueled my desire to make an even larger impact. As part of the intern team, I helped recruit 400 new students, surpassing past recruiting numbers. Motivated by this progress, I partnered with Voice in Sport (VIS) to bridge the gender gap in national sports participation. Now, I work on crafting policy, speaking at congressional meetings, and leading workshops to raise awareness about stereotyping and promote inclusivity. Today, I’m also part of the VIS advisory team, helping expand recruitment efforts and amplify the program’s mission.
Additionally, I began collaborating with WomenX, an organization dedicated to advancing women’s education, to create the first-ever scalable high school curriculum specifically focused on gender equity. This curriculum redefines traditional teaching methods by incorporating topics like data feminism, which challenges gender biases in how data is collected and analyzed. Through this approach, we aim to empower students to critically examine their education and ask better questions: Who benefits from the current system? Who gets left behind? Whose voices and experiences are represented?
My contributions in this field earned me a spot as the only high school student selected for the Fall 2024 HERNINE Fellowship, a leadership program that empowers college women to champion gender equity initiatives. As part of the fellowship, I am leading a capstone blog series exploring various gender equity issues, including data feminism, and conducting a mass survey to examine the public’s understanding of equity. (Stay tuned!)
At the end of the day, building this community is deeply personal to me. It’s born from my own experiences navigating spaces where I didn’t always feel like I belonged. As a girl at the skatepark, I often worried about fitting in, one of the few girls among mostly boys. But joining the “Skate Like a Girl” program shifted my focus from fitting in to simply enjoying skating for what it was. It reminded me that my passion was enough to make me feel at home. That’s the mindset I want every girl to have—where passion, not gender, defines their place.
