Women for Women International hosts holiday card event

Sophomores+Selina+Xu%2C+Meishin+Yen+and+Claire+Miao+work+on+cards+at+a+table+outside+of+Manzanita+with+chapter+president+Ishani+Sood+%2810%29+and+vice+president+of+outreach+Trisha+Iyer+%2810%29+during+the+upper+school+Women+for+Women+Internationals+holiday+card+writing+event+on+Dec.+7.

Desiree Luo

Sophomores Selina Xu, Meishin Yen and Claire Miao work on cards at a table outside of Manzanita with chapter president Ishani Sood (10) and vice president of outreach Trisha Iyer (10) during the upper school Women for Women International’s holiday card writing event on Dec. 7.

by Desiree Luo, Asst. Sports Editor

The upper school’s newly founded Women for Women International (WFWi) chapter set up a table outside of Manzanita Hall during lunch on Dec. 7 for students and faculty to create holiday cards for women in Afghanistan.

Sophomores Ananya Sriram, Claire Miao, Olivia Xu, Selina Xu and Meishin Yen and upper school speech and debate teacher Scott Odekirk created a dozen cards using supplies provided by Director of Upper School Community Service and Student Activities Coordinator Kerry Enzensperger.

According to vice president of outreach Trisha Iyer (10), WFWi plans to mail these cards to the foundation headquarters in New York City, which will then send cards created by chapters around the nation to women in countries devastated by war, including Afghanistan.

“Making cards is a great way to give back to the community,” attendee Claire Miao (10), who decorated her cards with adhesive gems, said. “I had a great time with my friends decorating the cards, and we were able to get into the [holiday] spirit before finals.”

Founded in early November by Trisha, chapter president Ishani Sood (10) and vice president of events Shareen Chahal (10), the Harker upper school WFWi chapter is part of the Women for Women International global development organization, which has aided women in impoverished and war-torn nations since its founding in 1993 through fundraisers, volunteer work and speaker events. The chapter held its first meeting during lunch on Nov. 8 in Director of Student Organizations Eric Kallbrier’s office. 

“[My favorite part of the event was] seeing those completed cards and seeing how many people took some time to express love and care to someone they’ll never meet,” Odekirk said, who stopped by the table on his way to Manzanita Hall. “If we don’t have empathy for those who are in different circumstances than us, then society never changes.”

The chapter leaders have a subsequent card decorating event planned for early January, according to Trisha. The completed cards will be sent to New York afterward.

“It’s really important [to hold these events] because we’re so privileged to have all of these [holiday decorations], but people in war-torn countries don’t have that holiday feeling, so we’re trying to spread a bit of holiday love to people who don’t have it,” Ishani said.