By Lara Almeida and Seun Samuel, co-presidents of the She’s The First Chapter at Clark High School, Plano, Texas.
Why do you need feminism? Challenging stereotypes about what it means to be feminist and connecting it to their personal lives, students at Clark High School’s She’s the First Chapter in Plano, Texas, crafted empowering posters answering this compelling question.
We are sixteen-year-old sophomores, Lara Almeida and Seun Samuel. We will graduate in 2026 and are co-presidents of Clark’s STF chapter. After stumbling across a poster about the STF chapter last year (previously led by former Clark students Meryl Zhang and Krishnan Variyam), we avidly joined, excited to advocate for women’s education, with Seun becoming chapter secretary. Involved ever since, we decided to run the club together as co-presidents the following year.
The authors, Lara and Seun, with their posters.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, our “Power Poster” meeting began with a discussion on International Women’s Day, what feminism means to us, and how it relates to each student personally. We asked, “How has being in She’s the First changed your definition of feminism?,” and “What are some instances where you had to advocate for gender equality?” From there, participants answered “Why do you need feminism?” on their posters and got together for an engaging group picture.
Students got into it, reflecting and recalling examples from their own lives.
“We wanted chapter members to understand that being a feminist can be simple, personal, and relevant to everyone’s life.”
Some responses included “Girls in debate are criticized for being 'aggressive' while trying to make a point, while boys are praised for doing the same thing," and "We still associate 'teacher' and 'nurse' as female jobs while 'professor' and 'doctor' are seen as male jobs."
The posters ignited meaningful conversation, too. “I remember talking to a friend about how she knows someone who blatantly told her they believe women deserve less rights than men,” recalls Lara. Looking for an empowering project for their chapter to finish the year strong, we were inspired by pictures from a viral online campaign titled “Who Needs Feminism?,” designed in 2012 by students from Duke University's course, “Women in the Public Sphere.”
We wanted chapter members to understand that being a feminist can be simple, personal, and relevant to everyone’s life.
Why the Co-Presidents Need Feminism
“My family in Brazil has always told me stories of sexual abuse, femicide, and machismo that especially drive my fight for feminism. A family friend once told me their grandfather beat up their daughter because he wanted a boy. Beyond that, day-to-day experiences like getting told to ‘take a joke’ when I call out comments about rape or hearing about laws limiting women's reproductive health on the news only add to that,” says Lara.
Seun adds, "We need feminism because women’s education should be viewed as a fundamental right, not a privilege. In Nigeria, my extended family faces challenges accessing proper education due to government corruption and prioritizing monetary interests over students' welfare. Additionally, the quality of basic education is extremely poor, even in public schools, further hindering my cousin’s education and depriving them of opportunities they deserve.”
In running their chapter, Seun and Lara have used STF resources to teach students about The Global Girls' Bill of Rights®, featured pictures from STF’s partner organization, Msichana Empowerment Kuria, in presentations about female genital mutilation (FGM) for the United Nations 16 Days of Activism, inspired members with stories about STF Girl Activist Fellows, and use the STF Chapter Guides.
Beyond having their posters featured in Girl Talk, the highlight of their year was raising $900 in the She’s The First “The Future is Ours” fundraising competition during a bake sale and boosting girls’ confidence in talking about women’s health in meetings about period poverty and stigma as well as FGM.
Bios
Lara Almeida (pictured on the left) is a 16-year-old Brazilian-American student passionate about women’s rights and education. Co-president of a She’s the First chapter at school, she hopes to inspire girls to be comfortable tackling tough topics like menstrual health, sexual abuse, FGM, femicide, and more. An avid artist, she loves to use traditionally feminine mediums like embroidery and crochet in award-winning artworks recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and the Visual Arts Scholastic Event. In her free time, she loves to cozy up with a cup of tea to draw, paint, crochet, or read.
Seun Samuel (pictured on the right), a 16-year-old African American student and Co-President of She’s the First chapter at school, is driven to empower girls worldwide by advocating for gender equality and educational opportunities. Outside of activism, she enjoys journaling, diving into documentaries with popcorn in her hands, and bonding with her mom over cooking sessions on Sundays. With a love for teaching and inspiring the next generation, she serves as the Youth leader coordinator at her church, working to facilitate learning and foster a positive and inclusive environment.