About Shanzay & Alexis
Alexis and Shanzay are both extremely passionate about women's empowerment and raising awareness about gender inequality. In 2013, the two then high school Seniors created Powerful Women as a way to work on the social justice issue they both deeply care about. They divided the project into two parts to address the issue in different ways.
The first part of their project has been interviewing many people with various world views to hear their opinions on gender inequality, record their advice for teens and hear their personal and professional experiences.
The second part of the project involves hosting workshops for girls in middle schools in and around the Bay Area. The first workshop is to explain the concept of gender inequality and how it can be seen in media and the workforce. The second workshop is to empower the young girls and remind them they can do anything they set their heart to.
Shanzay and Alexis would love to hear from you! If you are interesting in helping out in any way, getting interviewed, or inviting them to your school, let them know! Check out how to contact them in the "Contact" tab or in the upper right hand corner!
The first part of their project has been interviewing many people with various world views to hear their opinions on gender inequality, record their advice for teens and hear their personal and professional experiences.
The second part of the project involves hosting workshops for girls in middle schools in and around the Bay Area. The first workshop is to explain the concept of gender inequality and how it can be seen in media and the workforce. The second workshop is to empower the young girls and remind them they can do anything they set their heart to.
Shanzay and Alexis would love to hear from you! If you are interesting in helping out in any way, getting interviewed, or inviting them to your school, let them know! Check out how to contact them in the "Contact" tab or in the upper right hand corner!
Shanzay Kazmi is 18 years old and is currently a first year at Wellesley College in Boston, MA. Before Wellesley, she attended Notre Dame high school in the Silicon Valley with her partner, Alexis. Shanzay discovered her deep interest in women's empowerment and gender inequality in the beginning of Junior year and soon approached Alexis Ajluni to start Powerful Women. She co-founded Powerful Women ("PowWow") with Alexis at the end of their junior year, and they have been building their organization every since. She plans to pursue a business major in college and hopes to start her own business one day. Shanzay is passionate about various social justice issues from women's empowerment to alleviating poverty; she works with organizations like Sehr Garage and her school's social justice leadership team to raise awareness about these issues. Shanzay's goal is to help make the world a better place and to leave an impact in some way.
Alexis Ajluni is 18 years old and currently attends Notre Dame High School located in the Silicon Valley. She plans to pursue a career in entrepreneurship and has big dreams for her future startup. In addition to co-founding Powerful Women, Alexis is also working on Student Bill of Rights, a student-based initiative to reform the education system, and Kiva Walk California, an event to raise awareness for the MFI. She is also involved with an advocacy leadership club at her school that aims to raise awareness and action on social justice issues in the community. In October of 2013, Alexis attended the Kiva U Summit with Shanzay and left as a microfinance enthusiast. Also in 2013, she was featured on Girl Rising's blog and on the front page of the Evergreen Times. She is constantly trying to find new ways to get involved and plans to intern with a tech company this upcoming summer, in addition to pursuing and founding her own personal venture. Alexis has a lot of faith in her generation and believes that teenagers are the future because they've been raised at a time when the world is dramatically changing from year to year, giving them the ability to adapt to innovation unlike any other generation. She argues that teenagers hold the most creative and outspoken minds of today. Alexis's goal has become that of proving this statement to be true.
Follow her on Twitter.
Follow her on Twitter.
About Maude
Maude Gull is a 18 years old and a Senior at Notre Dame High School located in the Silicon Valley. This is her second project working toward gender equality. The first was a feminist club she helped build up in her Junior year called Femme Forte. The club strives to create a dialogue about gender inequality in school. Recent presentations include talking about women in STEM, women of color, and women who suffer from fistulas. For her senior service learning project, or SSLP, Maude chose to get involved in Pow Wow, because sexism and gender inequality is an issue that has influenced her life strongly and she feels the need to make a change to the current situation, especially as she strives towards a major in the STEM-field. In the future she hopes to combat the issue not only on a local base, but also internationally and in her home country, Switzerland.
About Siya (President of Notre Dame Chapter)
Siya Bahal is a rising senior at Notre Dame High School. As one of the co-presidents of the Notre Dame chapters of PowWow, she is passionate about gender equality, womens’ rights and education rights. Siya got involved with PowWow at the end of her junior year when Shanzay and Alexis graduated and Siya volunteered to join the project as President of a new Notre Dame chapter. She joined as she felt the issues PowWow worked to resolve truly aligned with what she cared about in the world. Siya is interested in English, Philosophy and Psychology and is excited to integrate these interests with her work at PowWow. In the future, Siya hopes to raise awareness about women’s issues - and would specifically like to get boys involved and informed about this issue. She would also like to work on gaining rights for women on a global issue, as she realizes the rights that she is granted many women around the world are not.
About Amara
Amara Greco is 17 years old and a Senior at Notre Dame High School located in the Silicon Valley. This is her second project working toward gender equality. The first was a feminist club she started in her Junior year called Femme Forte. The club strives to create a dialogue about gender inequality in school. Recent presentations include talking about women in STEM, women of color, and women who suffer from fistulas. For her senior service learning project, or SSLP, Amara chose to get involved in Pow Wow in order to extend the conversation about women's rights outside of the class room. In the future she hopes start other projects in college to further raise consciousness about sexism.