ROX, or Ruling Our eXperiences, is a women’s empowerment program and a club at Harding High School, supervised by Mrs. Betsy Abbott and Mrs. Kalyn Bash. This club teaches girls at Harding various things, from being safe online and on social media, to dealing with personal relationships, to coping with some of school’s many stressors. ROX member Niyemah Dixon-Melton says that “We make women feel good about themselves!”
Every meeting, club members fill out worksheets with questions that the members discuss. Sometimes there are group activities that aid in allowing girls to feel more confident in themselves and their education, as well as other aspects of their lives. They also brainstorm ways to help girls who aren’t in ROX feel just as confident. “We were thinking about going into the girl’s bathrooms and writing stuff on the mirrors or like, putting posters in there,” says Niyemah. ROX member Nai Loaeza adds that there’s a possibility of working together with Venus club, and shares other ideas they’ve come up with, like getting a bulletin board they can post club updates on, or creating a support group any girl at school can join.
Girls can join Harding’s ROX program through teacher or counselor recommendations, but the program is one you can only do once. They meet Mondays and Wednesdays after school to talk about “girl stuff” in a safe space that allows them to speak freely about anything, and the members of ROX can’t wait to guide and inspire the community of young women here at Harding High School!