Girls from all different PUSD high schools scribbled notes into their packets as one of the Elect Her workshop’s panelists, PUSD Board Trustee Dr. Darshana Patel, spoke of the importance of women in politics, April 26. 

“The elected position [in government] is only held by 30% of women,” Patel said. “When we get to 60 and 70%, we will be able to change the way we do politics. Women do politics very differently and I’m waiting for that dynamic to change. If we spent half the energy as a society away from taking other people down and put that energy toward lifting people up, we’d be in a much better place right now. Part of that is shifting the dynamic of who is representing us.” 

Hosted by Running Start, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to training young women to run for political offices, the free, three-hour workshop aimed to expose young female students to the world of government. Attendees interacted with a panel of five women whose careers ranged from winning local elections in PUSD and San Diego to working for the Obama administration, along with two student representatives from PUSD high schools.

Shaarika Calidas (9) said hearing the personal stories of the panelists’ encounters with adversity was especially encouraging.

“We asked them about their experiences and what it’s like being a woman in politics and what the challenges are,” Calidas said. “All the answers were really detailed and it was nice to see them share their experiences. Seeing the way they were able to tackle and overcome their issues, for young girls, it’s inspiring to hear.”

With students from all around PUSD,  Samantha Farrell (9) said she was able to discuss issues she cared about in a welcoming environment.

“We were sharing perspectives of our schools, the bad parts and the good parts,” Farrell said. “It was a little intimidating at first because there were a bunch of people from all grades of all schools there, but then once we all introduced ourselves, had some icebreakers, and we started talking, it just felt very judgment-free. It’s great that so many people in PUSD in general are interested in becoming a woman in politics.”

Students were also taught to write “elevator speeches” about an issue they wanted to see change in. They then shared their speeches in groups. 

“My [speech] was on the lack of access to quality health care and how insurance companies are really expensive,” Calidas said. “One of the nicest parts about the workshop is that it lets you focus on a topic of any size as long as you feel connected to it.” 

For Patel, who was among the five speakers, encouraging female students at a young age is vital to building inclusivity.

“There are a lot of situations that happen along a young person’s journey that might be discouraging or make them feel like they don’t belong in a certain space,” Patel said. “Being able to positively reinforce at an impressionable age that they have the capability, skills, and talent to pursue their dreams fully, as long as they’re rightly supported and have the resources, is important.”

Outside the district office, Patel has also been invited to numerous panels for high school students in the past. Patel said it’s her duty to share her lived experiences, as she sees herself in the students she speaks to.

“I don’t like to turn students down if a student invites me,” Patel said. “It’s important for students to feel seen and heard, that when their requests are out there, that adults respond to them. I didn’t get a lot of this mentoring when I was at this age and I always felt like I didn’t belong somewhere or it wasn’t appropriate for me to be there or it wasn’t my turn. Those kinds of messages rang true throughout my childhood, so any chance I get to encourage and support students, I like to do that.”

Calidas said the Elect Her workshop was an empowering experience that made the world of politics a lot more accessible to her.

“My main takeaway is just [learning] there are in fact a lot of resources and a lot of people that you can talk to if you’re interested in becoming a politician,” Calidas said. “The most important thing is staying true to yourself. As young women, we have the power to change problems in our community.”