Here at HerCampus we’re all about women empowerment and strength. So, you can bet when we heard about three UCLA women who are dedicated to this very cause, we knew they had to be our Campus Celebrities. Daria Cortes, Jessica Moran, and Emily Nguyen are three UCLA students who saw a cause they were passionate about and decided to take action. So what exactly did they do? These three women are part of the leadership team that is bringing the WYSE (Women and Youth Supporting Each Other) organization back to UCLA. We sat down with these three very inspiring women to learn a little bit more about the WYSE and see what advice they have for anyone else interested in starting a club or organization.
HerCampus: So what exactly is WYSE?
Daria Cortes: WYSE is a mentoring organization that focuses on empowering middle school girls so they can be strong confident women in the future.
Jessica Moran: We focus on girls who live in underserved communities because these are often the girls who need the most guidance.
Emily Nguyen: WYSE was established here at UCLA in 1992 and we have 11 branches nationally, but the UCLA branch unfortunately died out a couple of years back, so we’re getting it up and running again.
HC: What initially drew you to the WYSE organization?
EN: I’ve always really like the idea of peer mentorship, and I’m the youngest in my family so I really wanted to take on the role of big sister to younger girls and help prepare them for their futures.
JM: I actually was mentored through the WYSE program in middle school and it was a really great experience for me. When I heard about the opportunity to bring it back to UCLA I kind of felt like it was my turn to give back to a program that is really special to me.
DC: I’ve always been really big on women empowerment. I have a really close relationship with my mom and I know that lots of girls aren’t fortunate enough to have that kind of role model, especially in underserved communities. I see some of my close friends that I know could have changed their futures with a little bit of guidance and this was my biggest inspiration for getting involved with W.Y.S.E.
HC: What’s been the hardest part about starting up a club?
JM: I think dealing with outside organizations like the school districts and coordinating a curriculum that is really relevant and applicable to middle school girls has probably been the biggest challenge we’ve faced so far.
EN: Yeah, I think working with the middle school and getting a curriculum that fits has definitely been a bigger challenge than we expected.
DC: Making a fun curriculum that is still both empowering and inspirational has definitely been a bigger challenge than we prepared for.
HC: Do you have any advice for girls who are interested in starting a campus wide club?
JM: Be committed to your cause because there’s always going to be more work than you’d expect, but being able to say that you worked for something your passionate about is the most rewarding experience.
EN: Have a good foundation and support system and always have good communication with your team.
DC: Don’t be afraid of working hard, be aware that things don’t come together on their own. You have to be ready to put in long hours, but just know you’ll feel the greatest sense of accomplishment when you’re all done.
*The WYSE organization is currently looking for strong, motivated women to join their mentorship team. If you would like more information about the organization and how you can get involved, please contact specialactivities.wyse@gmail.com.
Picture Caption: Left to Right- Emily Nguyen, Daria Cortes, Jessica Moran.