Female Leaders of Tomorrow (FLT) held its first official meeting on September 8 with an unfathomable amount of support. Located in room 608, female students from all grade levels filled up seats in preparation for the meeting and pondered what the unique club would bring for female empowerment. Shortly after everyone settled, junior club president and founder Bianca Orfila-Molinet arranged a quick trivia match about prominent figures in feminism, such as Marie Curie and Marsha P. Johnson. As students raised their hands to answer, their engagement showcased their desire for becoming future leaders but most importantly displayed their faith in the newly founded club. 

When asked about her reasoning for founding the club, Orfila-Molinet explained that her idea sprouted from the sudden rise of toxic masculinity. As internet personalities such as Andrew Tate and SNEAKO popularized toxic misogynistic ideals, their influence was perpetuated throughout NC. Orfila-Molinet felt a sense of moral discontent and wanted to make a club where not only girls felt supported, but where others would learn ways to avoid misogynistic role models. 

“I’ve been noticing a lot of sexism going on at school and around me all my life, and I just wanted to make a safe space for people of all genders, as well as bring attention to issues women and girls face,” Orfila-Molinet said. 

Not only does FLT act as a safe space for unheard voices, but it intends to teach women about career pathways of their choosing. In future meetings, the club plans to provide members with basic life skills such as sewing and cleaning. Additionally, the club plans to educate women about the skills in male-dominated workshops. FLT wants to coach women about such expertise, as it provides members with enough preparation as they advance into their post-high school lives.

The club intends to meet every Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. but plans to reduce their meetings to once a month as the club progresses. FLT understands that extremely busy students cannot attend, so they want to make the club available whenever fundraising opportunities arise. Future goals for the brand new club include fundraising for organizations that prevent and bring awareness to assault and domestic abuse survivors, as well as fundraising for breast cancer awareness.

For the club’s first meeting, attendees wrote letters to women who positively influenced their lives. Several students shared their letters with their peers, describing the significance of their mothers and female friends and even female celebrities. With the simple task of letters, members of the new club talked with one another and built a sense of unity with unfamiliar people. FLT strives to promote femininity through unity and hopes it will grow as a club and a community during the upcoming months. 

“I think that this club is a wonderful idea, and I’m very glad that it was made. I think it is being run by a wonderful woman that everybody can look up to, and I think it’s going to teach women some great skills that they weren’t taught in other places,” senior Mia Courtney said.