Chelsea Tirrell is president of She’s the First*{Hofstra}, which recently raised $600 to sponsor girls in the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off.
On Thursday, December 1st, She’s the First*{Hofstra} had our very first experience Skyping with some of our sponsored girls in India and, simply put, it was amazing.
Chelsea Tirrell leads her campus chapter in a Skype call with Shanti Bhavan girls in India!
As president of our chapter, I wanted to do something special for my members after a semester filled with hard work. When I needed someone to fill in an atrium table slot, someone was there. When I needed meeting attendance to be prompt and plentiful, everyone was there. When I needed to bake over 600 cupcakes, everyone was there. Their passion and dedication hadn’t gone unnoticed and it’s their loyalty to this cause that lead our chapter to such success this year. For that, I knew they needed a reward. They needed a meeting that wasn’t a meeting but rather, an opportunity for them to see what all of their hard work had gone toward. And with that, I reached out to Christen Brandt who connected me with Brianne Riviello. Together, we put together STF*{Hofstra}’s notably awesome Skype chat with India.
We connected with four girls from the Shanti Bhavan school in India with the help of their coordinator, Rahil. Once we got the camera and audio to finally work, we were welcomed by Vijayalakshmi (Viji) in 9th grade, Sujatha in 10th grade, Pratibha in 11th grade and Maheshwari (Mahesh) in 12th grade. I couldn’t tell who was more excited to speak with who, but it was an all around session of smiles and laughs.
We learned that they loved Harry Potter and Twilight, that they played basketball and loved to dance, and that they had dreams – some bigger than our own – that were backed by relentless eyes.
These girls were the first females in their families to get an education and we learned why. Some of their mothers couldn’t afford it while others married young and didn’t have the opportunity. But luckily for these girls, they finally had the chance thanks to She’s the First.
These girls are as real as they’re going to get. They’re curious, smart, passionate, and excited to take on the world that’s ahead of them. To have a part in an organization that helps send such amazing girls to school is a bigger honor than most can say they’ve gained.
Raising money is one thing. But when you get up close and personal, it changes the name of the game. The connection we made is one that I will carry with me for the rest of my involvement with She’s the First. And as for my members? It’s a Skype call that changed their prospective on things. It’s given them a desire to be more involved and a greater appreciation for what we have here and what we can give.
