So many women have done incredible things that haven’t been recognized by men. This type of behavior is true even at our school.

Teacher Ruth Delange teaches Woodshop here at derby highschool. By being a woman in STEM she’s had to face several adversities on the path to becoming a teacher.

“You have to prove yourself that you’re not an idiot or just the token girl. It can be frustrating because the guys don’t get it… but it is also really rewarding,” Delange said.

It was very difficult for her to find her place in STEM dealing with the troubles of simply being a woman who enjoys the subjects of math and science. She was also told that she was meant to be an artist, so she made a choice to become the very opposite of an artist. 

“I took a lot of STEM classes in high school… and every time they did that interest inventory it came back as an artist, so I was like I’m not going to be no artist. So I did everything the complete opposite… I fought against it,” she said.

The idea that women aren’t smart enough to be involved in science and math is odd because women were the “originally computer nerds”.

“Women have been in STEM for years, decades even before personal computers were a thing, so the computers nerds were the women,” Delange stated.

With this said, women belong in the STEM field and they continue to make it better, as they continue to demonstrate what they’re capable of.

“There’s nothing that boys can do that girls can’t do when it comes to STEM, there are different perspectives that help you think in different ways because sometimes guys see one path, and as a woman, you can see multiple paths,” she said.

Of course, there will always be the stupid man who can’t see the intelligence of women despite their great amount of knowledge. 

It can’t be easy to join the Robotics Club to see the small number of girls there are in one environment, yet that didn’t stop freshman Miranda King.

“It’s a little difficult being the only female in class being around a bunch of males… because it is a little hard when they don’t think you’re as good as them… or that you’re only good for certain things,” Miranda said. 

She’s had to adjust to an unwelcoming space, but nonetheless, she continues to thrive due to her love for robotics.

“I started out in my sixth-grade year since my family has always been into engineering, so I was like I want to try that,” said King.

It’s clear that she has taken an interest in robotics for a pretty long time, and she has a deep love for it, as she plans to continue doing robotics for the foreseeable future.

“I’ve just grown to love it more and more and haven’t stopped and I don’t want to stop, as I want to continue it going to college and become an engineer,” she said.

Miranda King gives such a good example about not giving up when you’re struggling, especially when it comes to proving you belong alongside the men with who you’re just as qualified.

When it comes to wrestling, it is widely considered a “man’s sport”, yet junior Amara Esha shows, as the 2x State Champion, that women can be dominant, powerful wrestlers too.

“Here our boys’ team is already good, so they don’t need girls to come in and help them, and so they really don’t give us any respect,” said Esha.

Amara is such a skilled wrestler and yet because she’s a woman she still is forced to hear insults thrown her way questioning her seemingly obvious talent. 

“I’ve heard girls wrestling isn’t a sport and that it doesn’t matter… I’m a two-time state champion and it never changes,” she said. 

Esha wanted to make a change in the world of girls wrestling by coming to Derby Highschool, and she did just that.

“I only came to Derby to wrestle. And I knew that no other girls had really done anything with wrestling, as nobody became a state champ or even placed, so I set that goal for myself,” Esha said. 

Before evening coming to our school she dedicated herself to becoming the state champion. She is truly amazing and her guidance leaves a wonderful example to other girl wrestlers.

“I want a change for the little girls who come in, they don’t need to be treated like that, so I’ll walk so they can run,” she said.

 She tries her hardest to inspire those girls around her by being so adept at what she does. 

“Becoming a state champ at Derby is a big deal especially when you’re the first girl… the guys come around a little bit to watch me sometimes and they enjoy my company here and there,” Amara Esha said.

Finally, as girls’ wrestling continues to grow and become exceedingly more popular, the guys will have to get used to it eventually. 

Mindy Grow teaches several physical education classes and truly values the wellness of the human body, even to the point of lifting weights during an interview. 

“Weight lifting is just as important as eating healthy foods… I think we know women aren’t weak and if our bodies don’t look weak then people won’t take us as weak personalities and weak people because we can be strong inside and out,” Grow said.

Which is why it is so important to take care of your body internally and externally.

“I think it’s just as important as anything else… because it is the one thing that builds bone mass as you age, nothing else does and we need healthy bones because osteoporosis is highly likely in women as you get older,” she said. 

Prioritizing your health and your body’s well-being is so important to stay healthy and continue to be a strong woman as Mrs. Grow herself is. 

“A lot of women have to fend and do a lot of things for themselves, and that includes things around the house, so before we would get men to do the heavy lifting… and now women can do it if they stay strong,” she said.

There are masses of independent women out there who rely on themselves to get things done and not some man to do it for them.

There are all sorts of different women out there who each have their own individual strengths, so women should be valued for who they are and what we as women bring to the table.