W.I.S.H. Club, or Women in Science and Health, is a Girls Division club that was started in 2014 by Maria Nelson ’16. The club promotes an open space for girls to express their interests, and find opportunities for internships and other opportunities available in the fields of science and health. The club meets Wednesdays at lunch in room 107, and for that short 50 minutes, the average classroom is transformed into a place of inspiration and passion.

RJ Media interviewed W.I.S.H. Club’s president Maria Nelson ’16 on the club’s vision, their current activities, and the inspiration behind this innovative and empowering club, and the responses are as follows.

RJ Media: Why did you start W.I.S.H.?

Maria: “I started the club last year because I wanted to be a doctor and I knew that there were other girls that had to have the same interests. I wanted to create a group where we could bounce ideas off of each other and where we could find access to internships and other opportunities that are available in the field.”

RJ Media: What aspects made you want to have a club like this at RJ?

Maria: “I wanted to be able to put all of our brains together and have access to the same resources because I know, for me personally, I had to find these things (internships, volunteering, lectures, etc) for myself and I wanted to be able to have a group where all of these resources were readily available for anyone.”

RJ Media: What speakers have you had already, and what speakers do you intend to have?

Maria: “The most well known speaker we had was Connor, the 23 year old, 2 time heart transplant recipient. The whole school was invited to that event and it took place in the Z Theater. On a smaller scale, as a club we have had a zoologist from the Museum of Nature and Science and a professor of paediatric sports medicine come in to talk to the girls in the club about what it means to be a woman in a science career. Later this year, we’re hoping to get a physicist in to talk to the club and a skin cancer presentation before prom to expose the risk of fake tans.”

RJ Media: How do you think this club will grow, and what is the best method for getting the word out?

Maria: “I think that this club will grow as girls begin to understand that science careers don’t just mean that you have to be a doctor and deal with people’s gross body fluids and that it doesn’t mean you have to sit in a lab all the time and never see the light of day. I think that science has been thought of as a men’s field for far too long and so women are scared of approaching it and I believe that my club is one of the things that will equip women to bust through the glass ceiling and tackle the obstacles that science careers throw at them. The best thing we can do to get the word out is to have the girls that are already involved tell their friends. I had an 8th grader come running over to me at Open House because she said her tour guide had insisted that she check out my table. I think that the most important way to get the word out is just to talk about it. This isn’t an exclusive club by any means. You don’t have to even be a girl! If you’re interested at all in science and you see something that you enjoy, by all means, join us!”

While W.I.S.H. does not currently have any upcoming events scheduled, they are working on getting some all school events up on the calendar for next year. They have small speakers coming in to talk to the club about being a woman going into medicine, and all are welcome.

Keep an eye out for posters and listen for announcements for updates!

To contact W.I.S.H., you can email Maria Nelson at nelsonma@student.regisjesuit.com