Women In Waukee

In a country that is constantly trying to degrade women and take away our rights as if we are any different than men, it is important to celebrate all the amazing women in power that we have not only in our world but in our school. March is Women’s History Month, along with Women’s History Day which falls on March 8th. It is so vital that we recognize women for the outstanding work they do in their prospective fields as they are often overlooked in the shadow of men. We are fortunate to have so many amazing women leaders at Waukee. So we interviewed just a handful of the many women in leadership positions here at Waukee and asked them some questions about their roles. As well as asking them to describe any challenges they face being a woman in power. By doing this we not only want to highlight these women but encourage other young women to take on leadership positions as well! 

Alexis Moore is a senior and a leader in the many different activities she is involved in. More specifically Alexis represents the high school as she was elected to be our student body president for the 24-25 school year. This is rare as there was a big gap in years of women student body presidents. We asked Alexis what she hopes to see in the Student Council next year as well as highlighting any challenges she faces as a women leader. 

“As a school, we are not divided in any way; however, we often feel separated by demographics relating to the activities we are involved in. I think it would be exciting to find opportunities to get students talking to one another about activities that they may not even know are offered within the school. That way, we build collective respect for activities and those involved in them….With the extensive range of activities that Waukee High School has to offer, it is important to recognize the diverse group of leaders that are behind them, and I hope that the young women of our school feel proud of themselves for having the confidence in their minds and abilities to make waves of impact all around them, even when others fail to respect their ambitions and acknowledge their undeniable capabilities.”

Emilie Sorensen is a senior, the Captain of the basketball team, and has turned many heads with her playing. She also has scored 1,000 points in her Basketball career. Emilie is also continuing a career in Basketball as she is committed to playing at Northern Illinois University. We asked Emilie what it means to her to represent the Waukees girl’s basketball team, as well as describe any discrimination she has faced as a female leader. 

“It means a lot to be in a leadership role throughout Waukee. I take a lot of pride in representing my teammates, school, and female athletes as a whole. I want to show everyone that females can be strong, competitive, and smart all at the same time…One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is having to prove myself. Sometimes people underestimate female athletes or leaders in general and assume they are overbearing. Being a confident leader helps me overcome that challenge at times.”

Ana Bull is a senior and the Thespian President for Waukee’s Thespian Troupe #1451. Ana has been involved and highlighted in theatre many times for her outstanding acting, not only in Thespian Events but also in the mainstage Fall Plays and Spring Musicals as well as Speech to which she has gone to All-State numerous times. We asked Ana what it means to her to be a part of such a massive organization, the International Thespian Society, as well as to illustrate the challenges she has faced as a female in power. 

“I love being a part of this group because it gives me a strong connection with every other thespian. We are all here for the same reason: to have fun, improve our skills, and create wonderful productions we can look back on and smile at. Being able to represent this troupe is an honor, because it has given so much to me, and I want to be able to give to it…I would say the biggest challenge is that some people don’t take me as seriously. This doesn’t feel the best at all, however, I continue to do my job as effectively as possible. I would say a lot of other female leaders have to face this as well when they are also extremely capable and fit for the role.”

Maryum Khan is a senior and in many leadership roles in our school. She helps to represent students from all walks of life. She also gives back to the community through many different programs. On top of the many organizations Maryum is a part of, she also finds time to lead smaller gatherings like programming clubs. We asked Maryum what it means to her to be the face of so many people. As well as asking her to share any instances of discrimination she has faced as a female leader. 

“I take pride in being a role model who can encourage young women and all students to pursue their passions confidently. Representation matters, and I hope my role helps others see that leadership is attainable for everyone… One of the biggest challenges is overcoming stereotypes and being taken seriously in leadership roles. Sometimes, female leaders have to work harder to prove themselves and gain respect. Another challenge is balancing confidence with approachability — while strong leadership is important, there’s often an expectation for women to be more accommodating, which can be a tricky balance. But, it has helped me develop stronger self-advocacy and problem-solving skills.”

Lauren Nidey is a senior and the Captain of the Soccer team. Lauren has been involved in Soccer her whole life as her dad is a coach, so she grew up watching and learning on the sidelines and has been playing ever since. Lauren is also continuing her career next year as she is committed to the Milwaukee Panthers. We asked Lauren what she hopes to see on her team after she’s gone, as well as asking her to describe any challenges she faces as a woman in power.  

“I’ve been working hard for the past couple of years to make sure that culture is a big thing. When I came in as a freshman, the seniors were never on Varsity and didn’t know how to treat the others. And so for the past couple of years, I’ve worked hard to make sure everyone feels included. And they feel like they are as high as a Captain even though they’re not specifically a Captain, but they feel that they can speak their mind and say what they want. And we can figure it out from there…I wouldn’t say there are challenges because I’m a female, I would say it’s just that everyone has these challenges. And especially as a Captain you expected a lot higher than others and being that point figure for not just your players but also on the field the refs are coming to talk to you, other coaches are coming to talk to you and you have to figure out how to fix things on the spot. I would say that’s hard for all athletes.” 

Shreeya Koli is a senior and has been a drum major for both the 23-24 and the 24-25 marching band seasons. This is a high honor and a challenge as only 3 people are directing a band of about 100 people and Shreeya is one of them! Shreeya also plays in many other bands at the school. We asked Shreeya what she did early on in her high school career that helped prepare her for her leadership role, as well as asking her to illustrate issues she has faced being a woman in power. 

“I made sure to present myself in a mature light from the get-go. If you suddenly become a leader after goofing off the whole time no one is going to take you seriously. So you have to make sure you’re responsibly presenting yourself at all times. Just because it was during the marching band season that I had my leadership positions, the job is year-round. I still have to think about all of my actions no matter what point of view it is or what I’m doing…I like to think I’m in an environment where it’s not any different than if I were a male leader. If I am treated any differently I don’t think much of it because I don’t want it to be something that affects me. I try to present myself authoritatively and get people to take me seriously, there are always people that tend to not listen to me. I think it’s just the aspect of actually trying to take charge when you think these people aren’t gonna respect you, it can be difficult at times but you just have to do it.”

We are so incredibly lucky to have a student body and staff that does not discriminate based on gender as these people were either picked by students or staff members. But just because it isn’t so bad in Waukee doesn’t mean that it still doesn’t exist. We have made a lot of progress in the feminist movement and Waukee is a great example of that, but that doesn’t mean that we are done. We need to keep fighting for women’s rights so that the next round of women in power don’t have to face as much discrimination as women do now, and so that young girls can have the confidence to keep applying for these positions. 

Graphic by Noa Nyguard using Canva