There’s chatter around the room. Girls talking amongst themselves waiting for what’s to come next. One thing they all have in common; a pink slip. A pink slip inviting them to better understand themselves, or to open their eyes about issues. Suddenly, the mindless chatter stops, and the event finally begins.

On Tuesday, April 23, girls could be seen walking into the multipurpose gym. The Girls in Pearls decided to invite the girls to a self-defense lesson with the police officers.

“[I decided to go] because a lot of girls told me about it and I thought it would be interesting,” sophomore Selena Najera said.

After the event, girls like Najera said that they “felt more protected”.

The next day, Wednesday, April 24, the Girls in Pearls held an event in the auditorium. “There were pink note things with words on them. Labels. We had to put one on that someone had called us before,” Ronica Mcgrath said, “[The event] taught me, that like, we shouldn’t let the labels that people put on us affect how we may define ourselves or the kind of labels we put on ourselves.”

For some, this experience helped them to better understand themselves and also taught them a few things.

“I appreciate events like this cause sometimes it just shows you to really appreciate yourself more,” Mcgrath said.