Aishwarya Sharma '19: Educating Others

As early as age six, Aishwarya “Aish” Sharma fondly remembers taking part in Bollywood dance and helping to sell tickets for her shows in an effort to raise money for victims directly affected by sex trafficking in India. These days, Aish still enjoys Bollywood dance, and she still feels a calling to draw attention to the pervasive human rights violations that she sees happening against women and men.

“As I got older, I realized that I wanted to bring even more attention to this issue domestically, and I feel that the best way to combat it is through education,” Aish explains. As a sophomore, Aishexplored starting a club at Country Day to bring awareness about domestic violence to her teenage peers, both male and female. However, when she couldn’t find a high school club in the Carolinas that was already doing this, Aish decided to create her own: the “Say eNOugh” Club.

Upper School Dean of Students Natalie Hutchinson explained what steps to take to start a club and how to write a constitution, while Assistant Dean of Students Steve Wall explained how he could help line up guest speakers for assemblies. The Say eNOugh Club now boasts about 100 active members (60% female and 40% male) and provides support to victims of domestic violence as well as education to the Country Day community aboutthe warning signs associated with domestic violence.

“We’ve partnered our efforts with the NC Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage. Together we have helped raise more than $500,000 for those in need,” says Aish proudly. Fundraising for Say eNOugh has come from a wide variety of sources: Sweet 16 parties, Ugly Sweater parties, fashion shows, as well as several luncheon events.

We hope to cultivate a new generation that is well-seasoned enough to protect their peers and save themselves as well when it comes to fighting domestic violence.”

Aish says, “When it comes to educating others, I’ve found that so many teenagers think, ‘It can’t happen to me,’ so the Say eNOugh Club has made education a big focus at Country Day to dispel this misconception.”

Say eNOugh Club members have passed out warning cards to Upper School students to explain what to look for in an unhealthy relationship. “We hope to cultivate a new generation that is well-seasoned enough to protect their peers and save themselves as well when it comes to fighting domestic violence. Intimate partner violence is an incredibly large gray area, and by raising awareness about the cause, we are essentially preventing domestic violence before it begins.” Club members also encourage friends to act as “active bystanders” if they suspect that their friends are in an unhealthy relationship so that they can get help.

Aish likes how founding the Say eNOugh Club has helped her come out of her shell at school even more. “I like how people at Country Day see me as an approachable person who is empathetic and cares about them. I want the Say eNOugh Club to be inspirational so that everyone knows that they can have faith in themselves, and that we are all looking out for each other.”