Milestones Milestones for women for women

Martin students share inspiring stories of women in business before college

Avery Whipple • Reporter

Being a young person longing for success with ambitions that could reach the clouds in this wide, competitive world is already difficult enough as is, but even more of a challenge for the young women of our society.

With a heart of gold, a desire to be taken seriously, and dreams of changing the world for the better, these successful Martin women share their experiences.

Senior Vivian Nguyen, founder of The Formula Project and of Dyenosaur Apparel shares some of her background in how she got where she is today.

“I never actually intended to start a business, as I’ve always had a STEM background and my parents wanted me to be a doctor my whole life - but there was a project for NJHS (National Junior Honor Society) to raise money for leukemia and nobody was donating, so I decided to combine my love for art with entrepreneurship to create Dyenosaur Apparel, and it opened a whole world for me,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen said she was grateful for the support systems and the challenges she has faced throughout her time being a woman in business.

“FBLA - Future Business Leaders of America - has been huge for me,” she said. “I’ve realized I have a skill for business, and I can be my own boss and set my own rules. It is hard, though, especially starting a business so young and being a woman in a male-dominated field, because people underestimate you and your capabilities. It’s like people don’t believe what you are doing. In founding the Formula Project, it was difficult because you really don’t see very many women in power. This is why I wanted to create something to uplift and empower our young women striving to succeed.”

Nguyen shared some advice for those with aspirations of any kind.

“You have to stay focused on your ‘why,’ and remember the reasons for your doing this,” Nguyen said. “It takes perseverance to keep up with a project if you want to really make a difference. You do not have to go through it alone – mentors, support, and networking is so crucial. We need to all see each other as partners rather than competitors. The payoff is so huge. What really makes me happy is to know that I am leaving a legacy, and passing the torch on.”

Taking a look into the world of another young difference maker, senior Madison Scruggs discussed her experience in founding the organization Ready. Set. Period. - a period preparedness project meant to educate and uplift those who menstruate.

“My inspiration began as soon as I got my own period,” Scruggs said. “There was such a lack of education and understanding. It felt taboo or embarrassing to talk about and the ignorance was everywhere.”

Scruggs said it was complicated making an idea become a reality.

“It’s definitely hard to do outreach because not everyone is very receptive to it,” Scruggs said. “It’s hard for people to be vulnerable about their bodies.”

Scruggs shared some of what she has learned throughout building this project.

“I’ve learned to persevere and try my best, because it can be tough to be the one to bring up these scary con- versations,” Scruggs said. “It is the kind of thing that requires action and initiative, not just thought. And remember that you can always learn from failure.”

Another organization worth learning about is called Project Pink, founded by juniors Gayathri Vanka and Sanjana Kavula. This project is dedicated to spreading awareness about the mental health of women and binding the gap between mental health care and women – especially women in STEM.

“We felt compelled because as we take our steps into our future careers we see the lack of education for the mental health care for women everywhere around us,” Vanka said.

Vanka and Kavula are both aspiring medical healthcare researchers, and that is where some of their inspiration comes from to research and educate about women in the field.

“We stumbled upon an event at HOSA and that is when it kind of kicked off,” Kavula said. “HOSA has been a huge help for our program. We kind of realized this sort of thing is not talked about enough and continued on page 13