Crystal Stylc is a senior at Glendale High School. She was born in Glendale, and she has been at GHS since her sophomore year. Her favorite hobbies include roller skating, reading, journaling, and hanging out with her friends. Crystal is also the president of the HERd and Pride Clubs at GHS.
Crystal founded HERd Club when she was a junior, because she noticed that there is a need for solidarity with people of marginalized genders, women and transgender people. She wanted them to have a safe space at school to express themselves. Something that is interesting to Crystal is how people at club meetings can come and talk about their issues and problems that are important to them. It also gives a voice to the people that have been silent for way too long.
Crystal feels that this club is needed at GHS, because there was previously no safe space for people with marginalized genders. There have also been many cases where people have been sexually assaulted or harassed on campus, and nothing is being done about it. With this club, Crystal wants to show people who have been harassed that they are not alone in this world, and people as a community are there to support them and one another.
The main purpose of HERd Club is to focus on collective healing and to give a voice to people who have been silent. During club meetings, people can come at lunch and open up and talk about their experiences, or they can discuss something that they want to share, that they are not normally comfortable sharing. This year, Crystal hopes that the club will raise more awareness about sexual harassment and other abuse, specifically on campus, because no one really talks about this issue.
Outside of school, HERd Club focuses on activities that empower its members and make them feel loved and beautiful. An activity that Crystal has in mind to do this year is a beach day, where club members will all have a fun day by the shore. Also they will hold fundraisers for the club, and members will eventually order hoodies and T-shirts so that they will all feel united.
Crystal is looking forward to partnering with some outside organizations, and the club is planning on donating some portion of their fundraising money to women-led and feminist organizations. One challenge that the HERd Club has faced in the past is that their meetings last year were held over Zoom. This was difficult, because there was such a big barrier. Since the meetings were online, it was hard to keep the club meetings entertaining, and they couldn’t really connect face-to-face.
Crystal’s favorite part of being the president of HERd Club is that she gets to listen to people opening up about their experiences, because in years past, she had never heard people talk about the sensitive experiences they have faced. HERd Club benefits GHS students, because it is a safe place for people that have faced any horrible experiences.
If you feel like you are alone, you truly are not. HERd Club is here to help you and to support you. Everyone is welcome in HERd Club, even if you are an ally.
Crystal feels really confident about the future of this club, because in this year’s first meeting, they already had about 40 members, and she cannot wait to see who is going to take over the club after she graduates. Crystal knows that the members care about HERd Club and they are not going to let the club go to waste. After leaving GHS, Crystal sees herself working in education, and she thinks that teaching will be a good fit for her.
HERd Club meetings are on Wednesdays at lunch in Room 4318. You can find HERd Club on Instagram @herdclubghs, and you can sign up for their Remind, which is on the Instagram page.
