This year, Glendale High School decided to keep the tradition of clubs going during distanced learning, and one of the newer ones is called HERd Club.  HERd is an organization where women and non-binary people can come together to talk about the misogynies they face and to address other gender issues. Crystal Stylc is the founding president of this club.  

Crystal is a 16-year-old junior at Glendale High School, who was born in Glendale, but she has spent most of her life in New Orleans, Louisiana.  One of the things that she likes to do is to read fantasy and young adult novels.  She also recently joined the STAR Club and claims that she likes it, because she “wants to help immigrants and people who are struggling in Latin America.”

Other cabinet members of HERd Club include vice-president Emily Rodriguez, secretary Francesca Bravo, treasurer Ylenna Sera, and publicist Caitlin “CJ” Calica, all of whom are juniors like Crystal.  

The goal of HERd Club is to create a space where people can talk about their life experiences and create a safe, supportive system with their peers.  During the club meetings, members will discuss all the challenges that women and non-binary people face, which may include sexual harassment or assault and gender-based biases.  Crystal also shared that the name “HERd” symbolizes female voices being “heard” and that “we’re able to talk about what we need to talk about.”

The cabinet leaders will organize lots of activities, both online and in person.  Members will get the chance to play games on Zoom, as well as have a photoshoot that they will be turning into magazines, once it is safe to go back to school.  Crystal wants every member to have “good bonding experiences with each other.”

HERd members also plan to hold several fundraisers.  The cabinet leaders have been in contact with The Ladies of Sound, which is an organization that offers advice to women who want to partake in the DJ industry.  Crystal also wants to hold jewelry sales, where the money raised will be donated to various women’s organizations.  

In the years to come, Crystal says she wants to receive recognition for the work done by HERd Club, and she is excited to see how the club progresses.  The biggest advice she would give to people who face injustices is to “reach out”, whether it is to a family member or a close friend.  People dealing with life-threatening issues should not be afraid to say something.  Crystal has gone through it before and it is impressive to see where she is now.  She says that she has “a group of friends” and “a group of people who will support me unconditionally.” 

Overall, Crystal feels uncertain about her future.  Right now, she wants to focus her time in high school and continue promoting HERd Club, which she is very passionate about.  Crystal knows that she wants to attend an in-state college that values women, and she is definitely interested in partaking in clubs that enforce women’s rights. 

Like other clubs at GHS, Crystal hopes that in a few years HERd will become a nationwide club.  She firmly believes that every single school should have a club like this, until “women are fully liberated and we have all our rights and equality.”

We are delighted that Crystal and the cabinet leaders decided to have a club like this at GHS.  We would once again like to remind everyone that whenever you are dealing with something detrimental, it is very important to reach out to the people whom you know to be trustworthy. 

 For more information about HERd Club and how to join, please feel free to contact their club’s advisor, Ms. Sydnee Castaneda at [email protected].  We really encourage it!