I Am That Girl: empowering women one Wednesday at a time

Sydney Kerl (left), president of I Am That Girl, collaborates with club Vice President Rachel Rosenbloom (right) to create a safe and empowering space for women on campus. DANIEL PEARSON, Photo Editor

Finding a place to call home in college isn't always easy. For Sydney Kerl, a senior business administration and public relations and advertising double major, she struggled to find a place to belong during her freshman year. But after attending the involvement fair on campus, she landed herself a family in a special club that she has remained a part of since. 

That club is called I Am That Girl, which strives to empower female voices.

"The minute I was there (at the club meeting) I felt so at peace because everybody was so welcoming,” Kerl said. “They asked, ‘How are you doing?’ And I just started crying because I was going through a lot. Ever since then, it's been my outlet and a place where I can 100% be myself.”

Kerl is now the president of the club, where she has duties that include deciding meeting topics and leading conversations, but most importantly, creating a safe space for members. Kerl told The Panther she is adamant about making sure everyone who wants to speak up has the opportunity to do so in a comfortable environment. 

“(The organization) is an empowerment group for women. It’s meant to be like a support group for women on college campuses,” Kerl said. “We get together once a week and have meaningful conversations about topics that are going on in our lives or in the world in general.”

I Am That Girl is a national organization with over 220 chapters. There is also an online community of I Am That Girl members, consisting of over 1 million members. 

According to Rachel Rosenbloom, vice president of I Am That Girl and senior integrated educational studies and psychology double major, the club is all about fostering a community on campus. 

“(I Am That Girl is) centered around having reflective discussions around things that otherwise may not get talked about enough,” Rosenbloom said. “It's really become a place of social support for students on campus who just really want a sense of community and a sense of belonging.”

Rebekah Sheff, a sophomore integrated educational studies major, joined I Am That Girl over Zoom her freshman year. Since then, she has recently been elected to an executive position in the club, serving as the external affairs chair. Although part of her journey within the club was online, she said she still heavily advocates for students to join.

“(The club) is a really good way to meet people, especially if you don't have many friends on campus,” Sheff said. “It's also a really good place to feel comfortable, especially when you're feeling overwhelmed or busy with school. It's good to go and get away for a little bit.”

I Am That Girl meets once a week for their standard meetings, but occasionally they will hold special meetings where members can bring blankets and coloring pages. Kerl said some of her personal favorite memories with the club were made at special meetings that occur a couple times per semester.

“In the fall, we usually do a pumpkin patch retreat, which is more like a bonding exercise,” Kerl said. “We go to the pumpkin patch, drink apple cider, eat donuts and have a good time. We also usually do a special meeting rooted in thankfulness in November the week before Thanksgiving.”

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I Am That Girl has been met with many challenges — the most prominent being the difficulty of recruiting new members. When school switched to Zoom, so did club meetings. 

I Am That Girl saw a decline in members; what once was a consistent meeting of around 15 people slowly dwindled to five due to COVID-19. Rosenbloom said it seemed members were too burnt-out from online classes to feel the urge to attend meetings online as well. 

“Now that (meetings are) in person, (it’s about) getting people excited,” Kerl said. “I feel like once they're there, they have a great time, but it just (comes down to) motivating them to come in.”

Meetings are located in Argyros Forum room 119A at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays. To learn more about the club, visit their Instagram page. Although the club is called I Am That Girl, president Kerl said she wants to ensure students understand the space is meant for everyone.

“A question that I get a lot (is), ‘Is the club open to all identities and people who don't identify as female?’” Kerl said. “The answer is yes, absolutely. (The club is) called I Am That Girl, because that's what the national organization is and it's grounded in women empowerment. But it's also big about inclusivity.”