Senior Khadicha Kosimjonova experienced firsthand the bias against girls in STEM fields while talking with a lab partner in the summer of her sophomore year during an internship at the University of Pittsburgh.

“In one project we had done, we were talking about whether immunology was something either of us wanted to do as a career path,” Kosinjonova said. “I told him that I was indecisive about what I wanted to do, because science is a very strong subject of mine. But he said, ‘Well it won’t matter anyway, because you will be getting married.’ ” 

Because both Kosimjonova and the lab partner were natives of Uzbekistan, she was not surprised by the boy’s attitude. In Uzbekistan, women are driven away from the science and STEM fields because they do not have equal access to education.

In fact, the misogyny in that country helped spur her family to move to America.

“My parents decided it was better to move because in my family we only had two girls, which made our family look shameful,” she said. “The men in Uzbekistan were known to be the providers and more successful. Our family was also made fun of because we only had girls, which meant, in our culture, that we wouldn’t have any future successes after marriage.”

This misogyny ultimately inspired her in 2022 to come up with the idea for the S.A.F.E Club, which stands for Sisterhood, Affection, Freedom, and Equality. She wanted to create not only an academic safe space for girls interested in the STEM field, but also a safe place to share uncomfortable or general experiences from girlhood. 

Now, her S.A.F.E Club idea has begun spreading to other schools, from the Pittsburgh area all the way to Toronto.

At Baldwin, Kosimjonova’s goal is to encourage women who take an interest in male-dominated fields like STEM.

“I know a lot of powerful and intelligent women and I felt like I needed to share their thoughts and experiences that they have shared with me,” she said. “So I try to have discussion meetings every other month where I will bring in different women speakers. They usually share their careers and why they pursued it, as well as their educational experiences as women in STEM fields.”

Kosimjonova holds different types of discussions based meetings, it is typically split in half between STEM and conversing about different topics beyond STEM.

“I did a discussion based meeting for Thanksgiving, and the activity was writing a thank you letter to an important female figure in your life,” Kosimjonova said. “I thought it was a really sweet idea because not all female figures get appreciation for all that they do to impact our lives.” 

Back when she was starting the club, she asked social studies teacher Chris Reilsono if he could help her develop the club. 

“Khadicha first told me she had a vision for an organization within Baldwin High School that comes together to support, empower, and educate women,” Reilsono said. “These meetings educate each woman on topics ranging from mental health to even college admissions and helpful tips.”

With Baldwin’s club up and running, Kosimjonova started reaching out to students from different schools via social media and networking, encouraging them to form their own S.A.F.E Clubs.

One school that has done so is North Toronto Collegiate Institute. 

Senior Jannah Ali met Kosimjonova in middle school, with both attending the Universal Academy of Pittsburgh. Ali later moved to Canada, but she and  Kosimjonova reconnected in high school via text and Facetime. Kosimjonova shared what she had done with the club at Baldwin, sparking Ali’s interest in starting one at her school.

“Our meetings usually consist of five to 10 girls,” Ali said. “We eat snacks and talk about experiences of being a girl in a male-dominated society, and even just experiences they need to talk to people about, but don’t generally have a place to turn to.”

Sometimes the girls at the Toronto club meetings will just have a chill club day, which includes a game of some sort or a simple study session where they sit and do their homework.

“What I love about the club is how we can leave all the outside school stress behind and just support each other. It’s great to have fun, engage in meaningful conversations, and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere,” Ali said.

Another friend of  Kosimjonova’s, senior Annika Sandholm, founded her own SAFE Club at Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh at the end of her junior year. Sandholm and  Kosimjonova had met each other at an industry tour of the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s LAUNCH program for high school girls interested in STEM. 

“At my school, girls interested in STEM are a minority,” Sandholm said. “I wanted to create a place where we could all come together and recognize that our interests should be recognized, even if not everybody at school shares them. I also wanted to create an opportunity to educate girls about different STEM subjects and pursue our curiosities.”

There are 30 students in the Shady Side S.A.F.E Club.

“Our meeting style differs from meeting to meeting. Some are discussion-based, such as confidence-building exercises or community-building exercises. Some meetings are more lecture-based, which is useful when learning about new topics unfamiliar to the members,” Sandholm said.

Kosimjonova helped get the Shady Side chapter’s newer chapter on its feet by providing suggestions for meetings and events. 

“The fact that there are multiple schools involved in the pursuit of women’s STEM exploration and empowerment validates the need for the cause,” Sandholm said.

At City Charter High School in Pittsburgh, junior Husniya Nurmuhammd decided to start a SAFE Club on her own, without affiliating it with the high school. 

Nurmuhammd and Kosimjonova grew up together in Monroeville, and after Kosimjonova’s family moved, they still kept in touch. Nurmuhammd saw what Kosinjonova’s club was accomplishing and wanted to bring the same concept to her school. 

“I love being able to talk and learn from professionals, as well as talk to girls my age about opportunities they may be interested in, especially in male-dominated fields,” Nurmuhammd said.

Seeing the growth of the club in other high schools makes Kosimjonova feel proud.

“I’m really excited to see how it can affect even more schools,” Kosimjonova said. “I am really thankful that I am able to impact other high school girls without even being enrolled at their high schools. It’s an empowering feeling.”

This story was originally published on Purbalite on December 2, 2024.