Marissa Tota ‘12 works to organize the events and programming for the new group Sisters Inspiring Sisters. (Mikaela Tierney/The Mirror)

Sisters Inspiring Sisters, S.I.S, a newly formed club on campus, is a freshmen mentoring program promoting friendship between women on campus. Director Marissa Tota ‘12, discusses how this will allow female students the opportunity to make friends with upperclassmen and foster female empowerment.

The Mirror: How did S.I.S. come about?

Marissa Tota: S.I.S came out of the first women’s retreat back in February of last year. We sat down at the end and brainstormed what we thought campus needed and what to add to it. I noticed there was not enough mentoring programs, and FYE just wasn’t cutting it. By that point I wished I had someone to go to. And that’s where S.I.S. came from. How great would it be to meet people and have them reach out to you? Make a small community? That’s what I realized through the retreat. I met great women and I wanted to spread that idea.

TM: Why the specific focus on girls? Do you think it is more difficult for females to adapt to college life?

MT: The thing about girls is they can be very competitive, more judgmental and not as welcoming. To break through that, women should be supporting and comforting.

TM: What are your goals for the club?

MT: The first semester was about creating relationships between the mentors and mentees. We wanted to form a bond between the two so it feels like they have someone to go to. The second goal is networking, so starting this semester S.I.S will be working on everyone getting to know everyone else. Using fishbowl activities — members drawing names out of a hat — people will go out for dinner, have movie nights, etc. We’re also focusing on respect and community. It’s about giving back and using your passions on what you want to change. There’ll be an emphasis on activist stories and reflecting on feminine imagery to change. Sexuality, for example — what they show on the media most women don’t look like, and how can we change that attitude.

TM: Would you define S.I.S as a feminist club or group?

MT: I wouldn’t think so. It depends on what you’re definition of feminist is. We’re not burning bras or anything. I think anyone that is a female should be feminist — embracing who you are, your uniqueness. You are just as important as a man. Our goal is to embrace women on campus, to unite women through goals and dreams.

TM: Burning bras would’ve been interesting.

MT: [Laughs]. It’s more like looking for the image of sisterhood. All women are sisters, and we should inspire each other. We should help each other — spread that positive energy and bring that to campus. Jasmine Fernandez ‘12 for example; she’s unstoppable and an inspiration to me. She was on the women’s retreat with me last year. She started Performing for Change and was helping me with the beginning stages of S.I.S. But she let me take it, and it just blossomed. See, women want to support each other, but don’t know how. If we make people aware of our efforts, we will create a wave of inspiration to our sisters.

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