By Jessie Rosenfeld
Staff Writer
Even students as young 16 years old can have the ability to make a difference in the world. Sophomore Pooja Nagpal is living proof of that.
Nagpal was awarded the regional Soroptimist Violet Richardson Award from Soroptimist, the women’s philanthropic organization, in March. This award is given to girls 14 to 17 years of age whose activities have helped make a difference in the world. Nagpal was recognized for her work in India teaching girls self-defense and about women’s empowerment.
“This award is not just about me getting the recognition, but it is a stepping stone for my goals. I plan to take my project to a whole new level,” Nagpal said.
Nagpal went to India to help and assist young women in order to complete a community service project and receive the Girl Scout Gold Award. After Nagpal completed her Gold Award project, her Girl Scout leader suggested that she go ahead and apply for the Soroptimist Award.
“We liked her organization, and that’s why we picked it,” Manhattan Beach Soroptimist Club member Marian Drahnak said. “We thought it had a lot of strong points. It fits in with what Soroptimist tries to recognize, and it definitely fit into what this award is supposed to recognize.”
Soroptimist, a global women’s organization that hosts programs that bring social and economic empowerment to women and girls in the U.S as well as other countries all around the world, awards the Soroptimist Violet Richardson every year.
“I think it is a really great organization,” Nagpal said. “It is cool that young girls are helping out other women. I would definitely recommend every Mira Costa girl to be a part of it because if they join Soroptimst, they learn how to give back to their community and, therefore, become a happier person over all.”
Last summer, Nagpal traveled to India to teach self-defense and women’s empowerment to 40 girls in a village called Sabatu. When Nagpal returned from India, she contacted different schools in Inglewood and West Los Angeles in an effort to officially bring self-defense and women’s empowerment to school curriculum.
“I think the work she does really helps those people that are getting affected by a lack of education of self-defense,” sophomore Raquel Gerard said. “Picking a group of people with low support was a generous decision.”
Nagpal’s background in self-defense comes from her seven years of experience in Tae Kwon Do. Nagpal is a second degree black belt, which is the highest degree of mastership of the sport. Nagpal brought her passion to the next level in March 2014 when she certified her organization,“For a Change, Defend,” which provides girls with the opportunity to volunteer with under-privileged schools in the Los Angeles region by instructing self-defense techniques and education on women empowerment.
“She chose a cause that was dear to her, and maybe we all can follow her example and take up a cause that is dear to us,” Costa English teacher William Brown said. “It seems like we limit ourselves to debating and talking instead of getting our hands dirty and doing work. Nagpal did not talk; she just acted.”
Nagpal applied for the regional Soroptomist Violet Richardson Award after she won the city-level competition in Manhattan Beach. On Sunday, Nagpal will receive her regional award at the Soroptimist Regional Conference. At the conference, Nagpal will have the opportunity to speak about her organization.
“It is great publicity so that more people can get involved in my organization,” Nagpal said. “There are going to be a lot of important people there and a lot of important contacts. It could definitely take my organization to a new level if more people could get involved in it.”
Nagpal hopes to first expand her organization’s work to teenagers and then to women’s abuse centers. Currently, she is applying for the International Soroptimist Violet Richardson Award.
“I see myself creating a movement in California which will hopefully spread all over the United States, since not many people my age have thought about this topic or have the skills to teach this and inform people,” Nagpal said. “There are way too many physical assaults against women in the United States as well as other countries, so hopefully I can create a bigger movement.”
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