List of 15 items.

• Asking for a Friend

  
  
  Jordan Levine '06 with Charlotte '25
  Location: Room 201
  
  

  Asking for a Friend is the first comprehensive digital platform that runs the spectrum of sexual healthcare support for youth, from seeking information to accessing clinical services. The website includes three main features: (1) An interactive decision-support tool walks youth through the process of deciding which products and services might be the right fit for them. (2) A geo-locating wayfinder identifies in-person and telehealth services, and helps youth navigate health insurance and parental confidentiality to safely and quickly get the care they need. (3) Interactive educational features help youth ease into often overwhelming topics such as choosing a contraceptive method, recognizing abuse, and exploring queer identity. We’d love to hear your thoughts on content to include and ways to reach more young people, so let’s brainstorm together! 

  
  

  *This breakout session will include mature content and sensitive topics, such as abortion.

  
  Jordan Levine is an Oakwood lifer and works as an epidemiologist in the global adolescent health sector. She has worked in 13 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America to co-design adolescent reproductive health, mental health, and HIV programs in partnership with youth.

• Asylum Seekers

  
  
  Miry Whitehill and Chloe '24
  Location: Room A
  
  

  During this session, participants will explore the experiences of families resettling in Southern California as refugees, exploring how the government system in the United States works, how it feels for families, and how we can help to improve the experience of resettling American families to benefit our communities overall.

  
  Miry Whitehill started Miry's List in July 2016 when a friend introduced her to a family of new arrival Syrian refugees resettling in Los Angeles with kids the same age as her own. At that time, she was a full-time mom of 2 on maternity leave from her career in digital advertising. Prior to living in Los Angeles, Miry lived in Tel Aviv, Israel and she speaks fluent Hebrew. Miry's first book, Our World Is A Family, a picture book about being a good neighbor, was published in March 2022 by Sourcebooks.

• Breaking the Tech Ceiling

  
  
  Melody Hildebrandt and Jenna Frost with Sienna '25
  Location: Science Lab 4
  
  

  As of 2022, women comprise only 27% of the tech industry workforce and according to Women in Tech Network, it will take about 133 years to close the economic gender gap. In this digital age of technology, why are women and girls still falling behind in terms of representation and leadership roles in the science and tech industry?
  
  

  Hear from Melody Hildebrandt (Chief Information Security Officer at Fox Corporation and President of Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL) about her experience as a senior leader in such a male dominated field. In addition to her CISO position, Melody serves as Executive Sponsor of FOX Women in Technology and on the FOX Technology Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Hear why programs like Melody’s are key to inspiring women in the field and the ways she is working to close the gender gap. Melody will answer questions and share her vast experiences and advice to young people. 

  
  Melody Hildebrandt is the Chief Information Security Officer at Fox Corporation and President of its subsidiary, Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL). She is responsible for the cyber security posture of the entire business, spanning FOX Sports, FOX News and FOX Entertainment. She also leads technology M&A efforts, identifying areas for investment of the company, leading to her current role of FOX’s expansion into NFT and other blockchain technologies through the $100m creative fund of BCL. Previously, she ran product and engineering for all digital experiences across web, mobile, and living room applications within the FOX brands, leading the platform architecture to stream Super Bowl 2020, which broke all previous national video concurrency records and set a new quality bar with 4K/HDR. She is the Executive Sponsor of FOX Women in Technology and on the FOX Technology Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.

• Climate Feminism

  
  
  Phu Tranchi (Oakwood Director of Community Engagement & Experiential Learning) with Gia '23
  Location: Room F
  
  

  “The same patriarchal power structure that oppresses and exploits girls, women, and nonbinary people (and constricts and contorts boys and men) also wreaks havoc on the natural world,” Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. To understand the climate crisis and its impacts is to understand social, cultural, political and economic inequity. Climate justice encompasses issues of gender, race, exploitation, and destructive capitalism. Climate feminism addresses more than environmental justice; it seeks to transform societies at large. We will examine how it empowers women and BIPOC as the best-suited leaders for transformation from within their communities. Teaching through this lens and leadership paradigm is teaching agency and activism for social justice, and most importantly, instilling hope to shift the fate of our communities and planet.

  
  Phu Tranchi is the Director of Community Engagement and Experiential Learning and teaches science at Oakwood Secondary School in North Hollywood.  Husband, father, dog-person, Phu finds peace in the ocean, in the woods, and in the kitchen. An unapologetic progressive educator, he endeavors to disrupt traditional learning and engage students to directly impact real-world issues. Informed by his experiences in the Peace Corps and school administration, Phu is invested in the capacity and agency of youth to create change in their communities. He believes that learning fueled by purpose, broad and diverse perspectives, and compassion with the Global Goals at the core, will empower students to save the planet.

• Coming Out Under Fire

   
  
  KP Pepe (Oakwood Visual Arts and Film Teacher) and Madeleine Zygarewicz (Oakwood Visual Arts Teacher) with Jo ‘23, Ninah ‘24, and Molly ‘24
  Location: Room 205A/B 
  
  

  How has the recent wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation affected LGBTQ+ students? This breakout group will first discuss recent homophobic and transphobic legislation. Following, a panel of Oakwood faculty and students will discuss how this impacts their coming out, being out and feeling of belonging in varied communities.

  
  

  KP Pepe (Oakwood Department Chair Visual Arts and Film Teacher); BS Cornell University; MFA California Institute of the Arts; Former Director of Programming, Outfest, a nation-wide LGBT arts organization. Former manager of the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation, the largest archive of LGBT moving images in the world. Curator for events at Redcat, UCLA, Lincoln Center, and specific events around the world

  Former film archivist and award-winning filmmaker, her art has shown around the world most notably at the Centre Pompidou and the Museum of Modern Art.

   

  Madeleine Zygarewicz is a multidisciplinary artist, letterpress printer, and Visual Arts teacher at Oakwood School, where she also serves as the faculty advisor for the Rainbow Alliance and Multiracial Affinity groups. As a queer, Christian, and Paraguayan-Ukrainian immigrant, Madeleine sees the beauty in intersectionality and strives to empower her students to explore and celebrate their identities with a curious mind. When not teaching, she can be found surfing and exploring the world with her family.

• Educating Afghan Girls in the Face of Incredible Odds

  
  
  Shabana Basij-Rasikh and Mickey Morgan with Natalie '23

  Location: Room B
  
  

  Today, it is illegal for Afghan girls in 6th grade and up to receive an education in Afghanistan. The School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA) is defying the odds by educating Afghan girls starting in 6th grade. Meet SOLA’s Co-founder and President, Shabana, while she tells the story of SOLA and its brave Afghan students.

  
  Shabana Basij-Rasikh is the co-founder and president of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA). SOLA is the first and only boarding school for Afghan girls, operating in Kabul from 2016 through the summer of 2021 and the Taliban’s return to power. That August, Shabana led the evacuation of her entire school community from Afghanistan to Rwanda, where SOLA has reestablished its operations and its students have resumed their studies.
  
  Shabana is a magna cum laude graduate of Middlebury College and earned her Master in Public Policy from Oxford University; she also holds honorary doctorates from SOAS University of 
  London and Cedar Crest College. In 2019, Forbes named her to their 30 Under 30 Asia list as a  social entrepreneur; in 2021, she joined the Washington Post’s Global Opinions page as a 
  contributing columnist.

• I Kick and I Fly

  
  
  Ruchira Gupta with Priya '24
  Room: Dance Studio
  
  

  Speaking from her experience as someone who has aided thousands of girls and women in exiting prostitution systems, Ruchira Gupta shares: How we can empower our bodies in a positive way–how sports, dance, and theater can be freeing–and how the discovery of our bodies can help us take on many of life’s challenges. When we empower our bodies we can free ourselves from shame, guilt and fear.
  
  

  *This breakout session may include mature content and sensitive topics. 

  
  A social justice activist, feminist campaigner, journalist, Emmy award-winning documentarian, professor and founder of Apne Aap Worldwide, Ruchira Gupta has dedicated her life to creating a world where no child is bought or sold. She has aided thousands of girls and women in exiting prostitution systems , and now she is ready to tell their stories of bravery, courage, and perseverance against all odds. I Kick and I Fly is her debut novel.

• Long Line of Ladies

  
  
  Rayka Zehtabchi with Westleigh '23
  Location: Lecture Hall
  

  
  

  Join us as we screen the New York Times Op-Docs short film, Long Line of Ladies, directed by Academy-Award winner Rayka Zehtabchi and Navajo filmmaker Shaandiin Tome. Long Line of Ladies intimately observes the months-long process of one girl and her tight-knit Karuk community as they come together to prepare for her Ihuk, the coming-of-age ceremony for girls which went dormant for over 120 years due to the violence and destruction brought on by the Gold Rush. In the weeks leading up to her Ihuk, Ahty learns traditional dances and songs and mentally and physically prepares to spend four days blindfolded and fasting. Meanwhile, the women and men around her work tirelessly to pass down knowledge, prepare regalia, tools and food, and above all, to promote the continued revitalization of their traditions. In this breakout session, we’ll observe and discuss the important role that community plays in a young woman’s upbringing. 

  
  Rayka Zehtabchi is an Academy Award-winning director and producer working in both documentary and fiction. In 2019, Rayka became the first Iranian woman to win an Oscar for her film "Period. End of Sentence.," which can be seen on Netflix worldwide. In all her projects, she brings a naturalistic approach to her storytelling, striving for honesty and intimacy on screen.

• Men in Feminism

   
  
  William Perkins Tift (Oakwood High School Principal) and Ryan Rockmore (Oakwood High School Dean) with Diego '24
  Location: Gym
  
  

  What does it mean to self-identify as a male and be a feminist? Have you experienced a turning point in your life where you identified your privilege as a man? How might our decisions subconsciously reinforce the patriarchal power structure, and how do we bring that to our daily consciousness? Our seminar will explore these questions and empower our participants to build a mindset that encourages self-reflection and empathy for those disadvantaged by their gender identities.

• Peace Over Violence: Teen Dating

  
  
  Tony Serpa (Peace Over Violence) and Démian Pritchard, (Oakwood Social Studies teacher and member of POV's Survivor Speaker Bureau, Voices Over Violence) with Noa ‘25

  Location: Room 104
  
  

  This session is led by a representative from Peace Over Violence and is for students and adults who are interested in strengthening their knowledge about trauma-informed violence prevention and teen dating violence. As young people, both for yourselves and for those you care about, it is important to be equipped with ways to identify the signs of teen dating violence, to begin to get a sense of some of the tools to effectively address it, and to understand why it matters, that is, how it can harm you and people you care about. We will discuss warning signs and impacts as well as some resources for young people. Founded in Los Angeles just over 47 years ago, Peace Over Violence is a non-profit, feminist, multicultural, volunteer organization dedicated to building a culture of healthy relationships, and families and communities free from sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence. We provide crisis intervention services and violence prevention education. Not only do we believe—we know that violence is preventable.
  
  

  *This breakout session will include mature content and sensitive topics, such as sexual, domestic, and interpersonal violence.

• Poker Power

  
  
  Erin Lydon (President of Poker Power) with Amelia '24 and Rita '25
  Location: Community Room
  
  

  Don’t Lean In. Go All-In. Join Poker Power to learn how a little card game can be a game changer. In this session you will learn why thinking, strategizing, taking risks and allocating capital, like a winning poker player, is the secret sauce to empowering the next generation of women leaders. Every participant will learn with our teacher-led, interactive gameplay at the table. No gambling. No money transacts. All are welcome.

  
  

  Erin Lydon is a thought leader and frequent speaker on gender equity where she inspires audiences to take action and create change in their communities and organizations. Erin is the President of Poker Power, an ed-tech company with a mission to teach one million women how to play the game…the game of poker, and the game of life. Learning how to think, strategize, negotiate, and allocate capital, like a winning poker player, translates to leadership skills that help women succeed from the classroom to the board room. 
  
  

  Previously, Erin was the Strategic Advisor to Evil Geniuses, a Vice President at JPMorgan, and an independent director on public and private company boards. Erin received her MBA in Finance from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and her BA in English from Bates College.

• Tandika Leso: A Local Approach to Advocacy on Sexual Reproductive Health

  
  
  Janet Mbugua and Fenny Adhiambo with Iona '24
  Location: Choral Studio
  
  

  “In my hometown, Mombasa Kenya, there is a piece of fabric that has been worn by the people of this coastal region for many centuries. It’s called the Leso. It’s a traditional East African textile made from cotton or silk and is characterized by its brightly colored, intricate patterns and geometric designs. This brightly coloured fabric may appear unassuming at first, but imbued in this fabric is a rich heritage rife with symbolism. It was originally used as a form of currency and a means of displaying wealth and status. It was also used to make clothing and accessories, such as headscarves, shawls, and wraps. Today, it is used in traditional ceremonies, such as weddings and festivals, and is also worn by women to show pride in their cultural heritage. But most importantly, it is used for an intimate convening of women who wish to share space. By laying several Lesos on the ground, the women sit on them and express their vulnerabilities to each other in an almost sacred space. This act is known as Tanidika Leso, which means to lay the Leso on the ground. At Inua Dada, Tandika Leso has become one of our most powerful platforms for the advocacy of the girls and women we collaborate with. Come join our Tandika Leso” –Janet Mbugua

  
  

  Janet Mbugua is a Kenyan Media Personality, Author and Women's Rights Activist. She is the Founder of the Inua Dada Foundation, which focuses on restoring dignity and Economic Empowerment through Menstrual Justice. Janet will speak about reproductive rights from a global perspective and about how students can "turn advocacy into agency" through storytelling, policy mainstreaming, and integrating intersectional issues.

  
  Fenny Adhiambo is a Beneficiary of The Pad Project at Inua Dada Foundation based in Korogocho slums. She is a brilliant 21-year-old who pulled herself out of the slum through her work at the Foundation and her love of music as a flutist. She plays a crucial role as a mental health advocate through talking circle sessions called Tandika Leso held every month at the Foundation's centre in Korogocho.

• The Pad Project

  
  
  Melissa Berton and Pad Project & Oakwood Alums: 

  Mason Maxam ‘21, Charlotte Silverman ‘18, Helen Yenser

  ‘13 with Jenna ‘26

  Location: Sanctuary
  
  

  “A period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education.” How did high school students in an English classroom, bonding over their indignation with regard to the maltreatment of women in literature, turn their passion for gender justice into an Oscar-winning documentary–and then a global non-profit that supports menstrual equity programs in 15 countries? Join us as we share our journey from our first trip to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, where we first learned about Period Poverty; to our partnership to launch a pad-making enterprise with New Delhi-based NGO, Action India; to our filmmaking advocacy with Period. End of Sentence. and Long Line of Ladies. Our Ambassador Program unites over 500 individuals from around the world who are ready to break the stigma surrounding menstruation and transform their passion for equity into action. Right here in the U.S., an estimated 1 in 4 students miss school because of a lack of access to affordable and safe menstrual products. Contribute your ideas to our Pads for Schools campaign, and help us ensure that all schools nationwide provide free menstrual supplies and comprehensive reproductive health education!
  
  

  Named one of Forbes’s 50 Over 50: Women Making Social Impact, Melissa Berton is an Academy Award-winning producer for Best Documentary Short (2019) for PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE., and the Executive Director of The Pad Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to the principle that “a period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education.” She teaches English at Oakwood School in North Hollywood, where she co-founded The Pad Project with her students. In recognition of her human rights work and mobilization of youth advocacy to promote menstrual equity, Berton received the 2019 Eleanor Roosevelt Global Women’s Rights Award.

• Who Am I?

  
  
  Cyrus Dunham and Sacha Maccabee (Oakwood Teacher) with Dani '25
  Location: Room E
  
  

  The late Buddhist monk and author Thich Nhat Hanh wrote, “When you ask the question, ‘Who am I?’—if you have enough time and concentration—you may find some surprising answers.” The moment we are born, we receive a sex designation that creates assumptions which will profoundly shape our experience of the world. Soon after, conditions of race and religion, class and nationality, family and community begin to mold our senses of who we are. We do not necessarily consent to, nor choose, the categories we are told describe us. And yet, we must learn to live within them, and against them. How much of who we are, then, is truly us and ours? As a group, we will pause and offer each other some “time and concentration” and reflect on what might seem very simple questions: What is my name? What do I like? Who am I?

  
  Cyrus Dunham's writing on trans life, politics, and art has appeared in publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Intercept, and Granta, among many others. He has reported widely on the impact of incarceration on trans and gender-nonconforming people, participating in mutual aid projects, coalitions, and campaigns to end gender-based violence in US prisons for over a decade.  His memoir, A Year Without a Name (2019), was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Cyrus lives in Los Angeles, where he is a Dornsife Fellow in Nonfiction at the University of Southern California. He is a member of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners.

• Women, Life, Freedom: Iran's Current Feminist Revolution

  
  
  Kiana Mehanian '21 (Oakwood Alum) with Addie '25
  Location: Science Lab 1
  
  

  The senseless murder of a young Kurdish-Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran sparked nationwide, and soon, international protest. This movement is rooted in the demand for Iranian women to have the basic freedoms of bodily autonomy and life. Now composed of millions of voices worldwide organizing themselves to advocate for change, we demand the end of Iran’s oppressive regime and the establishment of a democratic government. For more than four decades, the Islamic Republic has inflicted violence upon its people — women have undoubtedly endured the harshest impact. Join us in exploring the world’s first women-led feminist revolution, and rise with the women of Iran.

  
  Kiana Mehanian is an Oakwood Alum and student of English literature and political science at the University of San Francisco. She dedicated her time at Oakwood to community engagement through several Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion organizations such as serving in leadership in Cultural Awareness Association and Greater Middle Eastern Affinity.