Women take charge at CSU
- Apr 7
- 4 min read
Meet the strong women who are in charge of university clubs in male-dominated fields.
Written by Evan Peters
Peeking through dust-covered blinds, the morning sun shines into the Lakewood Library, allowing a sliver of light to cascade the rows of bookshelves. Sitting at an old wooden table is Hailey Shane, a health science major at Cleveland State University (CSU) with a focus to be a physician’s assistant (PA), studying for her organic chemistry exam.
Her computer sits with several tabs open, including her lecture material and a helpful Quizlet she created. Writing intently on her iPad, Shane scribbles the different organic compounds across the screen, carefully memorizing the structure to perform well on her exam.
She checks her watch, packs up her things and heads home for her meeting with the Pre-Physician Assistant Association. As treasurer, Shane is a part of a club run entirely by women in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field, and helps to oversee meetings, create study tips for students, conduct mock interviews, complete service hour opportunities and put together panels of PAs active in their field.
“It’s nice being the leader of this club because a lot of times women will come to us and say, ‘I feel like I'm not good in this aspect of applying to [graduate] school,’ or ‘I feel like [men] are better than me,’” Shane, 21, said. “We tell them, ‘You're your own person. It doesn't have to do with gender, [it] has to do with your work ethic.’”
Shane is helping to lead and inspire the next generation of women at CSU in STEM and also in male-dominated fields. While the club has multiple members, Shane does feel as though there is a bit of resistance to the organization since it is currently led by women.
“Since all the leaders in the pre-PA club are women, I feel like less people are driven to join the club or come to our meetings,” Shane said. “But it's nice because we get to advocate for other women who maybe don't feel as compelled to lead or are scared to.”
Another leader on CSU’s campus is Jenna Turney, a woman majoring in journalism and promotional communications and serving as the president of CSU’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). In her second year as president, Turney has planned events like panels with professionals and workshops for public relations students to network and build connections to attain scholarships, internships and job opportunities.
Along with leading PRSSA, Turney is involved in Campus Socialites, Viking Fashion, the CSU chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Lambda Pi Eta and the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), in addition to having an internship with Playhouse Square. Even with Turney’s incredible resume, she shared that men have still questioned her ability to lead in an organization.
“I would be in meetings as one of the only female leaders, giving numbers that compares how our department is doing regionally and nationally to other clubs, and men would only question mine and the other women’s numbers,” Turney, 21, said. “Most of the time, the women had better stats but were always questioned, unlike the men.”
Instead of letting it affect her, Turney turned the situation into motivation.
“It made me more determined to succeed because I wanted to challenge their ideas of me and prove to them that women are fully capable of completely anything they put their minds to,” Turney said.
Turney also shared why she believes it’s important for women to have more representation in leadership positions.
“It's essential because diverse perspectives lead to better decisions,” Turney said. “Women bring unique insights and experiences to the table, and we deserve equal opportunities to lead and shape our industries.”
Ruby Darwish, another journalism and promotional communications major, is another woman at CSU who is bringing these unique insights and experiences to the CSU Film Makers Club, which she is also the current leader of. As president, Darwish schedules and plans events, coordinates with faculty members and delegates responsibilities to her other officers, offering support when needed.
Film is an extremely male-dominated field, with 73% of film directors on the big screen being men, specifically white men, according to UCLA college. As a woman, and a woman of color (WOC), Darwish shared what it’s like being in a leadership role for a club that pertains to a male-dominated field.
“Women, especially women of color, have to work twice as hard to even be acknowledged. Film, especially, is a field led by the white man that is a catalyst for stereotype-pushing against women and WOC,” Darwish, 22, said. “Cleveland State itself is a vibrantly diverse campus filled with young WOC creatives who need to see that it's possible for us to be in positions of leadership and make those connections that may not be available to us otherwise.”
Darwish also shared why she finds Women’s History Month so important.
“Women’s History Month is important because it recognizes and celebrates the contributions that have often been overlooked, minimized, or erased,” Darwish said. “It’s a time to highlight the achievements of women in various fields, from science and politics to the arts and social justice, and to acknowledge the struggles they have faced in the fight for equality.”
Women like Shane, Turney and Darwish are leading the charge in many other clubs on campus whose fields are dominated by men. For this Women’s History Month issue, we appreciate the women who continue to make strides towards equality between women and men.
