Stuyvesant Holds Third Annual International Women’s Day Run

Hundreds of students ran along the Hudson River in Stuyvesant's third annual International Women’s Day Run on Monday, March 19; Thursday, March 22; and Friday, March 23. Though the national holiday was celebrated back in the beginning of March, the run at Stuyvesant was held with the same objectives: to celebrate female empowerment, achievement, and wellness. “Our run is a collective effort to promote and celebrate women’s health and rights. We see each participant as a voice that gets amplified as the run goes on,” senior and Executive Coordinator Joyce Wu said.

The event was a joint effort by the Stuyvesant Track and Field Team, the Roadrunners Club, and the Wellness Council. Members reached out to corporate sponsors such as Kind, Justin’s, SoulCycle, Boomchickapop, Kuymi, and the Stuyvesant Alumni Association and received food and drink donations for the participants of the run. “We’re really proud of our sponsors this year! The IWD board worked really hard to get snacks from [various] companies,” said senior and Co-Executive Coordinator Amy Ren.

Unlike past years, this year’s International Women’s Day Run coordinators decided to charge participants $1 for the International Women’s Day Run T-shirts and donate the profits to Womankind, formerly the New York Asian Women’s Center. Womankind offers free financial, housing, employment, and education services for women affected by domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual violence. “We figured that if every participant donated $1 in return for a shirt, we could raise a lot more for our cause,” Ren said.

Over 600 students and faculty members chose to run this year. “I ran in the International Women’s Day because I thought it was important to bring awareness to women’s achievements around the world. I was proud to wear my International Women’s Day shirt because it was like a sign of strength to me,” freshman Michelle Kwon said. She was surrounded by hundreds of other students, many holding handmade signs that read “This is what a feminist looks like” and “Glass ceilings are made to be broken,” demonstrating a stronger emphasis on the political significance of the run.

“I think the run was successful because many people showed up. Many people weren’t there just for extra credit or for sports teams, but because they were there for the movement too,” junior Izze Mendoza said.