“We only ever live the life that we have,” said Marlies Moore, secretary for the Diverse Women in Political Science club. She said that being able to look at life from different people’s points of view and hearing their experiences is great.

The club, which was created two years ago amid the midst of a pandemic, comprises around 35 members. It serves as a way for women and allies to come together and hang out or discuss social and political issues that they feel passionate about, according to the club’s vice president Evelyn Chavez. It ended up being something more than that to the board members, however. 

Elizabeth Lavezzari (she/her), the club president, is a fourth-year political science student with a minor in women’s and gender studies. Lavezzari said she wanted to study something that would allow her to make a change in the future and become more involved in social justice issues. 

She is currently a part of the Sacramento Semester Program, a CSU program that allows students to intern at the capital. 

Lavezzari joined the club two years ago as the event coordinator and now serves as the president. Initially her roles included organizing collaborations with other clubs and planning events with guest speakers. 

Now her focus is on making sure everyone else is on track with their tasks and that everyone’s voice is heard.

“I think it’s great to hear everyone being so willing to share their experiences,” Lavezzari said.

Lavezzari said the thing that inspires her the most about being a part of the club is that everyone is vulnerable and honest in those conversations. 

“I really hope that the club continues to go after I’m gone and continues to give back to the community,” Lavezzari said. 

According to Lavezarri,  the club’s first hygiene drive last semester collected over 600 feminine products to donate to the Wellspring Women’s Center. 

Lavezzari says she takes pride in the club’s ability to provide a space for women and other people to feel comfortable and welcomed in sharing their experiences. 

“I’m really proud of this club,” Lavezzari said. “I really hope in the next few years, as things sort of get back to normal, that the club can continue to grow.”

Evelyn Chavez (she/her), the vice president, is a fourth-year international relations major with a minor in Latin American studies. Chavez said she wanted to focus on governments in other countries and not just in the United States.

Chavez said that issues like immigration and women’s rights are critical to her as a woman and a person of color who grew up helping her parents, who are migrant farmworkers, in the fields picking grapes and other agricultural labor before heading to college as a first-generation student.

“I always knew I had to repay my parents’ sacrifices in some way,” Chavez said. “I felt like pursuing a higher education and having better job opportunities was the way to do it.”

Chavez wants to be able to take care of her family in the same way they took care of her and her siblings while also making a mark for future Latina women to achieve the same goals.

She said the club was made to create a space for diverse women and allies who could be comfortable and passionate about social issues and politics.

“It’s really scary sometimes in politics, especially because there are a lot of men in the career of politics,” Chavez said. “It could be a little intimidating so I wanted to take away some of that fear.” 

Chavez said she hopes that the club stays after she’s graduated so that she can look at it years from now and tell people that she helped start the club at the school.

“Clubs like this are very important to ensure that more women are out there and more women are taking up these jobs because we can, and we have to and we will,” Chavez said.

Marlies Moore (she/her), the secretary, is a fourth-year international relations major and a history minor. Moore also has an associate’s degree in general science. Moore said she had a lot of nurses in her family so the push to do something in the scientific field was very strong.

“If I’m going back to school to finish getting my bachelor’s, it’s going to be things I care about,” Moore said. “I cared about studying the books I normally read like history, political science. These are the things that I’m passionate about; so if I’m going to dedicate the time to college, it’s going to be about that.”

Moore said she was in an uncertain part of her life in regards to what to do with her future, so she changed her mind multiple times when choosing what to study.

“I feel like sometimes you need to take a lot of different classes in order to kind of figure out what you like,” Moore said.

After Moore got a house and had her first kid she decided to take a break from school for a while, but now she believes that she can focus.

“You’ve got all these issues, but how does that affect women?” Moore said. “And for the most part, we all wanted to do something about helping women’s issues once or go into political science and kind of continue going on that path.”

Moore said she wanted to feel a connection to campus and a sense of community before hearing about the club and deciding to join. At the first meeting, she got that feeling right away and chose to stay.

As the secretary, Moore is in charge of taking the minutes during their board meetings, which consists of taking notes on what is discussed, keeping the club roster, updating it and taking the roll.

The end goal for Moore, according to her, has always been working for a nonprofit organization. As Moore graduates this semester, she said she wants to be able to pass the community she felt in the club on to other people who decide to join next.

“This club has been such an important part of my experience here at Sac State that I want to be able to give new members the ability to have that same kind of experience,” Moore said. 

Jennifer Robles (she/her), the treasurer, is a fourth-year cultural anthropology major and political science minor. She was previously an international relations major but took a linguistics and anthropology class that made her switch her major, according to her.

Robles said she has always wanted to deal with different kinds of people rather than dealing with policies,

According to Robles, the club welcomes anyone who identifies as a woman, “no matter their background, who pay attention to political issues that affect us [women].”

Robles said she has always wanted to be a part of a feminist club and felt like it was the only aspect in her life that was missing.

“I want to be around strong women who encourage one another and are equally passionate about the things that I am,” Robles said. 

As secretary, her responsibilities include dealing with money and organizing when it comes to working with other organizations, accessing finances and signing off on things involving money for the club.

Robles said that being a first-generation student, she didn’t feel any pressure coming from her mom. She said her mom just wanted to make sure that she did something with her life, whether it was to go to a trade school or a university.

“I feel like I should feel more of that pressure, but I don’t. I’m a student, but also a first-gen student,” Robles said.  “And it has driven me in some ways, like when I want to feel connected with my community.” 

According to Robles, she has a lifelong goal to write a book; whether it’s romance or research for anthropology. She eventually wants to become a feminist anthropology professor.

“I don’t feel a rush to do anything,” Robles said. “I am kind of interested to figure out what I want to do. But I feel like once I’m there, I’ll figure things out.”

Throughout her academic career, Robles says she has had a constant support system from women in her life.

“I’ve always just been surrounded by strong women so like, my mom is a big inspiration to me,” Robles said. “The girls I surround myself with every day, my friends, they’re very phenomenal women.”

Leila Cormier (she/her), who is in charge of public relations, is a second-year political science major and African studies minor. Cormier said that she is very passionate about helping people in the judicial system.

The club is “a place where we can all come together and talk about actual issues that affect a wide range of people instead of just one specific group,” according to Cormier. 

According to her, Cormier loves what the club stands for, especially because they are respectful towards a wide range of people.

Her job in public relations includes making graphics, checking direct messages on social media, replying to people, making sure everything is up to date and posting on a daily schedule.

During board meetings, Cormier said she brainstorms a lot when it comes to having conversations about plans for the future since she will be the only member left after this semester.

Cormier is a part of three clubs on campus and has a full schedule of classes. These clubs include Diverse Women in Poli Sci, Black Student Union and UNIQUE.

In order to balance all of this, she said she has to have a very diligent schedule that she sticks to and the rest of the board is understanding about it and she still makes sure to do the posts. 

Cormier’s goal in life is to be a lawyer to help others with her political science degree and specifically Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) with her African studies minor. 

“I really want to help people who have been excessively or wrongly convicted off death row and help the judicial system just not to be so corrupt,” Cormier said.

Cormier said her mom has always been her number one supporter and has constantly pushed her to become a political leader. She even took her to her first rally for former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

According to Cormier, the plans for the club include trying to expand it with higher membership and getting people on the board. She knows that there are many people who are interested but just don’t have the time.

“There’s a bunch of diverse women who are in poli sci who just don’t have that voice yet,” Cormier said. “They could find it in this club.”

Correction on Thursday, March 31 2022— This story has been updated with the following corrections:

1. Evelyn Chavez has worked in the fields with her parents who are migrant farmworkers. She didn’t grow up working on a farm.