She’s the First

Makensie Roderick
For The Clock
mlroderick@plymouth.edu

Have you ever wanted to be a part of something that made you feel bigger than yourself? That is exactly what Allie Pattelina and Aidan Boisvert wanted for themselves too! After putting in hours of time and extensive research they came across a program that caught their eyes, called She’s The First. 

Whether you’ve experienced financial troubles before personally or not, having enough money to pay for school is an ongoing issue to this day. She’s The First is a nonprofit organization that helps girls from low-income countries globally attend college for the first time by providing those who truly need it with scholarships. Allie and Aidan have decided to try to spread some of the good here with us by dedicating their own time to obtain the local chapter here at PSU. Over the last year and a half Allie and Aidan have been working on this process intensively to try and get it started, but COVID -19 has extended this process a lot longer than expected. 

Last year when first starting to try to bring this wonderful program to PSU, they had to speak to the people who created She’s The First themselves before anything. Instantly they were approved by the program but next, they had to take it to PSU’s Student Government Association. SGA had advised them that it might be beneficial for them to wait until things seem to calm down a bit after the pandemic. So that’s what the two of them did! As soon as the first meeting was held this year they hoped right on over to pitch why She’s The First would be a great addition for PSU! For obvious reasons, the SGA had approved their chapter to start here on campus! 

Being a part of this new chapter will be beneficial for not only PSU but for you as beyond the obvious circumstances. Well for one, PSU will benefit from this because it can help connect and educate our community on a deeper level. A program like She’s The First provides the power of equality, which is huge for a college campus. As for yourself, this chapter can give you the new opportunity of being able to advance beyond your typical boundaries. Being a part of something great makes you great.  

So how can you be involved? There are many ways! The first meeting is being held this Wednesday, October 6th at 6 pm, the location is still TBD. She’s The First will hold fundraisers for the community, raising money to fund these girls scholarships. Anyone can still contribute by spreading awareness! We all know that social media is one of the most important parts of everyone’s day-to-day life! Check out and follow their Instagram page as well @shesthefirst.psu to do your part on continuing to spread the good! Starting small can make the biggest impact, Allie and Aiden both agree “being a part of something bigger and being able to change people’s lives in a different way” contributes to all values at PSU.  

Contact Info:  

Allie Pattelena 
ampattelena@plymouth.edu  
Aidan Boisvert 
Alboisvert1@plymouth.edu