On Friday evening, March 4, Pioneer Memorial Church was decorated and aglow in preparation for the annual collaboration between Proximity Vespers and the Women’s Empowerment Association of Andrews University (WEAAU). For this year, the theme and corresponding title was “She Leads,” a statement that sought to underline the importance of women coming together and the value of female leadership.
After introductions from WEAAU president Caryn Cruz (junior, English) and Isabella Rappette (junior, finance), the program started off with an all-women worship band. Led by Ashley Yabut (senior, nursing), the women-only set was an uncommon but overall positive sight to see, with students like WEAAU Event Coordinator, Hailey Prestes (sophomore, interior design), saying “I feel like it’s so common/normal to see an all-male band upstage and we don’t even think much of it, but seeing the women-led band just kind of reminds you that we don’t get the full spotlight that often unless it’s pushed [forward]—such as for Women’s Month . . . I saw girls up there who are my friends and I didn’t even know they played an instrument! It’s just crazy how much harder girls have to work sometimes to showcase their talents.”
With a prayer led by WEAAU officer, Kyra Wirsz (junior, behavioral science and political science), the vespers continued with a spoken word section from members of The Scriptorium, the university’s creative writing club. Genna Prouty (junior, psychology) performed a poem written by Scriptorium President, Alannah Tjhatra (junior, biochemistry) titled, “Botticelli Angels.” The piece made commentary on not only the hardships that modern women face, but also expressed appreciation for the gender, with lines such as, “I know of a woman/ Who brought her life across the sea/ Despite the rolling waves/ That shouted blue uncertainty.”
After the spoken word performance, the vespers took a sharp turn with a focus on audience interaction. A trivia contest on female leaders of the Bible was led by WEAAU officers Emma Vanderwaal (junior, social worker) and Angelina Malcolm (senior, international business). In this friendly competition, those attending the program could compete for the chance to win the 2022 WEAAU official sweatshirt. All around PMC, students thought hard and did the best they could to prevail, but there could only be one winner: Tjhatra says, “I think it was really cool that they did a trivia for this vespers service, it really got people engaged, and I really thought I was going to win a sweater until I got a question wrong and fell back 30 places.”
After cooling down from some heated trivia, discussion questions were led by WEAAU officers and leaders from the Southern Asian Student Association (SASA), as well as the Andrews University Latino Association (AULA). Focusing on specific women leaders of the Bible like Esther, Ruth, and Rahab, the questions and time for discussion allowed for students to reflect on how female representation is needed in leaders of all forms, and why it’s still important to consider these figures in our everyday lives. When conversations came to a close, a final word was given by the WEAAU sponsor and Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Dr. Stacie Hatfield. With that, and some final songs from the worship team, the “She Leads” vespers was over. While the program may have come to an end, it marked only the start of the many celebrations of Women’s History Month.
If you would like to receive updates for any future events or programs being held in honor of Women’s History Month, follow WEAAU on Instagram to keep up.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.