Sacred Hearts Academy held a screening of the new groundbreaking film, “Girl Rising,” directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Robbins on March 7 for students in grades seven to 12. The film told the story of nine girls fighting for their right to an education in nine countries from Haiti to Nepal in a global campaign to educate and empower girls.
The film was hosted by the Social Studies department. Students had various opinions about “Girl Rising.”
“I initially expected the film to be a documentary just like all the other ones I’ve seen. I thought it would be boring and I wouldn’t enjoy it. However, it wasn’t anything how I thought it’d be,” said junior Briyanna Vitug.
After the film, students showed strong emotions of anger, sadness and hope.
“The film made me feel a bit guilty, because here we are so fortunate and we have the opportunity to have a great education,” said Vitug.
“I felt sorry for all of the girls in the movie. I cried a lot during the movie because of their struggle in life. After the movie, I thought about myself being in their shoes. I wouldn’t be able to get through a life like that. These girls should be given more credit and acknowledgment for their hard work,” said junior Corrina Cabantangan.
“During the film, I tried to understand the experiences these girls had to go through. It was really sad seeing these young girls as they struggle to make something of themselves. After the film, I was inspired and realized how lucky I am to be living the way I do. My world is full of opportunities while these girls live in a world where they don’t have much say in what their future will be like,” said junior Tiffany Lau.
Junior Erica Cadiz said, “Some of the stories touched my heart and made me realize that I take my education for granted. During the film I was just shocked about each story because of how they live and how hard their parents work just for them to go to school. At the end of the film, I just had to rethink my feelings towards my education and just be thankful with the things I have and the actions my parents do to afford my education.”
In homeroom, students discussed stories which affected them the most.
“My favorite girl in the movie ‘Girl Rising’ was Wadley from Haiti. She was so adorable and nothing stopped her from wanting to go to school. Even after the tragic earthquake, she was still so bright and enthusiastic. She said she didn’t know why she couldn’t go school and why money was such a big deal. It was amazing what how a little girl like that would still want to go to school when everything around her was destroyed,” said sophomore Ye Eun Lee.
Ultimately, “Girl Rising” was thought-provoking for students of Sacred Hearts and has made them more appreciative of their education.
“My mom always told me that my grandma worked hard to send her to school. I feel like I should be more appreciative because my mom worked hard to send me to a good school. Sometimes I take it for granted and not bother doing good in school. This movie made me think about how my life would be if my mom didn’t send me to school. I’m motivated to do better in everything I do,” said Cabantangan.
Megan Mattison • Mar 25, 2013 at 8:15 am
Personally, I thought Girl Rising was an excellent film. My dad is in the military and has been to Afghanistan three times. He thought that the school was making a really good decision of showing us the movie. My favorite girl was the one who thought she was a superhero. She was very brave and had no fear at all. Girl Rising was a great way to impact our school and get us to realize how blessed we are to go here.
Jaclyn Sakamoto • Mar 22, 2013 at 10:47 am
The girl rising movie made me realize how important education is! I love going to Sacred Hearts!
Jennifer Lau • Mar 22, 2013 at 9:24 am
I felt guilty and a little shameful after watching “Girl Rising”. I felt that I could have made a bigger difference for my self by trying harder to further my education if I had thought about this before the school year started.
Christina S. • Mar 21, 2013 at 10:52 am
After watching “Girls Rising”, I, too, felt very inspired and slightly guilty. Like you said, many girls around the world are forced to go through hardships and are treated as less of a person simply because of their gender. Although we claim that we feel bad for the mistreated girls around the world, sometimes we forget about their situations and take our lives for granted. “Girls Rising” not only inspired us as girls but motivated us to make a difference in society. Great job!