Deep within the gloomy walls of quarantine, Alexia Chavis and Neharika ‘Neha’ Kodali were looking for a way out. Meeting in sophomore year and reconnecting over social media, the two women shared a desire for a place to come together and talk about everything going on in the world, COVID and beyond. They discovered that they both had plans to create this space through a club at Enloe: “…We ended up discussing what we both wanted out of the club that we had in mind, [and] we just combined both of our ideas together,” says Neha. The result: The Butterfly Effect, Enloe’s resident female empowerment club.  Starting from a twist of fate and a Snapchat story, Alexia and Neha created a school-wide mission that’s already starting to make waves at Enloe. 

To Alexia and Neha, The Butterfly Effect serves to accomplish two main goals: first, and mainly, to create a place for women to talk and be heard where they are free to express themselves. “I think the biggest thing that could define the club is just a safe space for women at Enloe,” says Neha, “because I feel like that’s one of the things we’ve really been lacking at Enloe for the past couple of years I’ve been here. It’s just having a space where we could talk without feeling like we’re going to be punished.”

Second, they want to leave a mark on the school, and to make a change at Enloe and beyond. Last spring, they engaged in several service projects, including a hygiene drive for a local wellness center, and installing period products stations in the west gym lobby bathrooms. This year, they plan on emphasizing service in the Enloe community and beyond through continuing these projects and starting some new ones. They also intend on reaching out to other clubs like the National Honor Society in order to expand their impact and tackle bigger ventures throughout the community. 

Through The Butterfly Effect, Alexia and Neha want to broaden the conversation on feminism and sexism to everyone here at Enloe, and bridge the gap between different groups at the school. As Alexia suggests, “…Bridging the divide between students and admin [is] really important to build trust; the two work interchangeably and administration is working on behalf of us. They need to see if we’re uncomfortable about something and need to bring it up to them, and we need to make sure that they’re creating a real solution to that problem.” 

In addition to opening staff/student dialogue, Alexia and Neha want the student body to know that men are also welcome at The Butterfly Effect. All students can come to meetings and join in the conversation, so long as they are willing to keep an open mind to what is being said. “It’s not just women, it’s a women’s empowerment club,” says Neha, “but [if] men do join, it’s observation and understanding and just a moment to listen before they respond; I definitely think we’re trying to keep women at focus.”

If you’re interested in joining, the club is set to meet on the first and third Thursdays of every month. You can reach out to The Butterfly Effect through their Instagram or Remind (@enloetbe) or by their email ([email protected]). 

Neha and Alexia are excited to lead the club this year, and definitely want to encourage everyone to come to a meeting sometime. As seniors, they hope for the club to live beyond them and continue affecting the community in the future, so they can leave it behind as their legacy to Enloe. 

I think they’re off to a great start.

For more information visit: https://linktr.ee/enloetbe