Angelina Silva-Perez, a fierce advocate for gender equality, has undoubtably left her mark on Franklin High School.

As captain of Track and Cross-Country and president of the International Club, Silva-Perez has proved herself to be one of  Franklin’s exemplar students. She also participates in Best Buddies, A World of Difference, and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Her most notable contributions to the Panther community, however, have been the weekly discussions for any and all who wanted to converse about the influence of unjust gender discrepancies in daily life. Silva-Perez hopes to encourage and empower women – starting with one honest conversation at a time.

“I’ve always been involved in social justice,” Silva-Perez explains. “As a woman, I’ve definitely experienced a lot of misogyny and seen my friends experience it as well through various lenses. Girl Up gave me a platform to talk about gender equality, and from there I just got more and more involved in the movement.”

Girl Up’s Teen Advisors are a selective group of 25 women worldwide that serve as voices for the gender equality movement. Spanning across 8 countries, the organization allows passionate activists the chance to offer guidance, knowledge, and support for the Girl Up mission.

“I didn’t really expect [the meetings] to be as impactful as they were,” Angelina confessed. “I just wanted to create a safe space for students to talk about these issues because it can be hard to have hard conversations in front of adults or teachers.”

As for future plans, Angelina intends to double major in psychology and political science at an undecided college of choice. She is also looking forward to continuing both track and cross-country.

Countless students have come to truly appreciate the value of the discussions – and this number is still ever-growing. These passionate young women have found a community within each other filled with trust and relatability, and for that, Angelina is to thank.

Be sure to check out other student spotlight articles, most recently Sidney Hawkins and Olivia Quinn.