In honor of Women’s History Month, the college will be celebrating a variety of events and activities that focus on education and empowerment.

Many of the events will be sponsored by the Office of Staff Development, Staff and Student Diversity, and the Women’s History Month Committee.

Several activities and events will take place in the Alondra Room and Student Activities Center.

Leisa Biggers, director of student diversity, said that education is empowerment and should always be a theme.

“It’s good to see more females involved in the industry and technology careers. More women are fascinated to take mathematics and institutions are reaching out by learning how to attract those programs to females,” Biggers said.

Although people celebrate Women’s History Month in the month of March, EC offers a class in women’s studies every semester and it meets the general education requirement.

Professor Maria Brown teaches the  has been teaching here for about 37 years and says she enjoys watching her students develop their skills during their time in her class.

“You can see the transformation taking place during the semester. It’s their class. I structure things for them, they work within those structures while they grow and develop self- confidence,” Brown said.

Not only do female students take her class, but male students do as well. Brown said she gets a lot of men in her classes who enroll for different reasons.

“For a long time, education was not accessible to everybody. Public education was an investment in young people, but it was also a benefit to our society as a whole,” Brown said. “I have people from other countries that come with a different attitude toward women. It’s wonderful and exciting to watch young people grow!”

First-year student Brooke Matson, 18, economics major, is enrolled in a women’s studies class this semester and is excited to take part in the upcoming elections in November.

“It’s my first year voting, and I already started to appreciate more what women have done in the past,” Matson said. “If I lived in the past, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Matson also mentioned she is glad that there is a month where women’s history is honored, but wishes that women’s history was celebrated more than just one month out of a year.

“People can learn a lot about women’s history and learn to appreciate some of the things they might not know or understand about women,” Matson said.  “If people who fought for women’s right’s saw the women of today not voting, they would be very disappointed.”

Associated Student Organization member Mark Zelayaran, 19, business administration major, said he thinks it is wonderful for women to be fighting for their own rights ever since this country was founded.

“Men should have more respect for women and the right for women to say something,” Zelayran said. “Now that women have a saying and are able to vote, the discrimination is not as bad as it used to be.”

Brown said that when she graduated high school, women would only think about marriage and children, not about going on to college.

“These events are important because it really acknowledges the wonders of women and it reaffirms the contributions women have made to society,” Brown said.