Aidan Sheedy

For its first October event, the Women Empowered club organized a Paint Night where students came to enjoy refreshments, tote bag painting and bonding with their peers — the ultimate way to spend a Monday night. 

The first-ever Paint Night hosted by the club had an even greater turnout than expected. Attendees were able to destress from a long day of classes and engaged in casual conversations.  

“It’s all about creating a good community for women,” Liv Ruschioni, a senior journalism major and Women Empowered’s president, said. “It’s always really fun; everyone enjoys it.”  

The unexpected attendance level brought about an unfortunate occurrence: there weren’t enough bags. Paint Night was so successful that the Woman Empowered club ran out of tote bags before the event was set to start. Just before 8:30 p.m., there were over 50 attendees gathered in the Mount Carmel dining hall while being welcomed by members of the e-board. This year’s incoming class was the largest percentage of attendees joining the Women Empowered club.  

“I love Women Empowered,” said Julia Kloss, a first-year undecided communications major. “It is a community where everyone supports each other and everyone is super friendly.” 

Even though the tote bags ran out, pizza, drinks, snacks and music kept the night going. Like Kloss, those who didn’t get to paint were still able to join in and listen to the music, a diverse collection of pop hits from Paramore, Ariana Grande, Shakira and more. The buzzing energy was immaculate and inviting, appealing to potential new members looking for a way to meet more people and get involved within the Quinnipiac community. 

The creative juices started flowing as students inspired each other to paint fruit, flowers, stripes, cow print and quotes that matched their vibe. It didn’t matter if they were artistically inclined, everyone was able to express themselves in their own, unique way on a blank canvas. Popular design trends from TikTok and Pinterest were brought to life and featured on the Women Empowered’s Instagram page.  

“I love seeing everyone’s personality pop out from their bags,” said Rebecca Huyck, a sophomore interdisciplinary studies major and Women Empowered’s secretary. 

The Women Empowered club recently formed a partnership with Naturally Me, an organization within the Multicultural Student Leadership Council. Naturally Me provides resources and guidance for students about physical, emotional and mental care, giving students a safe space to relax and practice self care. 

The Women Empowered Club values creating an inclusive environment with a supportive community, as well as raising awareness for many charity organizations. Paint Night is just one of the many successful events that the Woman Empowered Club hosts. With the equally overwhelming attendance at its recent Bingo Night, club members said they’ll have to rent larger spaces to accommodate the surplus of interested students.

Coming up on Oct. 16, there will be a breast cancer awareness event where attendees can write cards for breast cancer patients, sending their support as well as decorating cookies to be gifted to Yale New Haven Hospital. This event has been an annual occurrence for the Women Empowered Club for the past five years. 

“I think (the breast cancer event) is the most meaningful and has the most impact on the community as well as outside of Quinnipiac,” Ruschioni said.