Women’s HERstory Month 2024 Badass Block Party: Celebrating community

Arizona State University’s Women’s Coalition (WoCo) celebrated Women’s HERstory Month with their annual Badass Block Party and awards celebration on March 26, highlighting amazing women-owned business leaders. 

The Badass Woman of the Year Award recognizes women who have demonstrated passion, leadership, integrity and all around badass-ary in their respective fields. This award is important not only in highlighting the amazing women who have been blazing trails and taking names, but also in recognizing the importance of women’s contributions and work everywhere. 

This award cycle featured multiple winners for different “Badass” categories: 

• Business - Eugenia Trakal
• Student Worker - Sumi Mohan
• Empowerment - Athena Garcia
• STEM - Deanna Channey
• Student Leader - Ava Lemke 
• Arts & Design - Professor Sujin Kim 
• Athlete - Andrea McDonald 
• Professor - Smitha Pillai
• Member Organization - Women in Computer Science
  • Board Members:
    • Saisumana Konatam
    • Evelyn Brannen
    • Yeonghyeon Kim
    • Kaushiki Singh
    • Stephanie Uriostegui Fernandez

The block party also featured multiple women owned booths, displaying everything from delicious pastries, to handcrafted jewelry to a lot of impressive artwork. Sun Devils attending the event wandered around with wide eyes and big smiles as they explored the many pop-ups present. Laughter, excitement and the sound of flashing cameras filled the Senita Ballroom as guests enjoyed the comforting and warm environment ASU WoCo created. 

Among the tens of eye-catching booths, there were even more spectacular people managing them. Between the bakers, photographers, designers and artists of all kinds, there were a wide variety of striking products showcasing the talented women backing the WoCo. 

The Women’s Coalition has advocated for gender equity since their conception. In their mission statement, they “advocate for change on campus through networking with university faculty/staff/leaders and educate about gender equity through advocacy initiatives and programming.” 

Beyond advocating, WoCo creates change by engaging Sun Devils to support women and gender minorities with wonderful events like the Badass Block Party. 

WoCo president and ASU student studying political science at The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Nikhila Basana spoke on the importance of creating these spaces. 

“I think providing everyone with a space to sell their products and to meet new folks in the community is so important,” Basana said. “I think economically empowering women in the community is one of the biggest ways that we as Women's Coalition can help.”

While business was flowing, the most important exchange happening at the Badass Block Party was a sense of community. Names, numbers, socials and smiles were exchanged happily as vendors, members and supporters alike were able to connect around a wonderful cause. 

“I'm glad to meet all these awesome women-owned businesses and help them market and get their word out about their businesses,” Basana stated. “It's a really fun event to also just meet new folks in the community and see what everyone's up to and doing for their respective constituents, especially with our member organizations.” 

The Women’s Coalition has an extensive list of member organizations, each dedicated toward a more intersectional aspect of womens’ experiences. From Women in STEM to the Arizona Women’s Collaborative, WoCo has been helping to create opportunities for women in underrepresented fields.

“We have Women in Animation, Society of Women Engineers, places where women historically have not had the best representation, especially in leadership positions,” Basana explained. “Providing those resources so students can really succeed during their time at school and also post-graduation is really important.”

Even if you weren’t able to make it to the Badass Block Party, the Women’s Coalition has plenty of opportunities and events planned for the future. You can find information on future events and ways to get involved @asuwomensco on Instagram or on their Sun Devil Sync page!