As a recipient of one of the Branson’s junior fellowship, Sabine Fuchs ’25 focused her project on the feminist magazine GirlTalk.
Every year, Branson juniors are given the opportunity to apply for a junior fellowship that funds a personal passion project. In spring 2024, Fuchs was awarded the Werner F. Chilton Fellowship, which honors Chilton’s “devotion to the spoken and written word,” according to the Branson website.
For her project, Fuchs focused on the intersection of her interests in educational access, female empowerment and storytelling. Her final project was a two-week summer camp where a group of female and genderqueer-identifying middle school students received instruction from GirlTalk staff and adult guest speakers.
Fuchs drew inspiration from her involvement in GirlTalk, an international student-run magazine dedicated to empowering young women, where she is a senior co-editor-in-chief.
Fuchs describes her experience with GirlTalk as one of the most important parts of her life.
“It inspires a lot of initiative, compared to other programs where there can be a lot of passivity,” she said. “With GirlTalk, you join it, you put in the work, and you are able to see a difference and a feasible change.”
Fuchs and the GirlTalk team had previously discussed expanding the magazine to middle school students in hopes of impacting them through the program’s education. When it was time to apply for junior fellowships at Branson, involving GirlTalk felt like the natural next step.
“I knew I had to do GirlTalk. This was the opportunity I had to expand it to those who would really benefit from this experience, such as under-resourced youth,” Fuchs said.
After receiving the fellowship, Fuchs was able to work in collaboration with Next Generation Scholars, a local nonprofit organization that “equips and empowers first generation, under-resourced Marin County middle and high school students to succeed in college and beyond,” according to its website.
“I wanted to make sure I’m reaching people who actively wanted to take part in the program, as well as those who would actually benefit from it,” she said. “I pitched the idea, and they loved it, so I’m so thankful for their support.”
Fuchs was very happy with how the camp turned out and emphasized the bonds she created with her campers.
“I loved all of the girls, and that was something I didn’t expect. It felt like I was going to be camp counselor, but I ended up making true connections with a lot of these girls,” she said. “That is what GirlTalk is about, these female friendships and learning to work with others.”
By the end of the session, campers published their own addition to the GirlTalk magazine called “The Media Issue,” which can be found online.
Branson also has its very own chapter of GirlTalk, founded by Fuchs and Simone Carr ’25. Reflecting back on her own experience as a ninth-grader joining clubs at her previous school, Fuchs encourages Branson students to get a taste of GirlTalk at their next club meeting.
“It’s where I fell in love with being able to do art tied with social issues,” she said.
Fuchs encourages others to follow their passions regardless of whether they receive a junior fellowship.
“I realized that I wanted to do the program even if I did not get a junior fellowship. I thought that it was amazing how the school inspired a lot of people who ended up doing their junior fellowship ideas even if they weren’t accepted,” she said.
