Southern Utah University has a new club for women who want to explore the great outdoors together: Women of the Outdoors.
The club was started during the 2020-21 school year by Jessica Hanneman, who is the president of the club.
Hanneman loves being involved in the outdoors and nature, which is why she decided to start the club. She also saw that there weren’t a lot of leadership opportunities for women in SUU’s Outdoor Recreation program and wanted to create a way for more women to have opportunities in leadership roles.
“WOO is a club for women who seek to enjoy the outdoors in a more comfortable setting,” Hanneman explained. “Anyone who wants to be part of a strong community and spend time outdoors is encouraged to come.”
Alongside Hanneman is Vice President Jada Nagel, and social media coordinator and secretary Alicia Zufelt. The advisor for the Women of the Outdoors club is Camille Thomas, interim dean of the College of Health Sciences at SUU.
Members of this club try to empower each other during meetings and trips.The goal of WOO is to ensure women have a safe space to enjoy nature.
Meetings take place every other Thursday at 7:20 p.m., and the next meeting will be on April 8. Everyone is welcome to attend.
The club has an upcoming picnic event where they will be making supplies for an upcoming fundraiser. WOO will also be joining in on the upcoming hammock event on campus. Club members also like to sign up for SUU Outdoors trips together, such as an upcoming biking trip.
The club is planning a big event for the end of the semester — a fun camping trip. A date and location is still to be determined for this event.
Some of the past events that WOO has done include bonfires and taste testing backpacking meals, hiking in Kolob Canyon, rock climbing at the SUU climbing wall, and rock climbing at The Cone.
For more information on how to become a member or for upcoming events you can contact the Women of the Outdoors.
Story and photo by: Kennedy Johnston
kjohnston9172@gmail.com
