Senior Sofia Ciullo wasn’t expecting tampons to be the topic of conversation in her friend’s first-period class. 

Ciullo has been working since the 2020-21 school year to procure menstrual products for the girls’ bathrooms at SPFHS. Recently, her efforts came to fruition. 

“I was talking to two of my friends about [the project],” Ciullo said. “I mentioned that I had a meeting with Ms. Esposito to talk about the test runs in the bathroom to see how it went. [One of them said] ‘that’s so funny; people were talking about it first period and I totally forgot to mention it was you.’ The fact that there was this discussion, and it was provoking this deeper discussion about why we should have tampons, why there’s a stigma around [someone on their] period, which is a normal thing for a woman to have and an experience that should be talked about. It was really cool to hear that these conversations were happening outside of the bathroom.” 

Ciullo began the project alongside Alexa Seefeldt (class of 2021) through former SPFHS teacher Dr. Kanika Chopra’s co-mentorship program. She admits that, at first, she didn’t notice the bathrooms didn’t have menstrual products. 

“Because I’m not used to having them there, I didn’t notice they were missing,” Ciullo said. “It’s a medical necessity — almost every girl in high school gets a period, so these products are a need, not something extra. We’re not asking for hairspray.”

Seefeldt and Ciullo began preliminary discussions with the administration at the end of the school year, but this year, she finished the job and ensured that period products were accessible in the school bathrooms. Now, Ciullo spends her open block on Thursdays or Fridays (depending on how the week falls) going from bathroom to bathroom re-stocking the products. 

“I’m willing to put in [the work] really for two reasons,” she said. “I personally believe that [period products are] a medical necessity and I believe it’s something easy that can be done and change in our school that could help so many people. Even though it takes time, hearing people say ‘I forgot a tampon like and they had it in the bathroom. I didn’t even know they had them in there.’ It’s the simple sighs of relief I see in my peers that make it worth it for me. And I love seeing that I can make an impact in my community and help people in small ways. You know, I don’t have to end global warming to help people [chuckles].”

Ciullo has become more social-justice-minded throughout high school — in part due to the inspiration she took from her sister — and believes fundamentally in the value of small changes. It is her hope that, far beyond the scope of the co-mentorship program, her work might inspire other students to advocate for change related to causes they care about.  

“I believe in equality,” Ciullo said. “I mean, it sounds ridiculous, but it is debatable, apparently. I’ve just realized that I can make a change, that I as an individual can make a small change. And you know, what really matters is that if everyone works to make change, then that collective effort will make real-life change. Small change is important.”