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Gulliver Prep junior Mia Fern Szwarckopf has a non-profit called Enough for Everyone that she created with her sister, Maya Fern Szwarckopf. The organization collects feminine products and raises awareness about stigmas surrounding menstrual health through social media.
“People are scared to talk about this,” she says. “I think it is going to take more than the passion I have for this project to change things. This can revamp it back up to raise awareness.”
The organization has collected more than 3,000 products and donated them to the Lotus House, a woman’s shelter. They conduct three drives a year and donate the products. They ask for general hygiene products, including soap, mouthwash, toothbrushes, pads, tampons, and diapers.
The drives run for four to six weeks so that everyone has a chance to donate. They also have the option to donate cash via the popular cash options such as Venmo and Zelle. Organizers then go out and buy the needed products.
When everything is collected, they distribute the products to the community and the Lotus House residents.
“The Lotus House is located in an impoverished area, so everyone is welcome to come,” she says. “That is what we really love about it. There are distribution events. They can come around and grab donations from anybody. From our table its hygiene products, from other tables it will be books and toys.”
She and her sister started the project after a discussion about how they take it for granted that they can walk into their bathroom, open a drawer and find what they need for their feminine care.
“People who are period poor, it’s a sad situation,” she says. “But it’s a realistic scenario. No one really talks about this problem. No one talks about periods. Seventy perfect of females have their periods every single month.”
They wanted to change things. They decided to give products to places that suffer from period poverty.
“We also ask for donations for period panties,” she says. “Sometimes we will work for a national organization called Period. They will give us pads and period panties. That can be life changing for these people.”
They also extended the outreach.
“We were able to expand into chapters in local schools and on a national scale, including Gulliver Preparatory, Palmer Trinity, Ransom Everglades, Christopher Comulmbus and more,” she says. “I continuously bring volunteers to the shelter’s volunteer opportunities while advocating for menstrual hygiene in both political and educational environments.”
At Gulliver, she is a member of the Health Informational Project, made up of juniors and seniors who teach health education to ninth graders.
“It’s a passion of mine, health education,” she says. “Being able to talk openly with them about health topics, especially ones that are often overlooked or considered uncomfortable, has been incredibly rewarding. I quickly realized how impactful it is to create a safe, supportive environment where students feel heard and informed.”
She is also a student ambassador, leading tours for prospective students and their families.
And she’s a Link Mentor. She was assigned a freshman to keep tabs on and help through the year.
She’s the Jewish Student Union secretary and president of the SMART Club, a mental health club.
Szwarckopf is the Miami Regional President of BBYO.
“I am in charge of all the girls in my region,” she says. “I am in charge of how the chapters are running. I’m considered the adult of the teens.”
She attends local and international leadership conferences where she gets to meet with other teens from around the world.
For college, she’s considering schools with good medical programs so she can become a pediatrician.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
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