SDA’s Big Sisters Club organized a self defense class held in the gym Wednesday. Both a woman and a student from the organization Play It Safe administered the class.

They began the class by telling a few stories of sexual assault attacks, both on themselves and people they know. All the girls who took the class came with the intention of learning how to protect themselves.

“I think self defense is super important and that girls should learn how to protect themselves and be more aware,” Big Sisters club president Kelly Luong said.

The class consisted of a series of steps and precautions to take in order to prevent attacks, such as being aware and always being around people. In addition, they taught the girls how to escape from an attack if all else fails. The girls taking the class were given demonstrations and then were asked to practice and perform the maneuvers they were taught.

“Taking the class has already had an impact on how I think and I’m much more cautious and aware of my surroundings,” Luong said.

The class was both fun and lighthearted for the students, while still remaining serious in terms of risks.

“I am really happy with how the class turned out,” Luong said. “I would advise any girl to take a self defense class because it could save your life.”