I don’t know how you celebrate International Women’s Day, but for me, I like to take some time to think about the amazing things women have done. This tends to turn into me thinking about the powerful and inspiring women in my life. Wonderful women are all around us and come in so many beautifully different forms. By the time you’re reading this, it will no longer be International Women’s Day but all of March is Women’s History Month, and so I encourage you to take some time to make your own list and then tell the amazing women you know that they are in fact amazing. (For privacy, I did not include the names or any personal details of the women on this list, but those aren’t the important parts, what’s important is how the women around me have served to shape who I am).
1. Brilliance in Blue and Maize
We’ll get it over with now, Go Spartans! But the choice of university aside, the first woman who ever taught me anatomy is more responsible for the career I hope to spend the rest of my life in than she knows. When I try to describe her to people I usually say something like “if she had chosen to go into medicine instead of education she could have cured cancer” because that is the best way I know how to describe how incredibly intelligent this woman is. If someday I could have half of the information in my brain that she has, I will be more than content. The world needs more teachers who are as intelligent as this incredible woman and I am so so grateful to have had her to introduce me to science and medicine. Amazing female teachers encourage amazing female _________. (Fill in the blank because without great teachers we don’t have anything else.)
2. Mon Prof de Français
While I did learn French grammar in the four years I had this teacher, she taught me so much more about how to be a good human than she ever could about French (not because she isn’t a good French teacher, she’s great at that too, but because she is such an amazing person). She made sure her students knew her classroom was a safe space before that was expected and not only did she just say it, she made sure every action she completed and every word she said supported it. Madame set the example for the ally that I hope I am and the woman I want to be. The ways I witnessed her care for her students is something I only hope I can do. Some days we did less French and more talking about what was going on in our lives or discussing world affairs. When she knew we were stressed, either about school or things going on in our personal lives, she would offer us extra time on assignments without us even asking, and sometimes that is just what you don’t know you really need. All in all, I hope to live with kindness the way that mon prof de français does.
3. Boy Mom Inc.
Let me paint you a brief picture: 5 boys, hundreds of acres to play on, dirtbikes, snow mobiles, and a whole lot of chaos. Keeping those 5 boys alive is inspiration enough for her to make this list. Beyond that, she is so selfless. She’s easy going and radiates care for those around her. Her house is a second home to me because within those walls, she makes me feel so wanted and valued. I hope I can parent with her level of caring someday.
4. Registered Supermom
She put herself through nursing school and has been doing the tireless work the world is in such a deep need for, and all the while, she has complained very little (if at all). She’s so driven and self motivated but never let that stop her from coming to family holidays. She has the type of marriage I can only hope to have (a.k.a. a wonderful hubby who has found the perfect balance of respecting her competence and independence while also taking really good care of her). I’m sure everything isn’t always as easy as it seems, but she handles it with grace. She’s recently become a new mom and hasn’t let it slow her down in the slightest. I don’t tell her it enough, but she inspires the hell out of me. She’s really the first woman practicing in a STEM field in my family and it gives us something in common so that despite the not insignificant age gap, we have always been able to have good conversations. I’ve looked up to her for as long as I can remember and when I stop to think about it, she amazes me.
5. Super Sub
Maybe I was just a geek in high school (which I know is true), so it might not be a normal thing to have a favorite substitute teacher, but I certainly did. I took a pretty intense course load throughout high school and let’s be honest, AP courses don’t take days off just because they have subs. For this reason, many of my teachers would leave work for us to do and they would request the specific sub that they knew would see that we actually worked. As a result, I tended to see the same sub quite regularly throughout high school. She also served as our AP exam proctor. I saw her enough that when we talked she remembered our previous conversations and would save articles to show me that she thought I would find interesting. She is an example of how the little things matter. She made me feel seen, in a sea of really smart fish she made me feel special. She cares so strongly for all people and is vocal about supporting the rights of others in a way I try my best to emulate. She’s strong in her beliefs but is able to have a respectful conversation with someone who disagrees. She inspires me to use my voice and my privilege to stand up and support those who are being silenced.
To every woman on this list and all of those other lovely ladies in my life, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Powerful women inspire other women to be powerful and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have been inspired by these incredible women. Who’s on your list?