March is National Women’s month. A month dedicated to celebrating women and feminism. I created a list of women that always inspire me.
My mom
My mom was the only person in her family to graduate from college. Not only was she the only person, but was the first female to graduate. She also got her BS in Physics with a focus on flying airplanes, meaning that she was in a field that wasn’t female heavy. Since this is the case, she inspires me to remain in STEM as we need more women in STEM fields. My mom always pushes an emphasis on “you can do it, if you put your mind to it” or in her words “be a thinker, not a stinker” and “you’re smarter than the average bear.”
My high school Pre-calculus teacher, Ms. Kristin Montville
Ms. Montville was my Pre-calc teacher my senior year of high school. Besides going to a women’s college, she is also in the Air Force. She teaches full time, but is still involved with the military. There’s truly nothing cooler than hearing “I went to the Pentagon this weekend” as if it’s no big deal.
My high school English teacher, Ms. Emma Staples
Ms. Staples taught me my junior and senior year of high school. She instilled in me a love of learning and an appreciation for not only literature, but art as a whole. She may have drilled analysis into my head, but without her I wouldn’t understand the impact feminism, women in society, and gender roles have in literature. Besides having great taste in books, she also is a style icon and her shoe game is fire.
Simone Biles
Although I do not know Simone directly, she has made quite an impact in women’s olympic gymnastics. Despite her height, she is a force to be reckoned with because she has four moves named “The Biles” for each event in women’s gymnastics. She’s also extremely supportive of her teammates and is a feminist.
Mindy Kaling
Anyone who knows me well, knows that my favorite actress of all time is Mindy. She never fails to make me laugh and I love her writing and acting. Her books Why is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns) and Why Not Me? are both short in length, but describe her life as both an adolescent and an adult. She writes about Hollywood and its expectations for women, and that it is so difficult to be an authentic person. Despite being a curvy woman, she hasn’t changed everything about her to fulfill Hollywood’s standard and truly finds happiness within herself.
Michelle Obama
First off, I truly believe that America has never seen a better First Lady. Michelle has worked so incredibly hard to get where she is today. She went to Princeton and Harvard, and was accepted off of her hard work. She helped spark a change in American diets, and made a conversation about the consequences of poor eating habits. Not to mention, her memoir Becoming is a true work of art.