If you’re looking for some inspiration as we approach the new year, look no further. These four women are the epitome of badass world changers. Set your new year’s resolutions and take notes from those who have become icons in their own right in so many different ways:
- Margaret Hamilton
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If you have ever seen the viral photo floating around of a young woman standing next to a mountain of papers of code to get people to the moon, then you have probably come across Margaret Hamilton. She earned her BA in mathematics, became a mathematics professor, and worked in the meteorology department at MIT, developing software to predict weather and contribute to Lorenz’s chaos theory. At MIT, she also worked on the Semi-automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) project, used by the US Air Force, and the Apollo Space Mission, developing Apollo and Skylab’s software. A computer scientist, businesswoman, and software engineer, Margaret is a light to all women in STEM looking to make a difference.
- Sophia Amoruso
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For all my fashion and entrepreneurship dreamers, Sophia Amoruso is the true definition of courage and grit. She is most well known for founding the iconic brand Nasty Gal and becoming one of the wealthiest self-made women by 2016. Though the brand recently faced bankruptcy, Sophia has taken her lessons learned to found Girl Boss Media, an organization that stands to encourage and support young women in their career and life endeavors. You can even watch the Netflix series, #GIRLBOSS, and autobiography on the rise and fall of her retail brand.
- Anna Wintour
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Known for her aversion to wearing all black and her signature bob hairstyle, Anna Wintour has served as editor in chief for Vogue since 1988 and has been taking the fashion world by storm ever since. She has been paid homage through the famous movie the Devil Wears Prada, written by an ex-assistant. However, her cutting-edge eye for style and writing are only made better by her support for young people in fashion, encouraging firms to hire youth with a new vision. An icon living, most everything goes through Anna Wintour for the “okay” in the fashion world.
- Ava DuVernay
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One of the most promising modern filmmakers to watch, Ava DuVernay became the first black woman to be nominated for and win a Golden Globe Award for Best Director for her work on Selma. She is also the first black woman to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. She is also exceptionally well known for her beautiful work on the feature films A Wrinkle in Time and the Netflix series When They See Us, based on the Central Park jogger case of 1989. Her dedication to highlighting minority stories and talent in her work is admirable in combination with her true talent for filmmaking.