You probably woke up to a million posts about International Women’s Day on your Facebook and Instagram feeds this morning. Great, but you know what?
Women should be celebrated everyday, not just today.
Every hour of every day, women are doing amazing things. And now more than ever, we’re seeing women shattering barriers in tech, medicine, politics, athletics and film. What we’re trying to say is, girls are running the world, and that is why we are jumping up and down with excitement.
But what exactly makes today any different than the other 364 days of the year?
Nothing, really. Except that today is the day the United Nations picked to not only recognize the amazing things women have been doing, but also to set some serious goals to make sure that nothing gets in the way of our continued butt-kicking.
This year’s theme? Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030. It’s meant to fire everyone up about gender equality, empower women and girls, ensure inclusive and quality education for all, and promote lifelong learning. Now that’s something we can get behind. So in honor of International Women’s Day, here are seven women we’re looking at with major heart eyes today:
1. Jennifer Widom – New Dean of Stanford University School of Engineering, Engineer, Professor, Mom
You know how much I like talking about women in STEM so I had to lead off with Jennifer. This is hot news, announced last week. Talk about shattering a glass ceiling in academia. She has dedicated her life to teaching innovators, and is a boss at collaborating with and empowering students. As Dean she will oversea a school that enrolls over 5,000 engineering students and over 240 faculty members.
Why she makes our list: Well, she is an innovator, engineer and proud mom. (Hey, she and I have those things in common!) She is one smart lady and has successfully navigated the challenging waters of the old-boy’s network at a super prestigious schools. She also taught one of Stanford’s first MOOC’s which is something you should check out if you are looking for a cool, free online course on any subject imaginable. And it sounds like she has figured out the whole work-life balance thing and raised a couple of awesome kids.
Words to live by: “College is a time for exploration. I don’t like to see [students] getting pigeon-holed or bogged down.”
2. Simone Biles – The Most Decorated American Gymnast…Ever.
We have every reason to believe that Shakespeare was a psychic who saw Simone Biles coming well before her time when he wrote the famous, “And though she be but little, she is fierce.” Standing at only 4’9”, this 19-year-old gymnast took home 5 medals at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics, making Simone the most decorated American gymnast of all time.
Why she makes our list: She never let her age, her height, or anything else stand in the way of success. She showed up to practice and gave it her all, even on days she didn’t feel like it, and worked tirelessly to defy the odds and make her dreams come true. And as if being one of the best athletes of all time wasn’t enough to make us swoon, her determination and sense of self gets us every time.
Words to live by: “I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I’m the first Simone Biles.”
3. Jennifer Doudna – Biochemist at UC Berkeley and one of the discoverers of CRISPR
If you’ve never heard of CRISPR, you will. CRISPR, an acronym for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat, (ok that part you don’t need to know), allows scientists to make specific changes in the DNA of humans, other animals and plants. CRISPR is a game changer and will enable previously unimaginable ways for doctors and researchers to treat diseases. Jennifer is so awesome that she was named one of the Time 100 Most Influential People in 2015 and listed as a runner-up for Time Person of the Year in 2016.
Why she makes our list: We love her because she has channeled her passion in science towards an extraordinary discovery that has the potential to impact all of mankind. She has also been leading what is now called the CRISPER Revolution. You can catch her on TED talks here. Oh, and all you biology lovers out there, if you are thinking about female role models, consider Jennifer. A couple of my students wrote about Jennifer in their supplemental college essays this year.
Words to live by: “ The idea that you would affect evolution is a very profound thing.”
4. Reese Witherspoon – Actress, Producer, and Trailblazer for Women in Film.
We first fell in love with Reese in 2001 when she graced our screens as the symbol of women defying conventions with beauty and (most importantly) brains as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. But leave it to Reese to top one of her most iconic characters with her own achievements. Reese is not just any actress. She’s an Oscar-winning actress, a filmmaker, co-founder of the production company Pacific Standard (which you have to thank for Gone Girl and Wild, among many others!), designer of lifestyle and fashion brand Draper James, wife, mother, and one of Glamour Magazine’s 2015 Women of the Year.
Why she makes our list: We love her because she’s not simply content with her own success. She’s, instead, doing everything in her power to make sure that other women have the opportunity to succeed, too. She’s done this by speaking up and taking a stand on the powerful role of females in storytelling, and by actively creating roles for women that go beyond Hollywood’s limiting and often superficial norm. She uses her art to fight for what she believes in, and she doesn’t take no for an answer!
Words to live by: “Like Elle Woods, I do not like to be underestimated…Films with women at the center are not a public service project. They are a big-time, bottom-line-enhancing, money-making commodity.”
5 & 6. Danielle Weisberg & Carly Zakin – Entrepreneurs and Co-Founders of theSkimm.
These are two girls after my own heart. They’ve been written up in every magazine imaginable (think: Forbes, Business Insider, Elle…we could be here all day), and it all started in college! Danielle and Carly met during a study abroad program, and reconnected years later in New York City working at NBC News. They were inspired to create theSkimm to help their super smart (but super busy) peers and friends stay smart on current events.
Why they make our list: These two are the ultimate go-getters. They’re young, they’re fun, they’re bold, they’re resourceful, and they know how to get the job done well. They took the ultimate risk when they decided to go all-in on theSkimm, and quit their amazing jobs to create their dream jobs.
Words to live by: “I think we both have tough skin, and we both work really hard. I think what we’ve found with this is that it’s really hard to be an entrepreneur, and that whether you’re a woman or a man, it doesn’t matter.”
7. Sheryl Sandberg – Best Selling Author, Facebook Chief Operating Officer, and Mother.
You probably recognize Sandberg’s name from her bestselling book: Lean In. And if you haven’t read it, we highly recommend you do. This self-made Silicon Valley powerhouse has become an inspiration not only for women in tech, but for women everywhere who want to tap into the power of their own potential.
Why she makes our list: Sandberg is the poster child for persistence at every age and every stage, which is exactly why we love her. To secure her gig at Facebook, she began meeting with Mark Zuckerberg for dinner once or twice a week…for six weeks straight! He finally offered her the job as Chief Operating Officer in 2008, where she’s been ever since.
Words to live by: “Taking initiative pays off. It’s hard to visualize someone as a leader if she is always waiting to be told what to do.”