OHSers' Female Role Models
In celebration of Women’s History Month, OHS students utilized the month of March to reflect and appreciate the strong female influences in their own lives.
Many OHS students have found that their most inspiration and strongest female role models are the ones within their own homes. One student writes that his mother is his idol, due to her selfless and caring nature. More than just a mother, to this student she is a “best friend, counselor, and book buddy.” He shares his hopes of one day “repay[ing] this amazing, wise, beautiful, compassionate, and inspiring woman who I have had the privilege of knowing as my mother.”
Another student has found her biggest female inspiration to be her older sister, sharing that “[my sister] has pushed me to become a better person in ways I don’t think she knows.” This OHS student admires how her sister works hard and “knows her worth.” She is determined and selfless, and “is very quick to help someone, even for something very small.” She admires how her sister “has the perfect balance between strength and ambition and empathy and composure. I’ve seen her set extremely hard goals—career, social, and everyday—and she never gave up on and often succeeded.”
One OHS student looks to the successful dressage horse-riding athlete, Charlotte Dujardin, as an inspiration. While watching dressage would not usually interest this student, when stumbling upon a video of Charlotte, this OHSer “sat absolutely captivated for the 7-8 minutes a freestyle [a form of horse-riding where the horse and rider work in harmony with music] should take.” Charlotte Dujardin is inspiring not only because of her impressive riding, but because of how “she interacts with the horses, never blaming them for an off-day, giving them credit over herself, and working with them kindly.” She handles challenges with “grace and composure,” and is a “strong inspiration to young dressage riders.”
No one should be surprised that the most popular response for OHSers’ female role models was Taylor Swift. The general consensus was that Taylor Swift is inspirational due to her worth ethic and ability to get things done. She is down to earth and strong. She’s “extremely hardworking, humble, and self-aware,” which inspires her listeners to be the same.
Some OHS students have looked to female political figures as role models. One OHS student looks up to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as an inspirational figure, because “she is tough and smart. She is polite, but is not afraid to say her opinions.” Hillary Rodham Clinton is a role model to another OHSer, mainly due to how she “lead[s] through listening.” This student finds that “our political culture over values talking and stating what you are for rather than trying to figure out what you ought to be for.” What this student appreciates about Clinton was how, when she was in the election, she went “on listening tours, where instead of going places and talking, [she went] to places and listened to peoples’ concerns. This prioritization on getting input instead of merely providing it was mirrored in a number of things she did in the public spotlight.”
Due to her bravery and courage, Malala Yousafza serves as another female inspiration. Having read her autobiography I Am Malala this past summer, one OHS student was “incredibly inspired by all of the hard work she has worked towards for her entire life.” Even before Malala “survived that miraculous incident and became an icon for girl’s education simply for going to school,” Malala had always viewed herself as an equal to males: she visited local politicians, gave interviews, and wrote a blog for the BBC. Her actions were the reason why the Taliban was specifically seeking her out. The student shares, “Malala’s bravery and willingness to speak up without feeling as though she was somehow inferior to the ‘wiser, more experienced’ leaders around her reminds me that our word and actions can have an impact, and they can one day work to build a better future.”
Another OHS student shared Khadijah bint Khuwaylid as her female role model, whom she learned about through her Islamic studies. She shares that she looks up to her for many reasons, including that “she was an intelligent, skilled, and successful business woman” and “generous and kind.”
Tina Fey has been a female role model to one OHS student. Wanting to be a comedian herself, this OHS student is inspired by Tina Fey’s humor and profession as a comedian. This student shares that, “a lot of time people refuse to acknowledge that females can be funny. She did not let that stop her from achieving her dream, and she became a comedy legend.”
One OHS student has found Yara Shahidi as a female inspiration, whom she first saw on the show “Black-ish.” This student admires Yara Shahidi’s success at such a young age, and because of her work “in the community, especially for black people.” She appreciates how Yara Shahidi “lives life with such grace and joy, and I think those are both qualities we all aspire to have.”
Female role models are found everywhere, from family members, to athletes, to activists, to political figures, and OHSers spent March celebrating and reflecting on the astounding impact these strong women have had on their lives.