Gold Medal Girl

Just a few hours ago, 18 year old American Mikaela Shiffrin won AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL in the women's slalom.

via: http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/02/22/sports/22ski-SUB4/22ski-SUB4-superJumbo.jpg

After winning, Mikaela said : "I’ve just got to keep going. To win an Olympic gold, it’s something I’m going to chalk up as one of my most amazing experiences of my life. But my life’s not over yet"

This girl has got some awesome ambition!! Huge congratulations to her...you go, girl!

You can read more about her win here.

Women Who Make America

I was browsing the internet (read: procrastinating) and came across this awesome website called Makers: Women Who Make America. The project aims to compile the stories of trailblazing women from across the country through tons of video interviews. Makers looks to document the paths of women in all kinds of different fields, especially in those usually dominated by men like business, technology, sports and politics. It is a great, empowering way to put off writing my essay. 

Anyways, one of my favorite interviews is with Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House. As the first female Speaker, she had no choice but to learn how to make her voice heard in a room filled with men. This is one of my favorite videos of her...

                   

This quote especially resonated with me: "It's in everybody's interest, Democrats and Republicans, to have many more women in all parties represented in Congress, and in government, and in business, and across the board.  I know that nothing has been more wholesome for our political system, for our government than the increased participation of women"

It's so powerful to hear from someone on the inside of politics just how far we as women have come  and how much more we can do. It really makes me want to go out and get involved. Like right now...

Watch some of the other interviews on Makers and let me know which are your favorites!

You're a leader!

I just got off the phone with my mom. She's in Switzerland at this really cool conference called Davos. It's held every year and world leaders come together for the World Economic Forum where they discuss all sorts of political and economic issues. This year's conference was titled "The Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business". I am so incredibly proud that my mom gets invited to this conference - she's such an amazing role model and inspires me to make a difference every day.

However, while looking up Davos I came across a really interesting article in the Huffington Post that had some very sobering facts. Only 15% of attendees were women. The Forum selects 50 of its own Global Shapers of which 50% are women but for the rest - there is such inequality! Women everywhere need to be a part of the discussions that are shaping our world and moving our society forward.

We need to reshape what it means to be a female leader and that starts with you! I want to challenge you this week to put yourself out there. Apply for a position in school, volunteer to lead a project in class, go that extra mile with your homework, audition for the school play and it could lead somewhere. You may discover a new passion! Become involved in the society you are a part of - you will gain valuable experience and it will give you the confidence to develop those leadership skills (and it doesn't hurt on college applications either!).

Big (Wo)man on Campus

via: http://www.makers.com/ruth-simmons

Who? Ruth Simmons

What?  Formerly Brown University's 18th President, first black President of an Ivy League, second female president of an Ivy League, mother of two

Why? Ruth has been an incredible force in breaking the glass ceiling for both women and African Americans in academia. Born to a sharecropper in Texas, Ruth was the youngest of 12 children. She went to college on a full scholarship, which launched her into the world of academics. Prior to her presidency at Brown, Ruth was the president of Smith College, the largest women's college in America, where she helped to start the first engineering program at an all-female college in the United States.

On growing up: "From second grade onward, I was reading all the time. My sisters and brothers used to complain there was something wrong with me...As time went on and I progressed through school that was pretty much the pattern. I was an odd duck...I think I found teachers who supported my oddity and I kept working hard and I managed to rise to the top of my class in high school."

Best advice she received from her mother: "Never consider yourself better than any other human being… Always act as if you have respect for another person even when you disagree with them."

On being a working woman: "I went to my supervisor and I said 'I discovered the salary of my colleague. He is being paid considerably more than I, while I am the senior person of the two. And I only want you to know one thing: I know that this is unfair and I will never feel the same way about working for you again' And that's all I said. So I was always unable to sit and take it, you know? I always spoke up for myself and it worked for me."

You can watch more of her interviews here and here!!

#ShineStrong

I know it's an advertisement, but I just think this video has such a powerful message for women and had to share it with you all....Enjoy!!

#readwomen2014

via Joanna Walsh

2013 was the year of the hashtag. From Twitter to Instagram to Facebook, from #SFBatKid to #Royalbaby, hashtags were everywhere. And 2014 isn't any different. Hashtags can be serious, inspirational or just plain hysterical. Today nearly every teenager with a phone or computer uses hashtags to comment on #whatever #their #heart #desires.

The other day, as I was procrastinating on Buzzfeed (I promise this rarely happens), I came across an article about #readwomen2014. Joanna Walsh, a writer and artist, created bookmarks of her favourite female authors to send to friends as New Year's cards. Little did she know, she was starting a movement to change reading habits across the literary world. When the bookmarks became more and more popular, Walsh turned to Twitter to produce a reading list of only female authors, using the hashtag #readwomen2014. More and more people jumped on the bandwagon, and began tweeting their own lists of their favourite female writers. A few writers and reviewers have even pledged to only read women authors in 2014.

via Joanna Walsh

Men and women publish about the same number of books, and women read more than men, though male authors are featured far more often in literary reviews and journals. We find ourselves reading histories and mysteries penned by Paul Fussell and Stephen King, instead of Laura Hillenbrand and Dorothy Sayers. #readwomen2014 hopes to diversify the books both men and women read, giving them a new perspective while celebrating the amazing work of women writers. 

At college, I'm usually so busy with classes and activities that I don't have time to read anything, let alone female authors. But this year, I'm going to try! And when I do find time to read, the books won't be the classics of Charles Dickens or Thomas Hardy, but of my favourite female writer, Virginia Woolf. 

Who are some of your go-to female authors? Let us know and we'll check them out!