International Women’s Day 2024

Malala Yousafzai

Who is she: 

Pakistani female education activist and human rights advocate. 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the age of 17.

Why I admire her: 

She turned such a traumatic event in her life into something inspiring. She is incredibly resilient and I love her focus on improving access to education for women. She deserves to be admired on International Women’s Day, and beyond.

Sheryl Sandberg

Who is she: 

The first woman to be on the Facebook board of directors. 

Why I admire her: 

She is an incredible entrepreneur and philanthropist. She has a non-profit that helps women achieve their goals.

Benazir Bhutto

Who is she: 

Pakistani politician, stateswoman and prime minister of Pakistan. She was the first woman elected to head a democratic government in a Muslim-majority country.

Why I admire her: 

She has been an inspiration for generations of young girls aspiring to make integral changes in a society that suppresses women’s right to education, equality and freedom of speech. She broke barriers by attending Harvard’s Radcliffe College and came back to her homeland to uplift the spirits of the younger generation. Her drive to make a difference in people’s lives has been something I really resonate with to the core of my being.

Bisan Owda

Who is she: 

A young Palestinian journalist documenting the genocide happening in Gaza.

Why I admire her: 

She is very brave for sharing her and the people of Gaza’s story with the world so we are more aware of what’s happening in the Middle East.

Maria da Penha

Who is she: 

Brazilian biopharmacist and a human rights defender for women. She is known for implementing laws regarding domestic violence in Brazil.

Why I admire her: 

She pioneered legislation for all genders against traumatic domestic events. As it is still an ongoing issue today, she should inspire us to update our laws and do better. 

Harriet Tubman

Who is she: 

American abolitionist and social activist who carried out 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people.

Why I admire her: 

She believed the freedom of the people she saved was more important than her own safety, and that she had a duty to help those who could not rescue themselves.

Caitlin Clark 

Who is she: 

An American basketball player.

Why I admire her: 

She is one of the greatest female players to play the game of basketball, despite only being 22 years old. She holds the scoring record for Division 1 (College) basketball. I think she’ll leave behind a legacy as a trailblazing innovator for the women’s game and will only help the sport to grow.

Amy Adams

Who is she: 

An American actress.

Why I admire her: 

She’s a legend and deserves an Oscar.

Helen Sharman

Who is she: 

First British person in space as part of Project Juno and a chemist.

Why I admire her: 

She’s an intelligent scientist who did a lot of firsts, being both the first British person, the first Western European woman, and the first privately funded woman to go into space. She was not trained to be an astronaut, she just applied to boldly go into the unknown. This makes her a great person to highlight on International Women’s Day.

Also, she’s from Sheffield. 

Yu Gwan-sun

Who is she: 

A Korean Independence Activist – She is particularly notable for her role in South Chungcheong during the March 1st Movement protests against Japanese colonial rule.

Why I admire her: 

She was a die-hard activist just like many other Korean women in history.  She is one of the most famous Korean independence activists and a symbol for the movement.

All Women

My inspiration this International Women’s Day is every woman who makes her way through life with strength, kindness, compassion, courage and grace. They make the world better, and matter more than they know.

Not everybody can save or change the world on a large scale. I admire those who do the best that they can to make a difference in their small part of the world.