Women Who Inspire

By: Monica Aviles

The majority of people have a role model, someone they look up to, or someone who generally inspires them day to day. In honor of Women’s History Month, students share their heartfelt words about a woman who inspires them.

Aimee Hernandez ‘21, sees March to be a month where everyone “acknowledges how powerful women can be.” She explains how in the past, women have fought to have the right to vote, right to education, better working conditions, etc. and even till this day, “influential women and motivational speakers are fighting for change.”

A woman who Hernandez aspires to be like is her mother, Yolanda, who has many “amazing qualities” she hopes to gain. She admires her mother’s hard work that she has “demonstrated throughout her whole life, even in the toughest circumstances, she has never lost courage or hope.” 

Single moms face many challenges, despite this “she has always shown positivity for the future, and has also shown me the importance of being responsible.” Hernandez hopes her mother knows that “the way she expresses herself and goes through life with courage” is something she has always taken note on.

She says her mother has taught her many lessons, and has provided her advice throughout her years growing up, “I use her advice to improve myself…Day by day, I learn a new aspect that’ll help me grow stronger, mentally and maturely. I am extremely grateful.”

Hernandez feels truly “appreciative to have spoken about this topic, it’s important to educate others of how empowering women are.” She explains how society carries expectations for women, and how easily it (expectations) can get “a hold of the minds of many women including mine.” Through self – improvement and time, she has accepted to “surpass the negativity of society, and focus on striving for success…being a woman can be very challenging at times, but only if you allow it to be.“

“Women are constantly targeted by society, or face constant negativity on their appearances…I encourage them to look further beyond, and explore their hidden talents. Be spontaneous, have an open mind, be driven, and look up to role models who you believe are going to be that motivation in your life to accomplish your goals.”

– Aimee Hernandez

Kayde Perez ‘22, knows it’s important to “show young girls the incredible things they can be and achieve” by highlighting how powerful women truly are. Perez also sees the importance of celebrating how far women have come “from the past, and the immense work they put in to achieve gender equality (which is still a fight women are battling in the present).”

Two women Perez looks up to are her mother, Susie, and her close friend, Anya. Both of these women are “abundantly empathetic and strive to change the world with their kind hearts and open minds.” 

She says how they’ve helped her battle through some of the “darkest times” in her life, and offered her love/support when she felt alone. She hopes they know how much they inspire her to be a better version of herself, and to always be kind.

It took some time for Perez to realize that she didn’t need to “conform to society’s standards in order to be valuable.” She explains how women are raised in a society where they are constantly criticized, constantly told who to be and how to act, “If you acted similar to other girls, you were deemed as boring and basic. If you acted differently to other girls, you were deemed as a weird outcast.” 

She wants other women to know it’s “wonderful to be unique, and it’s also wonderful to have the same interests as other girls.”

“Your worth isn’t derived  from how similar or different you are from every other woman, and it’s always important to love, uplift, and support each other.”

– Kayde Perez

Jacqueline Canchola-Martinez ‘21, believes that “women’s narratives are too often overshadowed by other events of the past,” and Women’s History Month is a way to celebrate “all of these diverse, unique stories” which provides younger generations “a reminder to take space.”

A strong woman she looks up to is congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio – Cortez (AOC) who is extremely “outspoken on issues that affect the people of her community.” AOC is always willing to “to put them (her community) above politics, above herself even.”

The way AOC approaches politics and issues in the US has “definitely” shaped the way Canchola views the “role of the government and politics too.” Not only that, but AOC provides the feeling of comfort, “Anytime I’m having an off day, a visit to her Instagram stories or lives always give so much motivation and remind me of what I am capable of.”

The public knows very well that AOC is “often told of how she is an inspiration to young girls and Latinx youth,” but something Canchola also wants for her to know is “how contagious her hope for America is.” All in all, “she truly is a super genuine human being.”

Women have many struggles, and one that Canchola has faced is imposter syndrome. Sometimes she’d question if her arguments or ideas were strong enough, or even if she was qualified to be somewhere, “slowly, I’m learning to accept that opportunities wouldn’t come along if I wasn’t already capable.”

“Women are already very strong, so I think WHM is also a way to make sure that the rest of the world understands this strength too. Identifying as a woman or girl is not just a label, it’s something to celebrate and be proud of!”

– Jacqueline Canchola-Martinez