Who is a woman making history today who you think should be honored in a future Women’s History Month and/or U-High curriculum? Why?

“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, based off of her political activism, especially coming from an underprivileged background and now being able to exist on such a big platform.”

— Areen Khan, junior

“Michelle Obama because she is a First Lady from the South Side of Chicago, man, and she cares about children’s health and wellness. I think oftentimes, we adults are concerned with, ‘What school are you going to? Are you doing this or are you doing that? Are you performing at a certain standard? Are you keeping up? What have you done for your future?’ Meanwhile, she’s more concerned about children’s wellness, and so I think that’s really admirable.”

— Isaac Berrutea, history teacher

“A woman that I think should be celebrated is Stacey Abrams. She had just run for the governorship of Georgia. She has been very instrumental in trying to ensure all citizens of Georgia are able to vote without any impediment. She was also instrumental in getting Georgia to have their first-ever Black senator in the 2020 election.”

— Shauna Anderson, math teacher

“Taylor Swift, because whether or not you like her music, you have to admit that she is persevering and hard-working. Even when her songs were stolen from her, she managed to re-record all of her albums, and she has progressed in the face of unfair criticism.”

— Nutan Ganigara, sophomore

“Kamala Harris because she is the first female Black vice president. She’s really inspiring. To get through a system with this much racism and prejudice, I feel like that’s a big stride for everyone.”

— Zuri Cosey Gay, ninth grader

“The film director Chloé Zhao … because she is the first woman of color to win the Oscar for best director, and many of her movies are interesting and influential. People don’t know the face behind her movies, so I think it’s important to recognize her success in a male-dominated field.” 

— Chani Patterson, sophomore

“I say Beyoncé because she has the most Grammys out of anyone in history, and I think that that is a big step because the music industry wasn’t built around women.” 

— Courtney McDonald, sophomore  

“I think Mayor Lori Lightfoot because she’s trying to make Chicago a cleaner and safer place, and she’s pushing more progressive ideas.” 

— Whit Waterstraat, ninth grader