“Why would a woman need to go to college when her future job will be taking care of a baby?” I used to think that women were all supposed to shoot for the same stereotypical future and be happy with it, get good grades in school, graduate college, get married, have kids, and be a mother. But as I grew older, the world opened up so many more doors for me and showed me that women have so many more roads to choose from and can do so much more than expected to. Whether it was the first woman on the moon, a worldwide famous actress, or the women who legalized women voting for the president, they all chose to be different and make a difference.

Now, there is still the questions about, how did the women who had the confidence to make such a big impact, get to where they are? How did they know that what they were going to do was what they truly wanted? The answer to those questions is that in all the problems with sexism, racism, and all the rest of the worldwide social situations, certain people wanted create a solution and that craving gave them confidence. They knew that this was their true desire because it was what they believed in and it had the ability to provide them with the delicious taste satisfaction.

The great women that have become the successful models they are, didn’t make it to victory very easily. With no doubt there were stumbles and traps and three of the many women that have gone through this are Joan of Arc, Emma Watson, and Malala.To start, Joan of Arc was a breathtaking girl who had such powerful beliefs in the message that God had sent her that it lead her to risk her life for her country. At age twelve, she started to hear voices and see visions. Afterwards, she made it her purpose and mission to follow and complete God’s task for her to drive the English out of France. Unfortunately, it took some time for other people to understand her and some even called her a witch. She ended up leading the army to victory, fighting persistently and eventually sacrificing her life to defend her country. Joan of Arc proves that being afraid of being judged for your beliefs will prevent you from the truly wonderful things that can happen if you do. Furthermore, while Joan of Arc was mocked and teased for trusting her beliefs, another female idol, Emma Watson, faced some challenges of her own. Ever since she was young she was sexualized by many elements of the media. She was insecure about her body image, her friends were afraid to appear too masculine, and her male friends were struggling to show feelings or affection. To give women the equal rights they need and to acknowledge this global problem, she decided to start a campaign called HeForShe in 2014. Ever since, her campaign has quickly boosted and really made a change. As Emma Watson has faced these challenges since young age another young women named Malala, also went through a similar crisis, but for different reasons. Malala was the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but it wasn’t a clear path at first. When she was a child, the place she grew up in did not provide many opportunities for girls to be educated. In result, she stood for what she believed was right and fought for girl’s education, knowing it could risk so much of her life. She could’ve died or a loved one could’ve died, but she endured through these challenges and made it top as a role model for thousands of little girls.

Overall, you should never ever be afraid to make your mark or make a difference in this world. Always know that if you’re stuck or scared, there’s always another door, never let what society wants keep you from doing what you believe, and always be open to being a idol and inspiration to others. Additionally, every woman on this planet all goes through something difficult a some point in their lives, but it’s important that you persist through it because when you do, you end up feeling accomplished. I learned that you should never be afraid of being the solution to a problem, even if it’s not your problem. That accomplishment of denying fear can change how you feel about yourself and your future, and it might influence the way that others feel about theirs. Once, Helen Keller said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.”

<Sabrina Kim/ St. Margaret’s Episcopal School 8thgrade>