Phenomenal Women

I don't know if it's because I've found myself in a work environment full of strong women, or because I know that I am growing into the woman I want to be myself, but in the past year I have become fascinated by the stories of successful, powerful women. There is just something about estrogen paired with a success story that truly inspires me. Whether it's reading through a biography in the library or in magazine articles, there are certain women whose stories have just captured my attention and shown me that there is no one path to success, and no obstacle is insurmountable. In addition to the women in my personal life, like my mother and my grandmothers, here are some of the women who I find inspirational, fascinating, and, well...phenomenal.

MICHELLE BACHELET

The first woman president of Chile, Bachelet is an amazing example of the power of a woman. Overcoming the adversity of losing her father to the regime of Augusto Pinochet and experiencing personally the torture and brutality of his reign, Bachelet went on to become a successful doctor before becoming the first ever female Defense Minister of Chile, followed by President.

She was a passionate leader of a country that needed that passion, with a large focus on the health problems plaguing her nation. I find her story inspirational not only because she was the first woman to hold such a post, but because of the challenges she didn't let get in her way of changing the world.



MAYA ANGELOU

I'm a writer, and so it's probably no surprise that Maya Angelou has inspired me. Beyond her poise and wisdom, it is purely her way with words that moves me.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" to the poem "Still I Rise," I have never encountered a piece of her work that didn't make me want to close my eyes and envision, dream, and think.






DIANE SAWYER

While I was a fan of Sawyer on Good Morning America, it was always her interviews and work on Primetime and 20/20 that fascinated me most. As a budding journalist, I loved to watch her intensely interview everyone from Fidel Castro to President Bush.

When I watch her interviews, it is something about her fearless traveling and inquisitive and firm line of questioning that makes me sure I picked the right profession.


GLORIA ESTEFAN

Apart from the fact that Estefan, along with her husband Emilio and the rest of the Miami Sound Machine, can be credited with making Latin music and sounds mainstream in American culture, Estefan's life story is motivating.

An immigrant who was forced to migrate as a young girl with her mother from Cuba to Miami in the early years of Castro's dictatorship, Estefan went on to be an award-winning singer and performer with the Miami Sound Machine. Along the way, however, she faced incredible hardship again. After a serious bus accident, she was critically injured and told she might never walk again. How could I not find inspiration in the fact that ten months later, she was not only walking again, but back on tour and went on to sell millions of hit records?