As we enter into March, my mind quickly goes into how I made it to the halfway mark of the college semester. Just like many others, I am trying to pull together everything I have learned so far into one nice package for midterms. Nothing else seems to matter at this point, which is why I was unaware that this month should hold an important meaning for many women in the world. March is considered to be Women’s History Month! To help educate students in this area, Student Life is holding a contest to see if we can name thirty-seven famous women in history by looking at their picture. Of course, I can name the ones I have learned about through school and those who I’ve watched on television. But, my eyes stare blankly at the last twenty-three slots I have left to fill. My mind assures me that I have seen these faces before, but I can’t seem to recall when.
Day two of working on the Famous Women Contest, and it looks like I heard about many of them, but have not seen their pictures in years. I have learned though that many of these women are hardly brought up anymore. Of course, we hear about Hillary Clinton because of politics and of Rhianna since music is universal, but when is the last time someone spoke about Wilma Rudolph becoming the fastest woman in the 1960s after completing the 100 and 200 meter dash? Or the last time anyone has read the works of Maya Angelou? No, I am not pondering these questions just to stall time searching for these answers. I honestly think our history of women is dying and we should really consider sitting down and talking with our youth about how powerful they were and still are.
Final day with trying to figure out these last twelve and even if I do not win this contest, I can truly say that I have learned or re-learned about women in history. I have even found myself questioning why certain women were not included and then realized that, if they were, the contest would never end. This one is indeed very tricky but rewarding for everyone, and I highly recommend students to take a trip to the Student Life and Leadership Office and grab a copy. The contest will be running until Thursday, March 30th, and three lucky winners will win a thirty dollar bookstore gift certificate. Just make sure to identify thirty or more of the women in history correctly. To anyone who has completed this form, I salute you.