Name: Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman aka Nellie Bly
Life: May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922
Occupation: Journalist, Novelist, Inventor
Super Power: Daredevil Reporting
Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, better known as Nellie Bly, was a journalist, industrialist, inventor and charity worker. Best known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, Bly’s passion and determination helped change the world of investigative journalism.
In 1887, Nellie took an undercover assignment in which she agreed to feign insanity to investigate reports of brutality and neglect at the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island. Her horrific findings helped bring significant changes to the asylum and the overall care of mental patients across the country. Bly continued her impressive career by notably covering the Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913 and later becoming the first female front lines reporter during World War I.Name: Maryam Mirzakhani
Life: May, 1977 - Now
Occupation: Mathematician, Professor of Mathematics
Super Power: Problem Solver Extraordinaire
Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian maths professor at Stanford University, has been named the first female winner of the Fields Medal. The Fields Medal is the world’s most prestigious mathematics prize and is often described as the Nobel prize of mathematics. Until now, it has only seen male recipients since it was established nearly 80 years ago.
With a PhD from Harvard, it was Maryam’s unique approach to mathematics that earned her the distinguished award. Describing the language of maths as full of “beauty and elegance”, she hopes her achievements will encourage other young females to pursue science and mathematics. She’s confident this will be the case, stating, “I am sure there will be many more women winning this kind of award in coming years”.
Name: Margaret Fuller
Life: May 23, 1810 - July 19, 1850
Occupation: Teacher, Journalist, Author
Super Power: Breaker of Gender Barriers
Frequently breaking gender barriers, Margaret Fuller took roles rarely allowed for women including becoming the New York Tribune’s first female editor. As an early feminist and advocate for women’s rights, Fuller pushed for providing equal educational rights with the belief that they would lead to equal political rights as well.
She is best known for her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century which investigated the role of women in society and is considered the first major feminist work in the United States. Her advocacy and writings had a profound impact on the women of her time and have empowered generations to continue the fight for women’s rights.
Name: Julissa Arce
Occupation: Development Director
Super Power: Unparalleled Ambition
Only 350 summer analysts are chosen by Goldman Sachs out of 17,000 applicants. Women do this battle knowing that 9 out of 10 executive officers are men. Julissa Arce, an undocumented immigrant, was one of the chosen ones.
Over her seven years at Goldman Sachs, Arce rose from intern to analyst, associate, then vice president, later becoming a director at Merrill Lynch. While her unparalleled drive and ambition led others to believe that nothing could get in her way, she lived in constant fear that her forged paperwork would be discovered. After marrying her college boyfriend and obtaining a green card, she quit the industry and decided to pursue her passion of advocating for immigrant rights.
Now a US citizen, Julissa is currently the development director of Define America, a nonprofit that pushes for rights for undocumented immigrants. While there is a still ways to go, she’s proud to say she’s at least earned the respect of Goldman Sachs’ Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein who stated, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could give a home to more of the talented young people who come to this country for an education and want to apply their energy and skills to supporting our economy?”.
Name: Margaret Hamilton
Life: August 17, 1936 - Present
Occupation: Computer Scientist
Super Power: Code Buster
In 1965, Margaret Hamilton became the director and supervisor of software programming for the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory at MIT. Having taught herself programming, Hamilton led a team of men to develop the flight software for the agency’s Apollo missions, most memorably Apollo 11. It was because of her code, written by hand, that Apollo 11 was able to safely land allowing Neil Armstrong to be the first man to walk on the moon.
In 2003, Nasa awarded Margaret the Exceptional Space Act Award for scientific and technical contributions. She is now the CEO of Hamilton Technologies and continues to be a leader in the evolvement of technology.
Name: Every Mom
Occupation: Anything & Everything
Super Power: Unconditional Love
This week we would like to honor the women who can do it all. The women who have dedicated their lives to improving ours. The women who saw the best when we were at our worst, who never stopped believing in us.
This week we would like to honor every mom out there. Thank you for all that you have done.
Name: Marisa Eve Girawong
Occupation: Base Camp Doctor
Super Power: Conquerer
In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Nepal that triggered an avalanche on Mt. Everest, we are honoring Marisa Eve Girawong, a base camp doctor that was killed during the tragic events.
A lover of adventure and the outdoors, Marisa was pursuing an advanced degree in Mountain Medicine at the University of Leicester. An avid rock climber, she had successfully reached the summits of Mount Washington and Mount Rainier and was following her dream of conquering Mt. Everest. Remembered for her ambitions, passions and sense of humor, Marisa passed away doing what she loved the most.
We give our deepest sympathies to Marisa’s family and to all of the families affected by this disaster.
Name: Sarah Thomas
Life: 1973 - Present
Occupation: NFL Official
Super Power: Trailblazer
On April 8, 2015 the National Football League made the groundbreaking announcement that Sarah Thomas will become the first full-time female official in NFL history. A trailblazer in the field, Sarah has been making her mark in officiating for the past 19 years. As the first woman to officiate a major college football game, bowl game, and the first to officiate in a Big Ten stadium, she is no stranger to breaking down gender barriers.
.When asked how she felt about her newfound celebrity, Thomas rightfully responded, “I am a female, but I don’t look at myself as just a female. I look at myself as an official”.
Name: Ellen Pao
Occupation: Attorney, Executive
Super Power: Feminist Warrior
You may not know Ellen Pao. She was a venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins, one of the best known Silicon Valley venture capital firms. Pao recently lost a lawsuit against her former employer for alleged sexual discrimination. While it may not have been a controversial case in the jury room, it sparked controversial conversations around water coolers all over Silicon Valley.
Today we honor Ellen Pao not for who she is--because we can’t judge the merits of her case--but for what she did: having the courage to speak up and stand up against one of the most powerful Silicon Valley institutions.
How many of us have kept quiet and continued working diligently in the face of sexual discrimination? We did it because we had ambitions and we feared that if we spoke up for ourselves, it would work against us. It's time things changed.
Thank you, Ellen. You did not "kill the buzz". You lost your personal battle. But, you put one foot forward for women.