This month is International Women’s Month! To celebrate, we wanted to discuss powerful women that have worked to create a better environment or community. From environmental specialists to marketing experts to behavior change professionals to social outreach warriors, women have made a big impact in the world. Many of them are pioneers who have paved the way for other accomplished women. At SGA, we admire women who have been successful in using strategic communication and outreach strategies and tactics to advocate for their cause. We asked our inspiring female staff members which strong female figures have influenced them. What tactics did these women use to communicate their message and how has this motivated our staffs with own work?
Audrey Taylor, Project Specialist
My hero is SIMRAN SETHI. Her work in food, sustainability and social change has reshaped the way many people think about our food system and its resilience, an issue I feel passionate about. Through her career as a journalist, Sethi has educated millions on these issues, but she also stresses the importance of getting people to actually engage with them. She tries to connect with the people she tells stories to at a basic, human level, stressing our similar desires and goals rather than our differences. When we frame our work in the most accessible and relatable way possible, that is when we can create true behavior change.
Cherish Aquino, Outreach Specialist
My hero is Dr. SYLVIA EARL. She is known for leading an incredible amount of aquatic expeditions and for making an open-ocean dive, which set the women’s record for a depth of 1,250 feet and served as a way to shine a light on the importance of protecting our oceans. She is known as “Her Deepness” because of this. My favorite quote from her is “I have lots of heroes: anyone and everyone who does whatever they can to leave the natural world better than they found it.”
Jackie Ayala, Project Specialist
My hero is HILDA LUCIA SOLIS, the first Latina to serve in the U.S. Senate and who was a strong advocate for environmental justice. Communities of color are disproportionately affected by polluted neighborhoods and Solis authored the first state law in the nation to codify environmental justice as part of the responsibility of state agencies. She has stated, “I believe our families should have clean air to breath, safe drinking water, and affordable energy sources, regardless of color, race, national origin or income. I will continue to fight to improve our environment, protect our health, reduce global warming emissions, and secure our energy supply for future generations.”
Sara Bethel, Project Specialist
My hero is JANE GOODALL. Jane has inspired me in the field of conservation with her passion and determination, even when other people criticize or undermine her work. Jane Goodall lives her life “in a way that matters” and challenges us to do so as well — for each of us to make a difference in our own unique way in our own sphere of influence. She teaches that it’s important for people to realize that the little choices we make each day, and the consequences of those choices, make a difference. This concept guides me in my social marketing work as I try to encourage others in my outreach efforts to make even small choices because those do in fact benefit the environment.
Every one of these women, both SGA staff and otherwise, have and are currently proving that through hard work and diligence, the glass ceiling can be broken! We can confidently answer the age-old question of who runs the world? Girls!