When They Were Girls: Phenomenal Women and Their Role in History
Women’s History Month is the ideal time to reflect on some of the amazing women who have shaped and changed our world for the better. It's also a time to motivate the next generation of leaders. Outschool can help empower kids today with a variety of course offerings they may not have access to in the traditional classroom— from a class on building self-worth to world languages to coding, the sky is the limit for today's youth. To inspire your future history-maker, we honor the incredible accomplishments of the following women.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
The first female Jewish Supreme Court Justice and the second woman to ever sit on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020) broke barriers personally and professionally. The powerhouse worked her way to the Supreme Court and even became a pop culture icon along the way. Ginsburg changed the way the law viewed gender, working tirelessly to prove that women are just as capable, smart, and equal to men.
When she was in law school, she juggled motherhood and caring for her sick husband. When she became a SCOTUS justice, she became a role model, showing young women that they were capable of it all — being a devoted mom, caring wife, and career woman.
Do you have a young mind interested in a legal career? Outschool’s Law School for Teens is worth checking out.
Dr. Kizzmekia “Kizzy” Corbett
“Today, people will get vaccinated with a vaccine that I woke up on Jan. 11th to frantically help design.”
Dr. Kizzmekia "Kizzy" Corbett, 36, led the way to develop the Covid-19 vaccination and received praise from top infectious disease experts for her role in the vaccine's development.
She broke ground as an African American woman serving as the lead scientist for Covid-19 vaccine research at The National Institute of Health (NIH). Back in March 2020, during the early days of the pandemic, Corbett and a team of NIH scientists met with then-President Donald Trump. She told ABC News that being part of that meeting was pivotal for young scientists and people of color. She said that she needed to be seen and not to be just a “hidden figure.” She also hopes the high visibility of her role will serve as inspiration for younger people of color to aspire for a career in science.
If you’ve got a budding scientist or medical researcher on your hands, try Outschool’s STEM Club for Girls: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math.
Malala Yousafzai
“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”
Growing up in Pakistan under the control of the Taliban, Malala Yousafzai and all other Pakistani girls were banned from going to school. At the age of 11, Yousafzai began speaking out against the Taliban through her blog, where she documented her life under their rein.
Her blog started to build traction and in 2012, when she was 15 years old, a Taliban member shot her in the head on her way home from school. She fled to the United Kingdom where she made a full recovery and started the Malala Fund, a charity dedicated to fighting for education for young girls worldwide. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 when she was 17 years old — she became the youngest person to ever receive the distinction and the second Pakistani. Now only 24, she has already made her mark with her bravery and intellect.
Check out Outschools’ bookclub, I Am Malala, Young Readers Edition.
Maya Angelou
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was a poet, dancer, singer, activist, and scholar. Angelou inspired millions of women and African Americans with her tenacity and encouragement and her legacy lives on. Her poems and works are still taught in schools across the globe today.
Angelou played a key role in the civil rights movement and worked alongside Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. When King was killed on Angelou’s birthday in 1968, she was heartbroken. During this period of despair, novelist James Baldwin encouraged her to pour her emotions into writing. She started working on her groundbreaking autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which stayed on the The New York Times bestseller list for the next two years, and Time Magazine ranked it as one of the most influential books of modern times.
Browse Outschool’s creative writing classes.
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Are you feeling inspired by these history-making women? Want to celebrate Women’s History Month by giving your child the tools they need for success beyond what they learn in school? Learn more about women in history and choose from over 140,000 classes.
