Beyoncé Knowles once asked, "Who run the world?" and responded, correctly, to her own question with "girls."
What could be more powerful than that?
My entire life I've been surrounded by powerful women who awe and inspire me.
Powerful women in my life have come in many forms. For instance, both of my bosses at Carolina Housing and at The Daily Tar Heel are some of the most hardcore people I know — especially because they have to put up with me and that's no easy task.
Another set of powerful women, who understand the magnitude of having to put up with me, would include members of my family. Both my sister and my mom inspire me every day (mom, I'm more than proud of you for getting your master's [and working on your second,] and Erin you are THRIVING in grad school — and that's no easy task.)
Of course, powerful women in my life extend further than just my family and coworkers. Women like my best friend, Amanda, who just today got another acceptance into graduate school and my other best friend, Sophie, who supervises a wellness store, both show their power daily in different forms.
I can't name every single powerful woman who has impacted my life, otherwise I'd be writing a novel rather than a column, but I will say I'm in their presence daily.
Women like my copy assistants and staffers who work tirelessly to make our product look as perfect as possible; women like my professors who teach me both subjects and methods that transform my perspective; and women who lead people all around me, like the mayor of Carrboro and the mayor of Chapel Hill, are part of my day-to-day, and I wouldn't trade that for anything.
I think it's fair to say: I'm surrounded by great power, whether at Craige Residence Hall, where over half our total staff is women, or at UNC as a whole where the female-identifying student population is well above that of male-identifying students. That great power has inspired me to break boundaries and to stay strong even in the face of adversity.
