A Few Good Ladies

Recently I discovered that a few lovely ladies, and friends of mine, all landed nursing jobs down in Maryland, which I thought was pretty good news! Amy Exner (left), Natalie Bernier (middle) and Jessica Black (right) are all 2012 graduates of the University of Delaware, School of Nursing with B.S.N degrees and R.N. distinctions. Currently, Jess is an ER nurse at Sinai Hospital, Natalie is in the Psych unit at Hopkins and Amy is in the cardiopulmonary at Upper Chesapeake. I would just like to throw out a little congratulations to these strong, smart women!

Segue way time! This news got me thinking about a bunch of other inspiring women from this past year. So I decided to put together a short list of a few good ladies from politicians to illustrators and everything in between. I hope you enjoy!

Malala Yousufzai, Pakistani female activist
Malala Yousufzai is a 14 year old Pakistani advocate for equal education. She was on her way home from school, when she was attacked and shot in the head by Taliban militants for publically voicing her opinions on women's education. Thankfully, she was recently released from a hospital in London and has made great progress. It really makes you realize how lucky we are to have a voice.
via CNN

Michelle Obama, First Lady
The first Lady, although receiving much criticism for being too involved in politics, is also seen as inspiring and strong. She supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 and took a lead role in the initiave, Let's Move which fights childhood obesity. She can also give one hell of a speech!

Penny Krakoff, Marathon runner
Even before NYC mayor, Mike Bloomberg cancelled the marathon after Hurricane Sandy, Penny Krakoff was handing in her number to spend the day volunteering in Staten Island. A Brooklyn native, Krakoff felt it was more important to help out her surrounding communities.
via Gothamist

Kathryn Bigelow, Director
Kathryn Bigelow is best known for her film, the Hurt Locker and was the first women to be awarded Best Director in 2009. Zero Dark Thirty is already showing serious oscar hype. With her hard hitting and non traditional ideas, Ms. Bigelow does not conform to the female director mold one bit.

Jessica Hische, Letterer & Illustrator
Jessica is an incredibly talented designer best known for her typography and illustrations. Now only 5 years out of college, Jessica speaks at conferences around the world, discussing the trade and inspiring up and coming designers everywhere.
via Jessica Hische

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton is no rookie when it comes to political finesse. She has run the state department for the past four years with perseverance and serious focus. She is a strong supporter of women's rights and education and has recently launched the International Council on Women's Business Leadership. All I have to say is "Clinton 2016"!

Who inspired you this past year? Share your thoughts in our comment section! :)