Celebrating International Women's Day

Who is your female role model? To celebrate International Women’s Day, we have asked our senior prefects to nominate an inspirational woman and they have chosen some fantastic individuals.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across time. Held on 8 March every year since 1909, it is an important day on the calendar.

This is who our senior prefects chose:

Head Girl Amity: Marilyn Monroe – an across the board entertainer. She was an outspoken advocate for equality and talent, being commonly described as a feminist idol. A free spirit who gave much value to women’s liberty and their equality to men, having a huge impact on everybody worldwide.

Head Boy Freddie: Alice Paul – growing tired of the protest methods of the National American Women’s Suffrage Association, Paul broke away in 1916 to campaign with her the National Women’s Party. Her protests – like the ‘Silent Sentinels’ picket line and her hunger strikes through prison – were instrumental in the passage of the US Nineteenth Amendment.

Deputy Head Girl Genevieve: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – a Nigerian writer who uses her works to explore themes of postcolonial feminism, the concept of storytelling, and the importance of cross-cultural referencing within literature. Adichie continues to bring attention to the many ways Western feminism has innately ignored intersectionality, achieving this beautifully through her meticulous narrative structure and personal style.

Deputy Head Boy Sam: Maya Angelou – the author of the successful autobiography ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings’ was not only a writer but a highly lauded dancer, singer, journalist, poet, screenwriter and civil rights activist. Angelou worked with Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X in order to achieve progression in civil rights and was a true inspiration. In 2010 Barack Obama gave her the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest civilian honour in the United states.

Now have a think of a female who inspires you.