In honor of Women’s History Month this March, teachers share the women who have inspired them in their careers, personal lives and more.

Samantha Zavala, Macroeconomics and U.S. Government

“My inspiration would be two Supreme Court Justices—one’s dead, rest in peace—Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and also, who’s currently on the bench, Sonia Sotomayor,” Zavala said. “In general, I think all the women on the Supreme Court bench are very powerful. I really admire how they are. Whatever their political beliefs are, they are [upholding] the constitution and what they believe is right. And I really admire that, and I hope that one day I can do that in some form or another.”

Marinda Katz, Biology

“I’ve always loved Jane Goodall,” Katz said. “She’s really inspiring. She’s innovative and independent and caring and she is passionate about what she does. And she teaches people about the things that she’s learned, what she’s interested in and she promotes conservation.”

Livia Tutuc, French

“My mom [is my inspiration],” Tutuc said. “She’s been a very hard worker all her life, and she taught me to never give up. She’s also a survivor of breast cancer, and that makes it even more dear to me to mention her. In the world of science, I admire Marie Curie, the first woman to get the Nobel Prize for physics and chemistry both, and she didn’t know that what she discovered was actually gonna kill her either.”

Marcia Arcuri, Algebra

“The first person who comes to me is Rosa Parks,” Arcuri said. “She was courageous, she knew what was right and she stood up for it and she didn’t let anybody intimidate her.” 

Carlen Scarlett, English

“Rachel Bloom is known for her accurate portrayal of female stereotypes in her media production from a while back when ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ was on air,” Scarlett said. “But even since then, she advocates for equal rights and brings awareness to a lot of disparities between men and women—specifically in the entertainment industry.”