Today’s post comes from Youth Advisory Board member Alexis, who attended the Glamour Women of the Year Awards earlier this week. She discusses how inspiring the awards ceremony was in honoring women of all ages, across all fields, and in particular, the Millennial women who have made a difference this year. She explains what stood out below and how women are changing the world.
On Monday night, I had the opportunity to attend Glamour’s 22nd Women of the Year Awards. The event took place at Carnegie Hall and was filled with influential people from all over the community, most of whom were women, including many Millennials! As a Millennial woman myself, I was extremely inspired by each of the winner’s speeches and how these individuals are shaping the world.
Ten awards were given to outstanding women who have exhibited some sort of achievement or contributed to a cause they are passionate about. From Selena Gomez and Lena Dunham to the Olympic gold medalists and child sexual abuse advocate, Erin Merryn, each of these women has done something that’s important to them and they’re being recognized by the entire community for being amazing role models. Women of all ages were honored, but I was especially moved by these young people who proved the power of my generation. Selena Gomez, known as “The Independent Spirit,” is UNICEF’s youngest student ambassador and has traveled to Ghana for the organization. Lena Dunham, known as “The Voice of a Generation,” created and stars in this year’s most-talked-about television show, “Girls.” The Olympic gold medalists, known as “The Unstoppables,” are role models for all women wishing to compete in sports, especially as this year marked the first time that more women than men made the U.S. Olympic team. And finally, Erin Merryn, known as “The Guardian Angel,” has taken her personal crusade on child sexual abuse and turned it into a public one, helping draft Erin’s Law, which encourages schools to educate children about sexual abuse prevention. She also published her first book, Stolen Innocence, about this subject.
These women, and the entire event, highlighted just how much of an impact one person, young or old, male or female, can make. And in recognizing females specifically, it’s clear that women today are stronger than ever and are doing so much to make the world a better place.
Personally, I think it’s much easier to relate to and feel inspired by people your own age and their achievements because it makes your own dreams more reachable and realistic. I came out of the show feeling confident that I could achieve anything I wanted, and it could start now. There is no age limit or time limit for doing great things, and I think that is such an important message to get across to the Millennial women in the world.
The event also helped me realize that if there is something that means a lot to you, go out and do something about it! Make your future job something that you love, and you will always feel like you have a purpose and you’re making a difference in yourself, and for others!
Alexis Donitz
Alexis is a sophomore at New York University who picked up and moved from sunny and relaxing Los Angeles, CA, to loud and crazy NYC. She has displayed her love for writing and magazine design through her role as Editor-in-Chief of her high school yearbook and her internship at exclusive Los Angeles Magazine, Angeleno. She was also published in two literary magazines in high school. Creative writing has always been a favorite for Alexis, but she also enjoys writing based on observation. Her favorite blogs to read are food blogs, although she enjoys indulging in gossip blogs as well. Alexis uses her opportunity of living in two amazing cities as an inspiration for her writing.
