We asked members of the NYU Shanghai community about women who inspire them, and their answers came from all walks of life and periods of history --from national soccer teams to their own mothers, from French philosophers to college mentors, and even a Formula 1 race team leader.
“Simone de Beauvoir–who we recently read in our class Global Perspectives on Society–really inspires me and encourages me to participate in more events related to feminism and support women who are in need of help.” - Julie Wu ’25
“I am inspired by my mother, who worked very hard to raise me.” - Zhou Meilian, NYU Shanghai custodian
“The US Women's National Soccer Team has been fighting for equal pay for the past few years and they finally achieved that goal a couple of weeks ago with US Soccer. They are paving the way for equality of women and continue to inspire the next generation. For many years they have been at the top of the game and have finally been recognized for their efforts. Equal Pay for Equal Play!” - Sarah Armstrong ’22
“Sarah inspires me. She’s always so positive in life, no matter what happens she’s always able to look at it from a positive angle.” - Xu Yihan ’22
“I’m inspired by Claire Williams, the former deputy team principal of the Williams Formula One racing team. Most Formula One drivers’ bosses are men, and although she inherited the position from her father, she was the only woman in a leadership position managing the team for almost 10 years, and I think she was great.” - Jay Ye ’25
“I would say first is my mom. She was born in 1950, and her life was actually quite hard during her generation in China. She gave me this very strong work ethic and attitude to keep going and to never give up, no matter how hopeless you feel. Hend Abdelal was a lady I met in Egypt while I was pursuing the beginning of my studies in Arabic and Arab history -- I actually dedicated my dissertation to her and my mom. She was a mentor from the university counseling center who sort of 'adopted' me and she gave me a lot of inner power, especially during a time of my own self doubt. She empowered me a lot as a woman and as an independent thinker who didn't need to just follow tradition.” - Shuang Wen, Clinical Assistant Professor of History
“My feminist friends empower me. Their unwavering support ground me. Happiness becomes greater when shared with them. They constantly challenge me to face uncomfortable truths and my biases and limitations without making me feel less than. Like all humans, I make mistakes and experience frustrations. But because of my friends, I am less afraid.” - Joyce Tan Renzhong, Senior Specialist, Diversity Initiatives
“I am inspired and empowered by so many brilliant colleagues everyday, and this is a quote that inspires me by Nikita Gill: ‘Fill your life with women that empower you, that help you believe in your magic and aid them to believe in their own exceptional power and their incredible magic too. Women that believe in each other can survive anything.’” - Bi Jinghong, Senior Language Lecturer, World Languages
沪公网安备31011502017015号
