What better way to wrap up Women’s History Month and the celebration of phenomenal women than by recognizing those who have made an impact over this past year? Whether they’re politicians, artists or actresses, these six women have definitely made their mark.
1. Sabrina Ionescu
Sabrina Ionescu plays basketball for Oregon in the Pac-12 Conference and was recently named Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, which is impressive enough. The Oregon Ducks had a record-breaking season, and she continues to dominate overall records within college basketball. Ionescu broke the NCAA career triple-double mark and became the first player in college history to have 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. Her senior year has been one of the best seasons for her career so far, helping the Ducks win the Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles. Unfortunately, the Ducks had to end their season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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2. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress in 2018. Since then, she has been the center of many newsworthy moments. In 2019, she made headlines during Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony with heavy-handed questions about potential witnesses or corruption in regards to Donald Trump. Recently, she co-sponsored a bill that bans members of Congress from trading stocks. Also in 2019, she was featured in the documentary “Knock Down The House,” released on Netflix. Even if you do not agree with her politically, she certainly has made an impact in politics and will continue to do so.
3. Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish won a plethora of awards at the 2020 Grammy Awards, including best new artist, song of the year, record of the year and album of the year — along with honors for best pop vocal album. At only 18 years old, she has made a huge impact in the music industry. Known by her eccentric style, Eilish has also collaborated with well-known brands such as Adobe, H&M and Urban Outfitters. Eilish has many young fans that look up to her and have supported her throughout all that she has released. Her current world tour is rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the artist is hoping to reschedule as soon as possible.
4. The U.S. women’s soccer team
While this list is about individual women, there is something to be said about the accomplishments made when women collaborate. The U.S. women’s soccer team won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in July 2019 and have since made strides for equality in the sports industry. They are currently fighting for equal pay against the U.S. Soccer Federation in the hopes that women’s accomplishments will be compensated fairly.
5. Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay has become a force to be reckoned with in the film industry. Both on television and the big screen, DuVernay has become a part of the conversations of diversity and inclusivity. She’s an acclaimed director, boasting three nominations at this year’s Emmy Awards for Netflix’s “When They See Us.” She also created her own series on OWN and made it a point to hire women writers, production designers, cinematographers, casting directors, costume designers and editors. The show, “Cherish the Day,” is set to premiere winter of 2020.
6. Sandra Oh
This year, Sandra Oh became the first person of Asian descent to ever host the Golden Globes. She also became the first Asian woman to win multiple Golden Globe awards. She came home with best actress in a drama for “Killing Eve.” She continued her banner year by making her hosting debut on “Saturday Night Live” in March of 2019.
Emily Pisqui can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @emilypisq15.
