This month is Women’s History month, and to honor and recognize the women from the past and our women of today, we will be posting articles highlighting such women and the qualities that make it possible for them to be an impact and create change.
Sometimes the biggest voices can come from the most unlikely places.
One of the most influential voices of the century has come from a young girl and it was almost not even found. It came from someone who truly believed people were good despite her experiences and circumstances. She had faith that the world around her could change and would be different, even if she weren’t there to witness it. This is Anne Frank, who wrote her thoughts, memoirs, and dreams in a journal later found by her father after the war. She writes:
It’s difficult in times like these; ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.
-Anne Frank
It was her immense depth in thought, faith, and spirit that was remarkable for someone so young.
At Hillsdale High School, the Seville Club shares similar values and it has become a growing effort among the students to spread the ideal of inclusion in their school and community. Presidents Kelly Lemons, 17, and Christine Bridger, 16, believe and promote the inclusion of their special needs classmates. They have a vision to provide these students with the best high school has to offer by throwing events, like dances or movie nights, that accommodate them but do not segregate them from the general population. They, along with the members, believe that high school norm can and must change.
Change can come from an unlikely place, as long as there is vision, faith, and hope. These are all qualities that represent our upcoming Women’s Day events around the Bay Area. Women will speak on these qualities and how with God they were able to overcome doubt and fear to become who God intended them to become, which goes far beyond what they thought could be possible.
Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
1 Timothy 4:12 (NASB)
