Katie Foreman / Feature Editor

International Women’s Day is celebrated on Friday, March 8 as a part of Women’s History Month — a time to reflect on the achievements women have made throughout history and across the globe. From not being able to have personal bank accounts until 1974 to the fight for reproductivejustice, women have been handed a different deck of cards in life than men. That has not stopped women from remaining resilient to their setbacks, making large contributions to different societies and cultures everywhere.

Many women have inspired others to be what they want to be and to have a voice in this world. This year, Toreros shared which women at USD inspire them most.

“There’s a lot of amazing women on campus, but one that really comes to mind is Leeva Chung,” USD junior Olivia Bassett said. “She’s so brutally honest. She is loud. She is not ashamed of who she is. She wears bright colors, and you just know that she’s so confident in herself in a way that women are taught to not take up space, and she takes up space.”

During her time at USD, Bassett has taken several of Dr. Chung’s Communication courses.

“I’ve thought about her and just all the advice that she’s given me over the years, and she’s inspirational,” Bassett said. “She’s had a million different careers. She’s had her downs and ups and the way that she ended up where she is now I think is just so empowering and amazing. I love her.”

Dr. Chung shared advice she wished she knew when she was younger.

“You don’t always have to be so strong to do it by yourself and figure it out. It’s not a sign of weakness to just say, ‘hey, I need some help.’ In my world, it was ‘you got this,’” Chung said, who was raised to believe she could handle everything on her own. Over the years, that mindset shifted.

“Ask for help. There’s no shame in asking for help,” Chung said.

Recalling her college years when she was constantly thinking about the future and what was coming next, Chung expressed that she wishes she had just enjoyed the moment.

“I would validate and encourage [younger] me to be present,” Chung said. “Don’t be so forward thinking.”

The last thing she wanted to tell her younger self is something that she hopes all women experience.

“Thank goodness in college you found your voice — the advice is, you take that time to find it,” Chung said. “Especially as a female, especially as a woman of color… the only way you’re gonna get through life is figuring out your backbone and figuring out your specific unique voice that you have.”

Another strong woman — Professor Gabriela Gugiu Herrera — inspired USD senior Fátima Lizette Ramirez, to help find her path.

“She’s the woman I aspire to be,” Ramirez said. “She worked in PR [public relations], and I feel like she kind of made me realize that probably PR is the field I want to focus on in my career.”

Currently enrolled in one of Gugiu Herrrera’s courses, Ramirez noted that Gugiu Herrera worked with PR agents for Volkswagen and T-Mobile, prior to becoming a Communication professor. She helped them curate public relations branding and exposure.

“[She is] trying to teach us that if we want to, we can become that as well,” Ramirez said. “She’s very understanding… she’s just amazing.”

Ramirez noted another inspirational USD woman — Sara Hasselbach, director of the Writing Center and professor of literature.

“She is the sweetest teacher I’ve ever had in my life,” Ramirez said. “She’s so outgoing — so positive. She always gets to class [and] she’s always smiling.”

Ramirez mentioned an impactful activity that Hasselbach would do in class.

“Each class [she] asked us a different question — an interesting question — to get to know ourselves. At the end of the semester, she recommended a book that she thinks we would like — that was really, really nice.”

Hasselbach offered her advice for young women. 

“I would love for young women today to be more freely audacious. And to avoid making themselves smaller, quieter, and lesser.” 

Offering guidance to her younger self, Hasselbach shared about a struggle she has faced throughout her life. 

“I would probably like to tell my younger self to be more assertive about setting boundaries. This is something I still struggle with now, to be honest,” Hasselbach said. “This would take shape in a number of ways, but they might include: trusting my instincts about who/ what to allocate time for, saying ‘no’ more often, and feeling less responsible for making situations comfortable for everyone else.” 

Hasselbach is not the only professor who has made a strong impact on her students. Environmental and Ocean Sciences Professor Suzanne Walther stood out to USD senior Ryan Perry. 

“She is just the most impressive woman,” Perry said. “All of the women in the Environmental and Ocean Sciences department are so smart, and they inspire me because… they’re just so [true to] themselves with their particular interest in environmental sciences.” 

Perry emphasized her admiration for the passion behind Walther’s teaching and love for what she does. 

“I think it’s really inspiring to see women pursuing things that they’re interested in and sharing that love and true dedication with the next generation.” 

Speaking with Walther, she vocalized that her approach to life today has developed over her experiences growing up and she hopes that young women can learn to accept who they are.

 “The things that made me different or [the] ‘other’ — I was from an immigrant family, multilingual, first generation college, etc. — let me see the world in different ways and that later became a strength,” Walther said. “I would tell myself not to spend so much effort hiding those things but to just use that energy elsewhere, and for joy instead.”

Walther went on to volunteer her personal thoughts and wisdom on things young women need to know today.

“Knowing that each of them offers a valuable perspective, that they can and will contribute to this world, in whatever way that is, just trusting that.”

Women are inspiring women all around campus, and these Toreros wanted to share their love with the women who have influenced them the most. The words from these professors, as well as students, exhibit the ways in which women uplift other women and inspire them without even realizing.

Women everywhere deserve to be acknowledged and respected, and International Women’s Day recognizes women’s hardships, accomplishments and progress. It is an opportunity to remind the women in your life that you love and value them. Women show each other and the world that they have a voice, power, strength, love and so much to contribute to society world — let’s all celebrate women.

International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month celebrate women’s resilience throughout history, uplifting women everywhere.
Photo courtesy of @peopleofcolorbeauty/Instagram