Have you ever thought about who is influential in your life? Well, we picked 5 women from round the world that we thought were influential.   

Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in United States history. You might remember her reciting “The Hill We Climb” when she was 22. Amanda Gorman was diagnosed with auditory processing disorder in kindergarten. She persevered and is an award-winning writer. Gorman is also an activist for black identity, feminism, marginalization, and climate change.  

Greta Thunberg is an environmental activist from Sweden. In 2018, when Thunberg was 15 years old, she held a strike outside her school every Friday. She would hold a sign stating, “School Strike for Climate.” She wanted world leaders to take notice of Climate Change and how humans are affecting Earth.  

Serena Williams is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She has won 39 major titles, 23 in singles, 14 in women’s doubles and two in mixed doubles but that is just the start. She was ranked number 1 in singles women tournament for 319 weeks (about 6 years). She is a wonder on the tennis court and unfortunately retired in September 2022 when she was 40 so she played professional tennis for 27 years.  

Melinda Gates founded a company named the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation that helps all people live a healthier and more productive life. Both she and her ex-husband Bill Gates were awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and French Legion of Honour. 

Michelle Obama was the First Lady of the United States and the first African American from 2009-2017. She has created a healthier lifestyle for children across the United States by donating to Healthy Child Healthy World. She also created Let Girls Learn, an organization that helps girls around the world get a stronger education. Sadly, more than 62 million girls are not in school right now and Michelle Obama had a mindset of changing that.  

These influential women have encouraged so many people to be the best on so many levels