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#1
Social activist Ilwad Elman carries on her late father's work at Elman Peace & Human Rights Center, a Somalian NGO that runs Somalia's first rape crisis center and supports former child soldiers and other marginalized youth.
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#2
American track and field Olympian Allyson Felix fought for better maternity protections for female athletes and ultimately convinced Nike to change its policy for pregnant athletes.
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#3
Jacinda Ardern is not only New Zealand's youngest prime minister but also the second world leader to give birth while in office. She made history again when she became the first world leader to bring their baby into a United Nations' general assembly meeting.
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#4
Activist and community organizer Tarana Burke founded the #MeToo movement in 2006 to support survivors of sexual abuse and violence. Her work has given numerous survivors a safe space to use their voice and push for much-needed reforms.
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#5
Born in South Sudan, Adut Akech Bior grew up in a Kenyan refugee camp before immigrating to Australia. At 16, she began what has become an impressive modeling career. Off the runway, she works with the United Nations to support refugees around the world.
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#6
In 2020, Sarah McBride defeated her Republican opponent to become the first transgender individuals elected to the office of U.S. state senator. McBride now serves in the Delaware State Senate.
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#7, 8, & 9
Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi founded the political movement-building project #BlackLivesMatter in 2013 following the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's killer. Their work has changed the way we talk about police brutality and racial inequalities.
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#10
The United Arab Emirates became the fifth country to reach Mars’ orbit in February thanks largely to the work of scientist Sarah Al Amiri. As UAE’s Minister for Advanced Sciences, Amiri lead a team comprised predominantly of women in launching the Hope spacecraft.
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#11
Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg began a "school strike for climate" that ultimately inspired a global movement and challenged world leaders to take more action in combating climate change.
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#12
At 92, Dr. Ruth Westheimer remains a pioneer when it comes to talking openly and honestly about sex. For some 40 years Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who worked at Planned Parenthood in the ’60s, has helped people live healthy and fulfilling sex lives.
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#13
Pakistani education activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai continues to champion the education of girls around the world through the Malala Fund despite being shot by the Taliban in 2012 for pursuing her schooling.
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#14
In 2015, Misty Copeland became the first Black woman to be promoted to principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. She continues to inspire girls, push for greater diversity, and shatter stereotypes in the dance world with her children's book Bunheads.
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#15
Nicole Maines is TV’s first trans superhero. The actress and transgender rights activist also sued a Maine school for the right to use the female bathroom — the first time a state court deemed it unlawful to bar trans students from facilities of their gender identity.