By: Mehak Dureja, SDSU Chapter Member
Well ladies, it’s another new year! How many of you still find yourself writing 2019 on your papers? (because me too!) I don’t know about you, but for me, when the new year hits, things still feel pretty stagnant. You might be feeling dreadful of another semester/quarter, and chugging cups of caffeine to keep you running, but don’t forget that in the midst of all the tiredness, lies our bright and successful future. Here are some cool women in the news to inspire you and remind you that it’s another year for us to shine!
In 2019, Ana was the first Latinx to win the Regeneron Science Talent Search in 20 years. This conference consists of high school seniors across the U.S. and awards $250,000 to the winner. Ana is only 18, and is working on discovering exoplanets (small planets that we are unable to view in Earth’s telescopes). She created a mathematical modeling system to figure out where these exoplanets may be hiding. Out of this world! Right?
She is a part of an elite club: the top 15 L’Oreal-UNESCO Fellows who was recognized was “International Rising Talents” in 2019. Her research focuses on new plant-based therapies to treat epilepsy, depression, and anxiety. She is focused on a flowering plant that is usually used in West Africa for the treatment of Malaria. Mante said, “The world will make room for us… The more women push for senior roles, the harder it will be to ignore them.”
Yari Golden-Castano is one of the 100 finalists for the Mars One project, which selects the first 24 settlers on Mars. She is an MIT engineer, focusing on laser communication, which is the technique Mars settlers will use to reach Earth once a colony is established. The private space flight is set to launch in 2031, and hopefully she and her husband will spend the remainder of their life there. Keep shooting for the stars!
I hope that as you are preparing for the start of another quarter/semester and a brand new year, you take a moment for yourself to realize that besides the fatigue and exhaustion, you are doing great- because each day you wake up and chase your dreams!