This week, boys in Derek Porter and Jon Piper’s Global Thinking class recognized Women’s History Month by highlighting womens’ voices and learning from them.

Boys interviewed women about other women who had influenced them. One student’s sister talked about her admiration for Hedy Lamarr, the famous Hollywood actress who also helped invent signal-hopping, the foundation of all wireless communications technology. Another interviewed a woman who drew inspiration from her mother’s strength, passion and positive attitude.

Charles Ayers ’27 spoke to his mother, an English major, about the inspiration she received from Willa Cather, who wrote about her life on the Great Plains in “O Pioneers!” and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for the World War I novel “One of Ours.” “She believed Cather was one of the greatest writers of the 20th century,” said Ayers. “She’s one of my mom’s heroes because she defied what people expected of women and forged her own path as a journalist and an amazing writer.” 

Piper believes it’s important to have the boys approach the topic by speaking to women directly. “It’s a great opportunity to not only call attention to the important women of history but the contributions of everyday women as well.”