Evangelina Villegas: While her name may not be well known, her work is witnessed in nearly all of our lives. Evangelina is a cereal biochemist who created the corn we know and love today.

After obtaining both her master's degree in cereal technology and Ph. D in cereal chemistry, she began working at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. She would realize that the traditional corn that people had access to was lacking lysine and tryptophan, two essential amino acids that the human body cannot produce. Developing countries who relied on the use of corn to wean their babies and feed their livestock were struggling to survive because of this. The work that Evangelina conducted would go on to contribute over $1 billion annually to the economy of developing countries. Malnutrition was becoming a less present as well. 

For her efforts Evangelina was the first women to be awarded the Millennium World Food Prize. She would also go on to be awarded with the 2000 Mexican Women of the Year from the Mexican Women Association. She gained countless other awards and recognitions, but her only response to them was that she hopes people are able to use these crops to create a better life for all.

Myrtha Vilbon: When a person sees an issue in life, they are typically drawn to try to fix it. This is the exact case with Myrtha. After working as an international consultant for many years, she noticed that Haiti did not have the safe resources that other parts of the world had. This is where she knew she had to leave her job and make a change for the better.

Myrtha noticed that 40% of the Haitian population lacked access to affordable toilet paper, leading to poor hygiene. She knew that something had to be done and due to this she created her company Glory Industries. Glory Industries focuses on making toilet paper within Haiti. This avoids the expensive import taxes that came from the original method of obtaining toilet paper, but it also supplies opportunities.

Myrtha made sure to establish the production of Glory Industries' toilet paper to be in Haiti. This created hundreds of new jobs for the people of Haiti to now have access to. Not only are there more jobs available, but 70% of the workers are women. This means that Haitian women now have an opportunity to earn money and work. She has helped drastically change the way people in Haiti are able to live and has established an organization that should be able to give work opportunities for many years to come.

Malala Yousafzai: Malala's life started out similar to how many of ours did. She went to school and enjoyed learning about new topics. That shortly changed, however, as the Taliban banned females from attending school and getting an education. Malala knew that she needed to step up to make a change to ensure that all females would be able to get the education they desire.

Malala began using every source she could to spread her message. Television appearances, blog posts, BBC articles were all forms that Malala utilized to try to spread the her message. As she continued to share her voice, she would gain international notice. She was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize and won the Pakistan National Youth Peace Prize. While it seemed that her mission was being seen, some were not happy about it. In 2012, the 15-year-old Malala was shot by the Taliban.

Luckily, Malala was able to make a full recovery. She would continue her education in the UK, but continue to work to bring education availability to women across the globe. She would release a novel to share her story, speak to the United Nations to inform them of the truth, and establish the Malala fund to supply young women hope. She would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17, becoming the youngest winner of the prestigious award.

Dolores Huerta: Dolores' first taste of leadership occurred when she grew to be a leader within the Stockton Community Service Organization. Within this role, she founded the Agricultural Workers Association, set up voter registration drives, and pressed local government to town improvements.

Dolores wanted to do so much more than help the agricultural world. She wanted to use her platform and experience to help break down gender barriers too. She decided to combine these two passions and held protests to improve conditions for women within the farm workers' movement.

As time continues, Dolores has kept pushing to bring justice within the agricultural field. She has created the Dolores Huerta Foundation which allows her to travel across the country to influence legislation on equality and civil rights. For her efforts, Dolores has had many awards bestowed upon her. Included in these is the Presidential Medal of Freedom, given by President Barack Obama. Dolores has been a major role model within the agricultural world and has drastically improved the lives of all who are in that industry. 

Sue Bird: Widely considered one of the best players to ever be in the WNBA, Sue Bird has done so much more than dominate at a professional level. Her professionalism, philanthropic efforts, and public image, she has established herself to be a great leader.

Sue first gained popularity in college when she helped turn UConn women's basketball into an annual powerhouse. Due to her talents and leadership on that team, she would find herself drafted first overall by the Seattle Storm. She quickly gained notoriety by becoming an All-Star starter in her rookie season. She would become someone that new players would look up to, as well as be a role model for young girls across the country.

Off the court, Sue continued to be a leader. Since being drafted, Sue has been pursued philanthropic efforts to give back to the community that accepted her into it. She has been an active helper of the Boys and Girls Club and assisted in the recovery of Marysville-Pilchuck High School women's basketball team after suffering a school shooting. Sue has also partnered with Z Girls, which is an organization that helps young female athletes develop their sport, life, and empowerment skills. Furthermore, being in the LGBTQIA+ community, Sue has teamed up with Athlete Ally to help put an end to transphobia and homophobia within athletic communities. Even after retirement, Sue has been stepping up in leadership, getting a role in the front office of the Denver Nuggets.