The month of March celebrates both women’s history of all kinds and women’s contributions to the world.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the first national Women’s History Week, and in 1987, Congress declared March as Women’s History Month.

While March is filled with events and holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, Mardi Gras, March Madness, citizens need to take a moment to recognize the powerful women who have contributed to the community, nation, and world.

From politics, civil rights, sports, and science, women have helped shape the world for the better.

The world is filled with many women who exemplify hard work and dedication, and there are also several young women like that in the John Carroll community.

Senior Grace Marchetti has used hard work to be the best she can be through her four years at JC and will be taking her talents to James Madison University to continue her academic and lacrosse careers.

Throughout her time, she has been a three-sport, freshman-on-varsity athlete while maintaining her academic and social life, too.

Grace has maintained a 4.2 or above GPA all four years of high school and is involved in clubs like Morgan’s Message and Global Culture Club. Grace is also in the National Honor Society, World Language Honor Society, and Quill and Scroll Honor Society.

Grace is a great example of a hardworking woman within the community, and for any young girl striving for success Grace’s biggest piece of advice is “Don’t be afraid to try new things and enjoy every moment you have.”

Junior Josie Bianco has been selected to represent the United States as a player on the U-18 Women’s National Field Hockey team while also being a four-year varsity athlete, as well as being ranked in MAX Field Hockey’s top 50 players in the nation.

For Josie, her biggest female inspiration in sports is Simone Biles. Women’s History Month to Josie means “celebrating the amazing things women do for sports every day.”

Throughout her time in sports, Josie has learned to take criticism and how she can react and deal with challenges that can constantly affect one’s mentality in and out of sports.

The way Josie wants to be remembered is as “an athlete who is passionate about her sport.”

For the women in arts at JC, senior Leah Ruffatt has worked hard to be the dancer she can be today. Through different studios to severe injuries, Leah has worked her way to the top.

Although Leah dances around 30 hours a week, she still manages to be a peer minister and is involved in Women’s Empowerment Club, Service Honor Society, National Honor Society and French Honor Society.

She has also maintained a 4.1 GPA or above during her four years at JC.

Dance is a very female-powered sport; “almost every woman in power is a female in the dance industry” commented Leah.

Leah was inspired to start dancing through a female role model in her life: her mother.

“My mom was a dancer, and it was the first activity she put me in. I started at two-years-old, and at six, I joined my local studio’s dance competition team where I danced competitively for four years and after pursued a more serious dance education at another studio.”

During her sophomore year, Leah discovered she had torn two of her hip labrums. In December of her junior year, she had her first surgery and her second in April.

Through her hard work and dedication to dance Leah, was able to make a full recovery by September.

Last August, Leah auditioned for The Nutcracker where she got the leading role of Clara.