PERSONAL ESSAYS
Barrier-breaking women and how
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” — TITLE IX OF THE EDUCATION AMENDMENTS ACT OF 1972
BY AUBREY MORAN, CLASS OF 2026 At Harpeth Hall, we are constantly learning about influential women who paved the way for many young girls. We also learn how women all over the world have for generations been viewed as inferior to men and less important. For example, in history we learn about how people believed that women only could cook, clean, and take care of children. Today, women still do not have the same opportunities as men and have to fight harder to achieve their goals. The girls and women in my generation look for someone to inspire and encourage them to make their own difference in the world. A woman who has taught me and young girls to chase their dreams is Amanda Gorman. Amanda is an activist and the youngest poet in U.S. history to read at a presidential Inauguration Day. She is a talented, independent, and strong woman. She was raised by her single mother, Joan Wicks, who was a 6th grade English teacher. As a child, Amanda loved to read and write and was encouraged by her mother. Throughout her life, Amanda struggled with a speech impediment. She experienced difficulty learning certain sounds, such as “sh” or “r” — both ones that her peers had already mastered. She went to speech therapy most of her childhood. “I’m really grateful for that experience because it informs my poetry,” she told Oprah Winfrey in an episode of “The Oprah Conversation” that aired in March 2021. “I think it made me all that much stronger of a writer when you have to teach yourself how to say words from scratch. When you are learning through poetry how to speak English, it lends to a great understanding of sound, of pitch, of pronunciation, so I think of my speech impediment not as a weakness or a disability, but as one of my greatest strengths.” Amanda embraces her differences and is a stronger poet, writer, and speaker because of them. She persevered through her hardships and became the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. The inauguration was an amazing opportunity for Amanda. Her poem “The Hill We Climb” will be remembered for its place in history. The poem reflected her view for the future of our country. For young girls to see Amanda stand in front of the entire country and share her voice shows them that they, too, can amplify their own thoughts and opinions. One line from her poem that made an impact on me is the very last line which is, “For there is light, if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.” I watched the inauguration in Ms. O’Brien’s history class, and I will always remember hearing this line. The words changed the way I view the world, and it has shown me that we have to step out of our comfort zone and be confident in who we are. 8 | HARPETH HALL HALLWAYS
