Women's History Month Essay Competition

I met her running.  She teaches me chemistry in school and about life outside of school.  I’ve only known her for two years, but she has made a big impact on my life.  This is Coach Willie.  I met her my freshman year, in the summer when I joined cross country. She is the assistant coach for cross country and the head coach for track and field.  I participate in both sports and I have a lot of fun doing it.  Willie seems to always know exactly what to say and how to say it to keep me motivated and interested both in school and out.  She cares a lot about what she does and encourages her athletes and students to not settle for the minimum because she knows we can give a lot more than what we sometimes want to give.  She is at every meet and practice running with us, being there supporting us, giving us pointers and helping us get through the rough days and enjoy the easy days.  She keeps us positive during our hard work outs, helping us to push through, because in the end we are going to feel better for making it through.  She helps us become a stronger runner, a stronger student, and a stronger person.  Willie pushes us because she expects us to give 110% just as she gives to us when she coaches and teaches.  She only wants the best for us and for us to get the best experience we can get in the running program and in school.  Even when I had an injury last season and was not allowed to run, Willie always made me feel like I was still an important part of the team.  She wants to see every kid have a successful life and to never ever want give up because of being tired or because of doubting their ability to finish.  Willie has that something that makes a person want to do their best, both for their own pride and happiness and to make Willie proud and happy too.  Willie helps me see how this applies to my own life as well:  when I am having a bad day I just need to push through it because something good is always waiting in the end.  Coach Willie is also there if you need someone to talk to, she listens very well and tries to help in any way possible.  She has that unique ability to know when to give advice, listen, or act, depending on the situation at hand.  When I grow up, I can only hope that I turn out to be as caring and giving as Coach Willie, and I know her life lessons will help me always.

Student: Amber Schultz – 11th grader at Roseville High School, Roseville
Teacher – Ms. Jordan

Harriet Beecher Stowe: Stowe’s Influence

Every society is filled with deep dark secrets that often are overlooked because the issues, if brought to light, would be hard to accept.  When Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” she was aware of this, yet that didn’t stop her from publishing her controversial book on slavery.  In a time when women were disenfranchised, Stowe used her writing to influence her world.  In modern society, Stowe’s influence is often forgotten; school history books only give her a couple of sentences in a 500 page book.  Yet when I read those few sentences, I was inspired.

Ever since I was a tyke, I have loved to write.  Most of my stories took place in far away places, in lands that did not exist.  Yet when I picked up my history book one regular school day I saw the name Harriet Beecher Stowe highlighted in the text.  When the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin was mentioned, my teacher spoke more in depth about this woman, I became increasingly interested.   The history book recalled how Uncle Tom’s Cabin had opened the eyes of many people to the brutality of slavery.  The influence the publication of Stowe’s book had on society was tremendous.   Uncle Tom’s Cabin is the second most translated book in the world.  

Stowe’s courage really struck me as powerful.  She opened my eyes to the fact that I as a writer have the power to influence people’s perspectives.  There are many problems in the world which need light shed upon them.  In my world, I see bullying as an esculating problem.  As I honed my writing skills, an idea for a book plot came to me.  Just as Stowe had written about the brutality of slavery, I wanted to write a book that uncovered the mental and physical damages of the victims of bullying.   

As a high school student, I feel as though I have no real power to influence the nation.  I’m a child; society sees me as nothing more than a student learning the works of the world.  What would I know?  But Stowe had even greater odds stacked against her.  Women in her time were expected to create a nurturing home for their husbands, but were hardly asked for their opinions.  Stowe spread her opinion across the toast of society like melted butter.  By having the confidence to publish her works, Stowe became a great influence that changed people’s perspectives, contributing to the demise of slavery.

Lately, whenever I have doubts about writing for a living, Stowe’s influence on the slave trade reminds me that words can change the world.  Who knows?  I might even change society’s perspective and open the doors to the damage of bullying.        

Student: Michelle Rosen - 12th grader at Southfield Lathrup High School, Southfield
Teacher – Ms. Maas

Kozmic Blues: Janis Joplin’s Influence on Me, the World, and Everything Else

They called her “Pearl”. They called her “the queen of psychedelic soul”. Some even called her “Tex”. No matter what she was known as, though, one thing is certain: Janis Joplin changed the game. As one of the forerunners of the 1960s counterculture movement, Joplin was a pioneer as well as an artist, and her lasting influence served to create greater opportunities for women all over America. Though some would prefer to remember her as a drugged-up hippie whose time had come, it is an indisputable fact that her legacy made a distinct and powerful impact on popular culture – both during her time, and for years afterward.

Perhaps the most significant effect Joplin had was that of expanding the horizons of rock and roll. Other than Grace Slick, lead singer of the psychedelic-rock group Jefferson Airplane, there were virtually no female rock stars. Before Joplin’s rise to prominence, it was not socially acceptable for women to leave their domestic sphere for what was considered a radical, subversive style of music. Later female rock-and-rollers such as Stevie Nicks and Joan Jett owe their careers to the doors that Joplin opened. The rock world was essentially a blank canvas as far as women were concerned, and Janis painted it more colorfully than her iconic Porsche. Without her influence, girls today could only dream of the opportunity to play an electric guitar on stage in front of 15,000 people – now, that opportunity is open to anyone with enough talent, drive, and luck.

In addition to breaking gender barriers in the music world, Joplin hacked away at some other social stigmas as well. Early in her career, she commissioned an artist to tattoo a wristlet and small heart on her wrist. This occurred when tattoos were viewed negatively by the majority of the public, and thus she was at the very beginning of the movement to promote them as art. Obviously she was not the only celebrity with a tattoo, but there is no denying her influence in promoting her body art as just that: art. Additionally, she is known for her flamboyant style, which often included scarves, hats, beads, and Lennon-esque glasses. Through this, she promoted individualism; thus she was not only making a fashion statement, but also a social statement, asserting that people should be free to wear what they like regardless of trendiness. This has certainly motivated girls and young women to develop their own styles without harming their self-esteem.

Janis Joplin embodied everything that the 1960s counterculture movement represented: the love, the freedom, and the peace all tied into one beautiful, psychedelic soul. She opened more doors for women in music than almost any woman before or since, creating opportunities for females in rock and roll that gave us some of the greatest albums in history. Her unique individual style was a tribute to her eccentric personality, and taught women that fashion doesn’t have to be about what’s on the cover of Vogue magazine. As the first female rock and roll superstar and a pioneer of a whole new world, Janis continues to serve as an inspiration to so many people. She truly is the Queen of Rock and Roll.