Inspiration and Issue

When I began doing research to brainstorm what my project will be about, I found inspiration in the Mayor of Edison, Sam Joshi. Mayor Joshi has appointed a female council member by the name of Kellie Dima. After additional research, I saw that Mayor Joshi's Oath ceremony was administered by Governor Mike Sherrill. This sparked my interest and inspired me to center my project around my passions: history, leadership, and politics.

My Gold Award aimed to address the issue of the lack of women’s representation in politics. Raising awareness about women in politics can help inspire young girls and women to be political engaged and aware. I used my project to commemorate those who have previously set important precedents and those who continue to pave the way toward equal gender representation.

Recently, there has been a trend of more women occupying positions in government. In the Mayoral elections across the country, several women won. For example, Mary Sheffield became the first woman to be elected Mayor in the city of Detroit and Abigail Spanberger became the first female Mayor in Virginia. However in 2026 and a highly advanced society, there shouldn't be a position in American government, state or federal, that a woman has not occupied. Nonetheless, these women demonstrate to young girls that there is opportunity for them in politics, whether it is simply being an involved citizen or being a public servant.