Ask GeekGirlCon: Women Who Inspire You
Hi, everyone! In celebration of International Women’s Day, GeekGirlCon’s staff was asked the question, “Who is the woman who inspires you the most?” Here’s what they shared:
“The women who inspire me the most are my fellow staffers at GeekGirlCon (past and present). They are some of the most amazing, fierce, and talented people I’ve ever met, and their dedication to our mission inspires me daily to work harder and be the very best version of myself.” – Rachelle Abellar, Manager of Design

GeekGirlCon staff members at GeekGirlCon ’12!
“The obvious answer is my mom. She’s funny, extremely smart, adorable, an amazing artist (she makes quilts of all kinds!), so supportive, a breast cancer survivor, and she isn’t afraid to speak her mind. I aspire to be as much like her as I possibly can. The answer for people who don’t know my mom? Felicia Day. I knew her as an actress on Buffy, Dollhouse, and Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog. But I’ve seen her at Emerald City Comicon several times now, and I follow her journey through creating her own web series and making the things she loves into her career. She’s straight-forward, sassy, super-smart (the girl has a degree in theoretical math!), and she has made her life into her art and her work—and she obviously loves it! Felicia Day is one of my role models.” – Sarah “SG-1” Grant, Copywriter
“My mother is the woman who inspires me the most. From an early age, she taught to speak my mind and that knowledge was something that no one could take away from you. She might be stubborn and opinionated (no, she is both) but she has always been generous both in resources and spirit. She’s dangerous at trivia games with a near encyclopedic knowledge about the Golden Age of Hollywood, and no one makes SPAMsilog like she does. She beat breast cancer and was one of the main reasons I decided to quit smoking over a decade ago. When she gets fired up, my friends nicknamed her the Filipino Julia Sugarbaker, and it is a moniker well deserved. She continues to be an inspiration to me and while we might not speak as often as I’d like, she’s in my heart and thoughts every day. Mahal kita nanay, ikaw ang pinakamahusay na! (Translation: I love you, Mom. You’re the best!)” – Kristine Hassell, Twitter Administrator

Melissa McEwan
“It’s hard to come up with a “most inspiring,” but I think the woman responsible for some of the biggest shifts in how I see myself and how I respond to the world is Melissa McEwan of the Shakesville blog. Her writing helped me realize that whatever activism I can manage is still worthy. WE change the world, and all of its problems are not mine alone. Liss pulled me out of inaction and got me involved, teaspoon by teaspoon.” – Alison Kozar, Manager of Programming
“There are too many women I find inspiring … my mother and grandmothers included! In addition, I am always looking for ways—big or small—that I can give back to this world. To that end, I look to women like Melinda Gates for guidance. She has put so much energy into supporting women and girls around the world and ensuring everyone can be healthy and feel empowered to live up to their potential. Plus, she’s a former computer science gal. Geeky and giving back: what could be better?” – Susie Rantz, Manager of PR
Reader, now it’s your turn – who is the woman who inspires you the most?
All women that I interact with on a daily basis. My boss, my sister, my best friend, my co-workers, the gals at the grocery store, etc. They all have something to add to my life and I want to learn from them. 🙂
So true, Becca! We can learn something from everyone we interact with.