Celebrating International Women's Day
With International Women’s Day being a time to reflect on progress made and to continue to call for change, while celebrating the courage and determination of women, some of UC Davis' 2018-19 UN Millennium Fellows and current Global Education for All Student Advisory Committee took the time to do just that.
Romae-Anne Aquino
International Relations, Political Science, and Spanish Triple Major and Human Rights Minor
College of Letters and Sciences
Antioch, CA
"International Women's Day is a day to celebrate the efforts, successes and even tribulations of all those who identify as a woman around the world. During this day, I hope all of us, womxn especially, can commemorate collaboration and empowerment between each other in hopes to foster a better society."
Nicholas Archibald
History and Political Science Double Major
College of Letters and Sciences
Rescue, CA
"For me, International Women's Day is a time not only to highlight the work that still needs to be done in terms of gender equality, but also to celebrate how far we've come and revamp our goals and optimism for the future.
I hope that through tackling the issue of poverty in many underserved communities worldwide these sustainable goals can be met. I hope that with so much disagreement in the international community these SDGs will serve as a starting point for working together."
Maria Arteaga
Managerial Economics Major and Technology Management Minor
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Huancayo, Peru
"International Women's Day means recognizing and celebrating the amazing contributions made by diverse women in science, technology, society, and culture, not only on the broader world stage but in our own communities.
I hope UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 continues to be recognized around the world as one of the main drivers for socio-economic development and innovation. I hope women and girls are more often taken into consideration when developing such initiatives and given equal opportunity for an education, as addressed through SDG 5, because without doing so SDG 4 cannot be fully met."
Nehal Jain
Managerial Economics and Design Double Major
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and College of Letters and Science
India
"International Women's Day is a day to acknowledge every women for their own story. It is to recognize, how as women, we are all globally united in our fight for equal opportunity. It is a day to celebrate ourselves because we are empowered and have a voice, especially with the ongoing issue of gender inequality.
I hope that Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 to Ensure Inclusive and Quality Education for All, is able to extend their goal to a more global and holistic perspective in regards to education after achieving their goal right now. This approach would mean that we are constantly fighting for a better world. I hope that SDG 5 is able to make an actual difference in developing countries because that is where it is most needed."
Alina Kajley
Global Disease Biology Major
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Folsom, CA
"International Women's Day is a day for celebrating women all around the world, and I believe that setting time aside to recognize women's accomplishments and acknowledge their contributions to society is extremely important. It makes me feel seen and represented.
I hope that we eventually reach a point where every capable individual is introduced to a global perspective and encouraged to act as a global citizen. I would like this global perspective to emphasize the value of diversity - whether that diversity stems from language, culture, religion, gender, or race - and the highlight the many ways in which we are united in our quest for progress and innovation."
- Read more about the work of UC Davis' UN Millennium Fellows
- Read more about the Global Education for All initiative at UC Davis
About Global Affairs at UC Davis
Global Affairs brings the world to UC Davis, welcoming more than 10,000 international students, scholars and leaders, and hosting programs that inspire global curiosity, understanding and engagement. Compelled by the valuable outcomes of thinking globally, we make transformative opportunities a reality by supporting the thousands of students and faculty studying and researching internationally—and by facilitating collaborations that tackle the world's most pressing problems through more than 150 international partnerships.
Putting our vision of a UC Davis community that engages, thrives, and leads in this interconnected world into action, Global Affairs is now in pursuit of an ambitious goal: Global Education for All.