On Wednesday March 25, 2026, AHN’s high school gathered for Women’s History Month Convocation, led by the P.O.W.E.R. club, which stands “Passionate Outstanding Women Encouraging Respect,” and its mission is to promote respect and education within the AHN community.
Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California as Women’s History Week in 1978, designed to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8 annually. What initiated as a local movement then prompted a movement for national recognition of this celebration.
They were successful, and in February 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8 that year as National Women’s History Week. This movement only continued to grow, and in 1987 Congress passed Public Law 100-9, which designated March as Women’s History Month, and since 1995 the U.S. president has proclaimed and commemorated this celebration of Women’s achievements.
As the only all-girls high school in the Tampa Bay area, the Academy’s mission is to empower young women and prepare them to be a motivating force for the future. Therefore, many students considered that the time was right to commemorate Women’s History Month in the AHN high school community.
Senior Ava Radovic, president of P.O.W.E.R., began the convocation with some quick trivia, initiating a commemoration of all the female trailblazers that had come prior to the 21st century. Included were many events or individuals who students viewed in a different way, such as the fact that women could only start earning their own credit cards until the 1970s. This was done through the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) was passed in 1974 and eventually expanded to allow everyone to access credit opportunities without discriminatory practices, such as gender or race profiling.
The rest of the trivia consisted of questions surrounding notable figures such as Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court Justice, Ella Fitzgerald, the first woman to win a Grammy, and Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady who pioneered in holding her own press conferences and interviews.
Radovic stated its importance by saying, “When we’re promoting gender equality and inclusivity, we think about where we are now, where women are in a good amount of leadership positions. However, to truly get there, we first have to recognize the pioneering women, such as the ones in this trivia, and use the past to pave a better future for women, especially leaders in the fields of STEM, government, among others.”
In regards to many trailblazing women like the ones previously mentioned, the convocation’s guest speaker, Tracy Enerson Wood, a published author whose primary focus is on writing historical fiction on these very same women behind the successes of notable male figures. Her most recent novel is “Katharine, the Wright Sister,” in which she shines light on Katharine Wright, the sister of Wilbur and Orville Wright, the inventors of the first practical airplane.
Wood spoke about her writing process in general, explaining how she researches overlooked figures and turns their stories into compelling and empowering novels. Towards the beginning of her presentation, she emphasized the importance of giving a voice to women whose contributions may not always be widely recognized in traditional history. Through her speech, Academy girls were able to gain insight into how historical fiction is a powerful tool when it comes to highlighting untold stories and reshaping the way historical is understood overall.
Zara Lazarre (‘28) said “Because we are an all-girls Catholic school, I think it was about time that we had a Women’s History Month Convocation. However, in order to make it more impactful, it should be in a more interactive format next year.”
Just as Sandra Day O’Conner, Ella Fitzgerald, and more, P.O.W.E.R. ‘s Women’s History Month Convocation paved the way for future Academy girls to recognize and celebrate just how far women have come and their continuing achievements.
