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 Women’s History Month was commemorated at ɫ�����Ƶ by Students Services along with the University chapters of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD) to expand community knowledge about the historical contributions of women in a variety of fields. Trivia and facts about women’s history were displayed in the Commons, and students also had the opportunity to spin a wheel and receive questions about healthcare, leaders, pop culture, history, and win a dessert for a correct guess. Some of the available facts included the first state that gave women the right to vote, the year women were allowed to have credit cards, and the first woman who completed a medical degree in the U.S.

Students appreciated the opportunity to share information with their peers, who were grateful for the supplemental opportunity to expand their knowledge. Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine student Marit Lyon (CCOM ’27) valued the effort ɫ�����Ƶ put in to celebrate women’s history and achievements. “It reminds me of the power women have and the achievements we’ve done not only in healthcare but in all professions. It also reminds me why I’m in healthcare, to help other women, and carve a stronger path for women in healthcare.”

Chethana Venkatraman (CCOM ’27) said, “There are a lot of important female figures in history that aren’t given the same recognition as their male counterparts, especially in the healthcare field.” She added, “While there is more space for women to pursue careers as physicians, there’s still a lot of specialties that are male-dominated.” Chethana added women also encounter more questions compared to their male counterparts, such as if they will have time for a family, when both can be achieved. Chethana was pleased with the turnout of the event and remarked, “I hope students leave learning a bit more about women in history and their contributions than when they came in. I feel like a lot of people learned something new.” 

Dental student Pamela Braund (CDMI ’25) and president of AAWD stressed the importance of holding an event to commemorate Women’s History Month. “A lot of people don’t know women’s historical facts, such as the first woman to become a physician. People forget it’s not been that long since women came into healthcare,” she said adding, “Women do face disparities as professionals. People will ask ‘Are you the assistant?’ ‘Where’s the doctor?’ Women are in the highest positions of healthcare. Do not just assume we are nurses or assistants. We can be the doctors too.” Pamela appreciated the amount of interest students showed. “I hope they learn the importance of the women that came before and the positions they paved for the future.”

Students were grateful ɫ�����Ƶ took the time to recognize Women’s History Month. Katy Flannery (CCOM ’27) shared, “It’s important to recognize women’s contributions over time, as they are valuable to society.” Christina Chung (CCOM ’27) added, “Women are still capable and have the same skill sets as their male counterparts.” Max Batchelder (CCOM ’27) attended to “learn something about women’s history.” He added he learned more information about Harriet Tubman Max added, “I’ll look for more events with things to learn about and attend more events like this.”

It is integral to the values held by ɫ�����Ƶ to recognize the achievements of women, provide educational opportunities for students to learn more about women in history, and support and encourage women in pursuit of future healthcare careers. ɫ�����Ƶ offers a variety of healthcare degrees and programs in Downers Grove and Glendale.