Not everyone is aware of how special the month of March really is. Of course, most people look forward to St. Patrick’s Day, an excuse to rock a Leprechaun t-shirt and drink Shamrock shakes, but few people know that March is also a time to celebrate women. In honor of Women’s History Month, and the recent celebration of International Women’s Day, here are just a few of the most influential women of 2017.

1. Michelle Obama

Though she is not our First Lady anymore, let’s be honest, she will always be the best. She managed to actually encourage a healthy America, have fun while doing it and genuinely show interest in the well being of others. Plus she is probably the only First Lady ever that could pull off Mom dancing and Car Pool Karaoke so well.

2. Meryl Streep

She is quite obviously worthy of being on the list because throughout her long career, she has become much more than actress. Streep has spoken out as a feminist and made her opinion on recent Trump issues abundantly clear. The fact that she can stay so humble and continues to make her opinions known says a lot about her character.

3. Viola Davis

Though there wasn’t any doubt that she’s an amazing actress her recent Academy Award sealed the deal. She is constantly inspiring with her empowering roles from her most recent in “Fences” to Aibileen Clark in “The Help” and many, many more. Davis is the first African American actress to get three Oscar nominations and her humility makes her that much more inspiring.

4. Emma Watson

She is an outspoken feminist that continues to amaze. She never takes herself too seriously despite being one of the stars of Harry Potter and graduating from Brown University. Even when faced with backlash over her most recent Vanity Fair photos, she stuck to her guns, and again defended that feminism is about being equal. Emma Watson uses her fame to help other women, which is exactly how it should be used.

5. Kate McKinnon

Though her achievements may not be on the same level as those of some of the women mentioned above, she has provided a much needed form of entertainment during the recent months. She, like so many of her current and former SNL co stars, has made her views unapologetically clear and changed the perception of women in her field, comedy.

These women show just how important it is for female to be recognized and appreciated. It's about time we had a whole month solely in support of us, and remember just how many women before us have done to allow these 5 women, and so more to achieve what they have.