In elementary school students often study U.S. history every year; covering presidents to wars to amendments, and somehow always wind back to why the elected U.S. presidents have such a strong and influential position in international affairs. However, as a child, I never understood the undeniable lack of diversity between previous presidents and what that meant for me, as a young girl of Middle Eastern heritage. Despite having different views, the past presidents of the U.S. almost always have had three things in common: their race, their religion, and their gender. Not until President Obama, did the world see any hope for an opportunity to let the true diverse colors of the U.S. run through the White House. His presidency not only was a breakthrough for racial equality in the U.S but singlehandedly changed how race is viewed all around the world. However, despite his presidency shifting the conventional idea of a president, there is still an extreme lack of gender equality within the U.S. government. Hence, there are still an infinite amount of glass ceilings to break, and not enough inspiration for those who aspire to break them. Even with Obama's unconventional name on the long list of only male presidents, it is almost identical to the list I saw just several years ago back in elementary school. But that all changed just some months ago when Hillary Rodham Clinton decided to run for president.

Hillary Clinton has undeniably changed the history of gender equality for the better on countless occasions and still continues to do so. However, it is important to note that she is not only changing the perception of powerful women today but is modifying the view society will have on women in the years to come. The teenage girls who are watching Clinton today are those who grew up with no female governmental role models, those who never dreamed of becoming president one day because the thought of that seemed too impossible for too many reasons. Hence, with Clinton in the midst as the candidate for a major political party, U.S. citizens are having a first-row seat to see how she will change the gender demographic in politics and view of women in general. She is successfully attempting to change the meaning of a strong woman and making teenage girls want to be one in a society that predominantly views men as strong.

Despite the importance of breaking gender barriers, throughout the past several years or so many of the barriers I previously mentioned are starting to be broken. Obama, an African American man, became president; Bernie Sanders, a Jewish man, ran to be the Democratic Parties nominee; and Hillary Clinton, a woman, has become a major party nominee. These sound like baby steps, but before you know it they may start a major change towards equality within the U.S. government and our society at large while creating a new generation of women who are not afraid to be strong.