This week Hillary Clinton became the first woman in the history of the United States to be a major party nominee for the presidency. And whether you’re a Republican, Democrat or an Independent, the fact is that a woman may very well be the next President of the United States of America.

There was a time in this country when women weren’t even allowed to work alongside men, let alone voice their political opinion. During the Johnson administration, African American men gained their right to vote under the 15^th Amendment in 1870, but women weren’t given the same until 50 years later. Suffragists like Susan B. Anthony, Jane Addams, Alice Paul and women all over the US underwent arrests, beatings and brutal public outcast in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries in order to secure a voice for future women. Finally, thanks to those heroic women, the 19^th Amendment was passed in 1920 and women’s voices could begin to be heard.

I have been blessed to grow up in a time where I have been less limited by my gender, but I still see some of idiocies that frankly don’t make any sense. Wage gaps are still present in employment. Women are often looked down upon in professional settings and good positions are often harder to get. Being a woman often means struggling more than men to climb the ladder in an organization. Women’s reproductive rights are often still decided by men that have no knowledge or right over women’s bodies. It’s a shame that there are still any judgments—just as the color of someone’s skin should never be held over their abilities or intelligence, their gender should never be a factor either.

Throughout history, women have contributed to the U.S. and the world in ways that have often gone underappreciated. Just to name a few—Marie Curie discovered radium polonium and invented the mobile X-ray unit. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first American woman to receive a medical degree and she founded the first women’s medical college so that other women could learn as well. Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Grace Hopper was a computer scientist that invented the first compiler code program. Maya Angelou was one of the most influential voices of our time. Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross. Dr. Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. Amalie Emmy Noether is regarded as the most important woman in mathematics for her work in higher algebra. Rita Levi-Montalcini was an Italian neurologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discovery of Nerve Growth Factor. Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist fundamental to the Civil Rights Movement. When learning about important women in Native American history, the names Sacajawea and Pocahontas often arise, but in 2003, Army Specialist Lori Piestewa, a member of the Hopi Tribe, was the first Native American woman killed in combat while serving in the US military. Women are intelligent, inventive and brave. The list of groundbreaking women in history goes on and on.

Just as men have made a difference in the world, so too have countless women, often while few were watching or praising them, because gender means absolutely nothing other than the fact that on top of the brilliancy that women can and do achieve, they also give life; they nurture children and shape the human beings of tomorrow. In so many countries around the world women still don’t have a voice, a chance, opportunity like they finally do in our country. They are married young and told when they will have children and what they are allowed to do with their own lives—but our future generations can help to make a difference for the girls in nations that still have so much learning to do.

This moment is not just one for Hillary Clinton—it is not just one for Democrats. It does not matter what party you belong to or whether you follow or care about politics at all. The fact of the matter is that this week’s moment is one for history; one that little girls all over the world can learn about with gleam in their eyes and know that the restrictions held on their gender in the past are finally fading. Whether Hillary is elected or not, she is up there, on stage, on television, speaking to all of America as a very possible leader of the nation. She is. Little girls of tomorrow, you no longer have limits. Set your goals. Dream big.