When asking one of The Talon’s advisors about who she thought portrayed a powerful woman, Dr. Weber thought the main character of the beloved Hunger Games series, Katniss Everdeen, best represented a strong female lead. “ She actually takes on the role of the typical male hero. She is strong, undeterred, and the champion of the rebellion against the Capitol. Her emotions aren’t swayed by love but by the injustice she fights against. She risks everything to burn down the system of oppression.” 

In The Hunger Games series, 13 districts are under the oppressive rule of The Capitol. Katniss, being in the 12 and poorest district, takes a stance against their tyranny and leads hundreds despite the perils she and those fighting alongside her face.

When talking to another Talon advisor, Eddie, about what character or real woman he finds inspirational, he mentioned the musician Nai Palm from the R&B band Hiatus Kaiyote.

 “She has overcome many challenges in life and continues to use music to channel her feelings and to look for beauty in grief. Her parents died tragically when she was young – her mother died of breast cancer when she was 11, and her father died in a house fire when she was 13. She went through foster care and lived with her aunt as well as a family who ran a sanctuary for native wildlife animals. She developed a strong connection with animals throughout her teenage years, fostering orphaned birds and playing music with owls and other creatures. She worked as a fire performer for a short time, which inspired her stage name, ‘Nai Palm.’” 

In 2018 and 2019, Nai faced two tragic events that rang close to home. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in October and soon after she lost her ring-neck parrot, Charlie Parker, whom she would travel with everywhere for the past decade. She was riddled with anxiety and trauma during these events but kept her spirits high with her love for music. While Nai was in the hospital, she performed a cover of “The Makings of You” by Curtis Mayfield as fans expressed their love and support during the treatment process. In 2019, she announced she was cancer-free and had a golden breastplate modeled after the breast she lost in the hospital. She wears this as a ceremonial piece for her performances to show her strength and resilience in life.

The next person asked was one of the writers, Fatima. When asked who she thinks is a strong female lead, she said Katara from the anime Avatar the Last Airbender.

“She’s a well-developed character. I love how she’s written and portrayed as someone who can be caring to those she holds close but also is able to be assertive and hold her ground when needed. In the first season she literally challenged the notion of sexism that existed within the northern water tribe.”

The show “Avatar the Last Airbender” focuses on the main character, Aang, who tries to restore balance to the world against the frightening Fire Nation by mastering each of the four elements. After Aang meets a waterbender, Katara, she quickly becomes irreplaceable by becoming Aang’s waterbending instructor. Her mastery of the waterbending skill is what made her such an asset to the team and so influential in the series.

When speaking to another Talon writer, Cat, she said Admiral Linda L. Fagan is not a fictional character but a real woman making waves in the world right now.

“She currently holds the position of Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. This not only makes her the first female to hold this position but also the first female in the history of the U.S. to lead a military service. In 2021, she became the Coast Guard’s first female four-star admiral. She also became the Coast Guard’s first Gold Ancient Trident. This award recognizes her as the officer with the longest service record in the marine safety field. So far, she has thirty-seven years of service and has served on all seven continents. Her story is rather incredible, and she has really opened up opportunities for women in the military.”

 Fagan still holds this position and continues to pave the way for women serving our country.

When speaking to Terrance, a member of the social media team, about what characters or real women he finds to be influential, he mentions a shield-maiden, Eowyn, from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series.

 “She is genuinely a good character. Not only in the amount of strength they carry, not physically, but their confidence. That they are not just strong; they can’t overpower men, but are cunning and use their feminine aspects against a lot of these male characters to their advantage. Not through manipulation. They’re really smart and cunning, and there are a lot of people in general who can resonate with these characters because they go through ups and downs, which is not common since most female characters are so perfect and unlikeable.”

The Lord of the Rings book and movie series is about a group of people fighting against a dark lord, Sauron, who needs a ring to make him all-powerful that the group of people against him must destroy.

“Eowyn, from Lord of the Rings, is a woman who doesn’t get the same treatment as a man, yet she goes out of her way on her own to find where she stands in the fight. She finds that strength. She even brings on a little hobbit she cares for and sees them for who they are. She sees this little hobbit who would have no place in a fight or a war, but she can see the promise he has, and ends up doing some pretty badass stuff in the movie, too.”

Speaking to Tierra, The Talon’s social media manager, about who she thought was a strong female character or real figure, she said Mamie Till-Mobley, Emmett Till’s mother. Emmet Till was a 14-year-old African American boy whose body was dumped in the Tallahatchie River after he was kidnapped and brutally murdered by two white adult men. 

“Despite the gruesome murder of her young son, she still was powerful throughout the entire grieving process. Going as far as having an open casket to allow the press to take pictures and allow the world to see what happened. And after it all, Mamie Till became an educator and activist in the Civil Rights Movement. Her book, Death of Innocence, recounts the whole thing.”

During her child’s service, Mamie Till-Mobley made a point to show the world how gruesome and horrible his murder was to make a point and stop systemic racism in the Jim Crow South.

The Talon’s Vice President, Gianluca, said Sydney Adamy from the Hulu original series The Bear. The Bear is about the main character, Carmen (played by Jeremy Allen White), inheriting a failing, dysfunctional restaurant while touching on family dynamics and grief themes.

 “I honestly loved watching the character grow from an aspiring cook and a fan of the head chef to one of the leaders in the kitchen. Her kindness and grit was one of the reasons, if not the reason, that the restaurant turned from a rusty and hostile environment to an orderly and respected establishment. She led by example, always thinking two steps ahead of the chefs, always putting herself and values first, and knew that she had something special to bring to the workplace. (Referring to when she left the kitchen after being scolded by the head chef). Additionally, when the other cooks finally wanted to learn, she taught them without question. However, she is also not perfect, which makes her more likable as a young aspiring chef. She’s young, clumsy, and sometimes a little overly optimistic, but that only makes her character stronger as she learns from her mistakes.”

The character Sydney Adamy is the main character’s sous-chef who took control of the restaurant and revived it into the establishment that it became. Sydney is played by comedy actress Ayo Edebiri, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sydney Adamy.

Writer and photographer Diego said he found Sylvia Rivera (and Marsha P Johnson) inspiring.

“Early queer rights activists always fronted the rights of all queer people but especially trans people, even when it was at its most unpopular in their own community. She and activist Marsha P Johnson created the organization Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), in which both would personally support homeless queer youth and sex workers. Within this role, they would take up parental roles for all the disadvantaged queer youth when the entire world looked back and mocked them.”

Sylvia Rivera was a transgender Latina who was a fighter against the exclusion of transgender people in the gay rights movement in the 1960s. Marsha P Johnson was a self-identified drag queen who was an activist for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, gay and transgender rights, and support for those affected by the sexually transmitted infections HIV and AIDs.

Talon Sports writer Derrick Spearman said he finds Dawn Staley, former basketball player and head coach of the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team, inspirational.

“As a player, she is a six-time WNBA All-Star and a member of both the basketball and women’s basketball Hall of Fame. She is recognized as one of the greatest point guards of all time. As a coach, Staley has turned South Carolina into a juggernaut. With South Carolina, she has won two national titles, made the Final Four five times, won eight Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles, and has led South Carolina to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, with their last regular season loss coming on December 30th, 2021. Staley’s success in South Carolina has been good for the sport as her success in the school has led to a massive attendance increase for South Carolina women’s basketball games. Off the court, she is committed to fighting for diversity and inclusion in sports and advocates for social justice, speaks out against racism and sexism, and asking for equal pay. Her contributions to the sport on and off the court will pave the way for future generations.”

Dawn Staley continues to coach basketball at the University of South Carolina and promote inclusion and diversity in sports.

Kimberly, the Talon’s secretary, brought up an international activist for girls education, Malala Yousafzai.

“Malala is such an inspiration to me. Having fought for women’s and girls’ education rights. Her feminist activism really touches home for me and highlights subjects really important to me and so many other women, specifically women of color! Her resilience and bravery, despite being attacked and literally shot in the face, showcases and inspires so many women, including myself. Sending the message, there is nothing women cannot do. Her activism to better aid women’s education and her feminism speak on how impactful she is and how I personally believe she is such an important person in our society and has made history through her bravery, resilience, and commitment.”

Malala was shot in 2012 for opposing the restrictions the Taliban put down restricting female education in Pakistan. She miraculously survived and started the Malala fund which focuses on gender equality.