Women on the Rise: Real Women, Real Change

By Rachel Ryan, Enlight Media

Progress for women has rarely been a single leap forward. It’s been a thousand small steps, taken by women who refuse to stand still. From teachers and caregivers to innovators and organizers, these women are the threads weaving strength through every community. 

Women on the Rise honors these women; not for grand gestures, but for the steady, unstoppable ways they make change real. 

Everyday Women. Extraordinary Change. 

Women on the Rise honors women making an impact in ways that often go unnoticed but never unfelt. Through five categories; Barrier Breaker, Purpose-Driven Leader, Rising Voice, Community Uplifter, and Innovative Thinker, the campaign highlights the many forms leadership can take. 

A Barrier Breaker might be the first woman to take a seat at a table that once felt out of reach. A Purpose-Driven Leader might be the colleague who leads with empathy and clarity when it matters most. A Community Uplifter could be the volunteer who keeps showing up, week after week, because she knows change begins close to home. 

We celebrate: 

• Nesrine Mbarek, a global advocate for educational equity who uses her expertise in policy and finance to help countries build gender-responsive, inclusive education systems that empower future generations. 

• Shawn Reilly Simmons, a purpose-driven publishing leader who champions diverse and overlooked voices, creating space for women and underrepresented writers to share their stories and thrive in the literary world. 

• Dr. Asya Johnson, a visionary educator breaking barriers by founding HBCU Early College Prep, where she fuses academic excellence with cultural pride to empower students to lead, achieve, and give back to their communities. 

These women remind us that progress is built from countless acts of persistence and care. 

Visibility Is Power 

For generations, women’s work has been undervalued, and their achievements are often left out of the record. But every time a woman’s story is told, it expands what’s possible for someone else. 

When we see a woman rise, it creates a spark. It’s an invitation to believe that we can, too. These stories aren’t just celebrations; they’re reminders that courage is contagious. We honor these women for the strength they carry and the change they create. They are living examples of what freedom, opportunity, and collective uplift can achieve. 

We honor: 

• Trisha (T.M.) Blanchet, a community uplifter who transforms lives by rescuing shelter dogs to serve veterans in need while inspiring others through her writing, podcasting, and storytelling. 

• Roxanne Hack, a trailblazing firefighter whose leadership and advocacy broke barriers for women in the fire service and helped create more inclusive, equitable workplaces across North America. 

• Rebecca Stephens, a compassionate leader who uplifts Appalachian communities through education, storytelling, and empowerment, Rebecca creates opportunities for girls to grow as confident changemakers and voices of hope. 

• Simone Marean, a purpose-driven leader who empowers girls nationwide to find their voices and thrive by building equitable, inclusive spaces where confidence, community, and leadership can flourish. 

From History to Here 

In Context’s Women Rising series traces the long arc of women’s fight for equality in America; revealing how barriers were built, and how generations of women have worked to dismantle them. It tells the stories of both the trailblazers whose names we know, and the countless women history forgot — the organizers, educators, caregivers, and community leaders whose actions shaped the world in quieter but no less powerful ways. 

Women on the Rise is the forward-looking counterpart, shining a light on today’s changemakers who are carrying that same spirit into the present. 

If Women Rising shows how we got here, Women on the Rise shows how we’re moving forward, and who’s leading the charge. 

Together, they tell a continuous story of resilience and progress throughout the past, present, and future. The women of yesterday give us context. The women of today give us momentum. 

Who Will You Lift Up? 

From classrooms to boardrooms, from kitchen tables to community centers, women are leading, creating, and redefining what’s possible. 

Women on the Rise is a celebration of that power: of women who claim their stories, lift others as they climb, and shape the future in every sphere they touch. 

Nominate a woman who’s doing just that. Because when we rise together, the future moves with us. 

Celebrate her achievements. Nominate a Woman on the Rise today.