Women’s history Month

Contribution by: Julia Gray

Women’s history month holds a great meaning to many young women looking to find a path in
life. With boundless career opportunities, women’s history month could be looked at as a time for us
ladies to learn about important women in history who have paved the way for the many rights and
freedoms we have today. Coming into an era where working women look just like our mothers, our
sisters, and even our friends, it’s even more important that we share those stories of successes that we
are familiar with so that young women everywhere grow up knowing they can do and become whatever
they want. It is the women we personally admire and look up to who truly deserve our gratitude and
recognition.
Two of Augusta’s very own, Chandra Purohit and Jennifer Gray, have paved a way for young
women like myself and many others. Both in the STEM field long before the fad, these women truly
overcame obstacles so those women after them wouldn’t have to.
Chandra Purohit, just returning from a trip to New York to visit her youngest grandchild, is living
a much different life than she expected back when she was attending Rajasthan University in her home
country of India. Originally one of nine female students enrolled at the university, she describes her
home state as being very old fashioned, “Rajasthan, the state where we come from is a very traditional
state in India. Women are typically only advised to finish high school and then take care of the family”,
said Chandra. Now a grandmother to three grandsons, she credits her master’s degrees in biology and
psychology for surviving a lifetime of men. Chandra joked , “Don’t you think you need a psychologist in a
house full of boys.” Having only male children and grandchildren, this woman thanks her father for the
extra push to continue her education. Speaking fondly of her father, Chandra said, “ My father was one
of few men at the time who believed that the women should be educated, not just for herself but for
her children also.” Chandra continues, “ I’m just happy to see my boys following the same principals my
father raised me on. I want them to be just as open-minded and just as supportive to the women in their
lives as my father was for me”.
Jennifer Gray, a retired US Air force jet mechanic, gained most of her education throughout her
military career. Doubted, mainly by her male colleagues, she is often put to the test to prove her
knowledge of 20 plus years of service. “It was a long time before I was asked for my input on technical
questions, and if I decided to put my input in on my own, I always had to be ready to back it up”, said
Jennifer. Again serving her country, this time as a civilian GS14 working for the government, she now has
many of those doubters calling her boss. Jennifer concluded, “My son and my daughter are my biggest
motivations to be the best woman possible.I always wanted them to know that women can do anything
that men can, and sometimes more.”
These ladies and the ladies all over the world who look to break boundaries in hopes of making a
better life for the future generation are just the motivation us young women need to stay focused in
achieving our goals. Weather entering in jobs traditionally filled by women, such as nursing or teaching,
or entering into fields like STEM which are typically dominated by men, career options for my generation
of women are limitless. Like those ladies before us, we must continue to take on the obstacles in front of
us in hopes of creating fewer hurtles for those after us to cross.