March is Women’s History Month and in honor of that we’ve been taking some time to highlight and salute some female powerhouses that inspire us. There are just so many women out there doing incredible things, which is hard to remember when women tend only to get recognized for boobs (Heidi Montag), sex scandals (Tiger’s “friends”) and weight (Jessica Simpson). But they’re out there, doing their thing and inspiring us to break down barriers, go for our goals and be our best selves.

So who are these wonderful women? This week the CollegeCandy writers share who inspires them most. Who inspires you?

Kelly – University of Iowa: Definitely my mom. She didn’t go to college but still managed to work her way up the corporate ladder to a wonderful, well-paying job and always tries to instill the same values into me.

Ness – Sheridan: As weird as it sounds, probably Sue Johanson. I’ve grown up watching her shows, and I think she’s both hilarious and incredibly smart. I just wanna hug her!

Jessica – Hofstra: Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue. She’s probably the most powerful woman in the fashion and magazine industry. She might be tough but she has also achieved an enormous amount and I can only wish to be that successful.

Amanda – Reed: Michelle Obama! That woman is fierce. She went to Princeton and Harvard, has an awesome sense of style, and has the most amazing arms on the planet. Seriously, what is up with those? I’m jealous.

Lauren – University of Michigan: Definitely Tina Fey. She’s proved time and again that women can be funny. And she doesn’t use sex or cleavage to do it.

Alex – Lakehead University: Strong women inspire me. Any women who is a survivor inspires me :cancer survivors, war survivors, abuse survivors.

Caitlin – University of Alabama: My best friend inspires me most because she is so comfortable with herself and I wish I could be like that all the time.

Leah – Ryerson University: Stephanie Nolen – she’s currently in India reporting for The Globe and Mail.

Brithny – Duke: Beyonce, because she is truly an amazing role model. She works hard for everything she has, including her ass-ets.

Brittany – University of Saint Thomas: My Mother, and Chelsea Handler. In that order.

Nina – Michigan State University: Both of my grandmothers have their own inspirational stories. They immigrated from Italy and Syria as teenagers, and their lives have been so full of hardship and sadness, but they still find so much to smile and laugh about everyday! I’m lucky to have such a strong, positive female role models so close to me.

Jessica – Delaware: I know this is cheesy, by my mom inspires me the most. She has Chron’s disease and is constantly in and out of the hospital, but still manages to have a positive outlook and put others before herself. She inspires me to be more giving and selfless!

Cristina – Michigan State: I wish I could say my mom but I’m going to have to say Chloe Sevigny for sure.  Sorry ma!

Sarabeth – University of Texas: After the Oscar’s my inspiration comes from Kathryn Bigelow. She’s the first woman to win best director and she beat her ex-husband doing it. You go girl.

Meg – University of Delaware: I’m going to have to be cheesy and say my Mom. She’s worked really hard and had a sucessful career while balancing family life and raising three kids. I only hope to emulate her as I grow older.

Charlsie – Hollins University: I can’t pick one woman who inspires me. All the women in my life inspire me on a daily basis, whether it’s my hardworking mom or my young and optimistic sister. Even women who aren’t a part of my everyday life inspire me. Seeing the work that blogger Jessica Valenti has accomplished in the last few years inspires me to strive towards a higher standard of feminism, just as much as Lady Gaga’s unique style and personality reminds me to stay true to myself.

Emmy – Loyola University Chicago: I know this sounds cheesy, but my high school soccer coach is one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. She balanced all the aspects of her life flawlessly and made me realize that I really can do it all.

Elizabeth – UC Berkeley: My Mom.  She’s sacrificed her life to better mine, and I can only hope to be half the woman and the mother that she is.

Rachael – University of Miami: My immediate answer is my mother since she’s handled so much in life with dignity and composure, and still manages to have a positive outlook on life, but I’d be remiss not to mention my other female inspirations: Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, former Secretary Madeline Albright, and Queen Rania, since all three are strong women with strong convictions and important issues that they specifically focus on (health care, peaceful foreign relations, and global education, respectively); Mary Wollstonecraft and Lucy Stone for defending the rights not only of women, but everyone; and, of course, Queen Elizabeth I, because a redheaded female with power is just awesome.

Christie – NC State: I know this is pretty cliche, but I’d have to say Mother Teresa really inspires me the most. She never thought about herself, and always put others first. She was passionate, and pursued her own goals rather than listening to what others had to say. Most of all, she was always kind to others, even if she didn’t feel like it. Who wouldn’t want to be like that?

On one hand, I’m undeniably an Obama supporter—even if I don’t have a graphic tee with his face emblazoned on it like most of my friends do. I read Dreams from my Father, voted for him (twice), and watched the election results breathlessly last year while furiously checking FiveThirtyEight every ten seconds. I love his eloquence, his poise, and everything he represents: the return of intellectualism to the White House and the possibility of improved race relations across the country. Plus, he graduated from my alma mater, even if he hates talking about it. And his wife is pretty kickass.

On the other hand… when I saw this SNL sketch last week, I couldn’t laugh because I was too busy cringing. I agree with most of the points that the Saturday Night Live crew is making: Obama’s rhetoric has rarely been matched by decisive action. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are still dragging on, healthcare is still a mess, and the recession hasn’t exactly ended, despite what some media outlets are saying. (Also, the sketch itself was just horrifically unfunny. SNL kind of blows this season… but I digress.)

Other Nobel Peace Prize laureates—Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, even Al Gore—achieved specific things that unarguably changed the world for the better before they got their awards. Obama, though, is almost more of a symbol than an actual agent of change—at least so far. If nothing else, this award seems incredibly premature. Why not wait until he’s at least been president for an entire term, after he’s actually had enough time to make good on his promises?

I’m also hesitant about congratulating Obama because this honor can only fuel the awful, hateful things that his enemies say about him. Republican pundits are already snidely responding to the award by calling it a “joke,” and I’m sure that crazy, right-wing internet commentators everywhere are also having a field day with it. The Nobel Committee has accidentally done something that will only widen the political gulf between red and blue by increasing the opposition to Obama, which will make it even more difficult for him to actually achieve any of his goals.

I wish I could be proud of my president right now, but there are just too many problems that come along with him getting the Peace Prize. At least I can count on him delivering a beautiful acceptance speech.

What do you think—does Obama deserve the Nobel?

Say you wanted an assault rifle, but being a woman, didn’t want to settle for some boring old black AK-47. Say you wanted to kick some ass in style. What would you do?You log onto glamgums.com and buy yourself a Hello Kitty death machine.

The “Glambo Signature Series “Hello Kitty” HK-AK-47” is a shiny purple limited edition weapon that’s “perfect…for the lady of the house”. For only $1072.95, a girl can keep her feminine streak in tact while still toting a gun that’s guaranteed to do some severe damage.

I’d probably be seriously freaked out by all of this—if I didn’t know the site was a complete joke.

Developed by “A US Army Veteran known only as Glambo” Glamguns is all about mocking “stereotypes of women and girls and what they really like”. In her attempt to have fun with femininity, “Glambo” has decided that women might enjoy Hello Kitty assault rifles, handguns with Princess Di emblems, a Mother Teresa rocket launcher, and a care bear bulletproof vest.

So, okay. It’s sorta funny.

But not really. I mean, Princess Diana and Mother Teresa? A first aid kit with bullet-wound care bear? I’m all for bashing stereotypes, but what exactly are we saying here? Girls like violence? Girls have weird taste? Mother Teresa makes a perfect icon for a rocket launcher?

Whether one can actually buy the fake weapons isn’t clear, but you gotta hope the designs are purely on paper. Nothing good can come out of fake guns that look real. Even if there is a Hello Kitty attached to it.