Five months ago I met Lynsey Addario, one of my favorite photojournalists and role models.

Addario is a photojournalist who has covered many conflicts and human rights issues in Iraq, Afghanistan and India.

Her success, in a field where men make up 75 percent of the work force, has made this career path more accessible and relatable for young women inspired by her work.

Addario, like many other women, has found a way to stand out, winning a Pulitzer and MacArthur Genius award in a profession where women are the minority. She has become a role model for women hoping to become photojournalists.

Young women, especially those hoping to enter a career where females are a minority, need to find a role model that inspires them to reach their goal and serves as an example of female success.

When women have a same-gender role model in a field they are passionate about, it can serve as motivation. Not only that, but the knowledge and experience provided by this person can make their career seem a bit easier to access.

Having female role models in fields that women are interested in is empowering and makes their goals more attainable.

It shows women that they can do the same things as men and be just as successful.

Women can be outnumbered by the large number of successful men in their field, but having female role models to look to can help diminish the feeling of intimidation.

There are many people we know personally who have the ability to inspire us, between our mothers, fathers and grandparents, but role models from our fields provide insight and knowledge needed to succeed in our work.

The United States Department of Labor reported in 2014 that women made up 19.1 percent of network and computer system administrators, 8.8 percent of mechanical engineers, 12.4 percent of police and sheriff’s patrol officers and 21.4 percent of chefs and head cooks. 

Women are in these male-dominated fields, but they are scarce. Ladies, it is imperative to find a woman in our field who we can connect to and who can serve as an inspiration.

Our role models have an impact on the way we view ourselves. If she can do it, then you can do it as well. If one woman was able to confront the obstacles then you can too.

In 2006, Penelope Lockwood published, “Someone Like Me can be Successful”: Do College Students Need Same-Gender Role Models, an article that endeavored to find the impact of same-gender role models on women and their career goals.

“Female participants indicated stronger beliefs that they were currently like the model and might become like the model in the future when they were exposed to a successful woman rather than a successful man in their field,” Lockwood wrote.

In her study, Lockwood found that women connected better with women in their field rather than men. Female role models boosted their confidence and created a positive self-perception.

Time Magazine listed their “Best Photojournalism of 2014,” where more than ten male photojournalists were listed while the work of only two females were on TIME’s list.

Later in her article, Lockwood wrote, “In occupations in which women perceive themselves to be minority group members, it may be especially important and inspiring for them to learn that an individual who shares their minority group status has attained such success.”

Addario is one of the female photojournalists listed in TIME. Her journey to success wasn’t easy, but her story and success gives other women someone to look up to.

Success entails hard work and some fields require a bit more work than others, but having a strong woman to look up to can help women boost their confidence and allow them to conquer their aspirations.

Agatha is a senior in LAS.

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