Throughout Women's History Month, the Simmons Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will reflect on the importance of celebrating Women's History Month and the inspirations in their life. Today, we feature Simmons volleyball sophomore Jayla Parnell on the inspirations in her life.

1. Who throughout women's history has been inspirational to you and your life
My sisters have always been my biggest inspirations throughout my life. They have pushed me to always be the best version of myself and are always people who I can fall back on in time of need. We all grew up playing volleyball together and their fun-loving spirits are what drive me to keep going on and off the court. 

2. What does women's history month mean to you? 
To me, women's history month is a time where we are able to celebrate our achievements and contributions as empowering women within society. It's also a time for us to recognize that we are here today because of those who rose to the challenge before us and to keep this going so that future generations have these opportunities to be empowered themselves. 

3. How do you celebrate and show the importance of women's history within your team? 
On the volleyball team we empower one another by celebrating all of our successes no matter the size. We push ourselves and each other to work hard to be able to achieve our goals. Together we devote ourselves to making everyone feel empowered and encourage others to do the same. 

4. How will you transition from learning from the inspirational women you mentioned in question one to being that inspirational woman/leader in your future?
My younger sister has taught me one of the most valuable life lessons; that you can be a leader no matter how old you are or who you are surrounded by. You have to be the one to actively make that change. I want to implement this by being that person who decides to initiate the change and make a difference in my community from day one.