by Stephanie J. Armstrong

During my freshman year of high school, after trying to reason with my physics teacher when he said that boys were better than girls in science, I went to the headmaster to request that he be reprimanded.

I have been passionate about women and girls in leadership ever since I was young.  Like Sheryl Sandberg, author of Lean In: Women, Work, And The Will To Lead, I did not see any difference in potential between my male and female peers.

Later that year, my classmates voted me Student of the Year for excelling in sports, academics, and student government while getting along with my peers.  These accolades might seem like they would have been encouraging for a young woman, but instead they quickly turned into fuel for a fall from grace.

Female accomplishments come at a cost. – Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In

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