Remembering Geraldine Ferraro Through a 6th Grader's Eyes

Geraldine Ferraro's death over the weekend inspired me to reflect on my experiences with Ms. Ferraro and remember what a truly amazing woman she was. Geraldine Ferraro was a Congresswoman, the first female nominee for national office by a major party, and an incredible role model.In sixth grade, I was obsessed with American politics and writing a research paper on women in the House and Senate. I attended an event for a student-run organization, which I knew prominent women in politics would be attending, one of whom was the esteemed Geraldine Ferraro. In preparation for the night, I decided to take out a biography of Ferraro from the Public Library, and make sure I understood Ferraro's background.

My dream for that night was to get a chance to ask Ferraro one question (something along the lines of, "Why do you think there aren't more women in politics?" or "What was the hardest barrier you encountered as a female politician?"), but I was fully aware that the likelihood I would be able to ask Ferraro a question and get an answer was very small, due to her celebrity and presumably very busy schedule. (Also, as you may or may not have noticed, sometimes people don’t take sixth grade girls super seriously).

Now comes the point where I return to my constant refrain of "Just Ask," a concept I've written and spoken about several times. If there's someone inspiring you want to speak to, just approach them and ask them; the worst that can happen is they say no. There's another part of my "Just Ask," spiel, and that's the fact that some inspiring people are incredibly open and willing to help out a younger generation. Geraldine Ferraro was one of these people.When I approached Ferraro with my one "golden" question, she told me politely that now might not be the best time to discuss it. Instead, she gave me her business card, and suggested I call her later that week, so that we could do a full interview. Um, WOW.My phone interview with Ferraro ended up lasting over thirty minutes and made up a large portion of my final paper. It inspired me to continue to ask for what I want, and proved to me that even people with the seemingly thickest skin can be incredibly friendly when prodded a little bit. In addition to being an incredible woman and trailblazing politician, Ferraro was an open, warm-hearted individual who believed in our generation.Fiona Lowenstein is a high school junior, weekly guest blogger and Girls Leadership Institute alumnae. Read more of her work here.