You probably know one. She’s the neighbor who always shows up, the teacher who changes lives, the business owner creating opportunities or the young leader who isn’t waiting for permission to make a difference. Now’s your chance to make sure her story gets told.
We all know a woman who deserves a little extra recognition. We’d love to hear about yours.
There’s just one week left to nominate someone for the fourth annual HERstory Celebration!
HERstory is a collaborative celebration presented by the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH), the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and Lookout Santa Cruz. Together, the three organizations are bringing the community together to recognize the women whose leadership, creativity and contributions help make Santa Cruz County a better place to live.
Nominations close Nov. 15, and we’re looking for women across Santa Cruz County whose leadership, creativity, generosity and community spirit deserve to be celebrated.
HERstory 2027 will recognize women in three categories:
- Legacy: A woman whose lasting contributions continue to shape Santa Cruz County.
- Impact: A woman making a meaningful difference in Santa Cruz County today.
- Rising: A woman aged 25 or younger who is helping shape Santa Cruz County’s future.
Think community organizers, educators, artists, entrepreneurs, volunteers, mentors, advocates and the people who make things happen behind the scenes.
So, who’s your woman to know?
Since 2024, the HERstory Celebration has brought together women from all corners of Santa Cruz County – and their stories are as diverse, inspiring and extraordinary as the women themselves. Need a little inspiration? Take a look at some of the incredible women who have been recognized in years past.
Past honorees include Bettina Aptheker, who founded UC Santa Cruz’s Feminist Studies department and has spent decades advancing social justice; Yvette Lopez Brooks, CEO of United Way of Santa Cruz County and Capitola’s first Latina mayor; and Madeline Aliah, a young poet and public speaker using her voice to inspire others.
We’ve also celebrated women like Gail Michaelis-Ow, a nurse practitioner who spent 50 years advocating for accessible reproductive health care; Rose Marie Filicetti, whose leadership has helped strengthen the county’s nonprofit community; and Amara Anderson and Ivory Woodson, two high school student leaders who helped build and strengthen Black Student Unions across the county.
And that’s just a sampling!
From longtime community champions to emerging young leaders, past honorees remind us that making a difference doesn’t look just one way. It’s about showing up, speaking out, creating something meaningful, lifting others up and finding ways to make our community stronger.
Let’s make sure their stories get told.
You also don’t have to know her personally to nominate her. And if you’ve got a whole list of women in mind, go for it! You can nominate as many people as you’d like, including multiple women in the same category.
The HERstory Celebration is about more than handing out awards. It’s about taking a moment to recognize the women who make Santa Cruz County what it is – and making sure their contributions, big and small, don’t go unnoticed.
The nomination form is available in both English and Spanish, and the deadline is Nov. 15.
After nominations close, a selection committee will review submissions and select this year’s honorees across the three categories. So, whether you nominate a longtime community champion, a neighbor who’s making a difference or a young woman with a bright future ahead, we want to hear about her.
We’ll celebrate this year’s Women to Know on March 5, 2027, at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH).
Who’s your HERstory nominee?
