Since last we checked in with Rümeysa Öztürk, she has repeatedly won court cases challenging her despicable treatment by the federal government. She was eventually approved to resume her research and teaching duties at Tufts, and last month, she wrote a piece for The Guardian reflecting on trauma. Her strength and persistence are inspiring.

But perhaps the most notable thing is the brief author bio at the end of the piece:

Rümeysa Öztürk holds a PhD in child study and human development

Despite all that has been done to her, Öztürk earned her PhD last month.

Back in 2015, I met a woman with the unlikely name of Sally Snowman. Since 2003, Snowman has been the keeper of Boston Light, the first lighthouse built in the American colonies. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit it for a tour.

That fall excursion included a boat ride out to Little Brewster Island, where Snowman showed us around.

We also had the chance to climb the lighthouse. At the top, one could see the lighthouse’s stunning lamp, and watch as it rotated.

When she took the job in 2003, Sally Snowman was the first woman to ever serve as keeper of Boston Light. Twenty years later, she’s the very last official lighthouse keeper in the US.

Unfortunately, it’s no longer possible to visit Boston Light, as tours were halted after a failed safety inspection in 2018. Since then, Snowman continued to make maintenance trips, but she no longer resided on the island. Soon, on December 30, she’ll be retiring completely. It will mark the end of an era.

Before she heads off into the sunset, Snowman has been the subject of an excellent The New Yorker profile. It’s quite a read.

The view from Boston Light looking back to Boston
[Photo courtesy of P. Kafasis]

Tennis player Iga Swiatek has been leading the sport for quite some time, holding the top women’s ranking for well over a year straight. During her matches, she has frequently handed out bagels and breadsticks on the court. These food items aren’t literal, but can instead be found in the scores of her outmatched opponents. A bagel is when a player is shut out in a set 6-0, while a breadstick is when they only manage to grab a single game, losing 6-1.

As a result, fans have recently taken to talking about Iga’s Bakery. Charmingly, the star herself is unwilling to engage with it:

“I don’t want to talk about the bakery. Twitter can talk about it, but I’m just going to be focused on tennis.”

It’s admirable that Swiatek doesn’t want to engage with this, but the rest of us can certainly marvel at her dominance.

Last Thursday, Stéphanie Frappart made history by serving as the first female head referee in a men’s World Cup match. She actually led a trio of women, who were served as the first all-female on-field crew in the men’s World Cup. The best part? It was really no big deal.

In taking charge for Germany’s showdown with Costa Rica in the final round of games in Group E, Frappart became the first woman to officiate in a men’s World Cup and it felt decidedly normal.

Frappart is used to making history: she was the first woman to referee in men’s Ligue 2, then Ligue 1 in France and the first woman to referee in the Champions League and Uefa Super Cup.

In recent years, more and more women have served as coaches and officials in men’s sports, and it’s an excellent thing to see.

Last month, on Southwest flight #3658, Captain Holly Petitt and First Officer Keely Petitt made history. With Holly at the helm, and Keely acting as her co-pilot, they became the airline’s first-ever mother-daughter pilot duo.

Holly began her career as a flight attendant, before deciding she’d rather be a pilot. I have to imagine that is not a transition that’s made very often. Keely, meanwhile, knew she wanted to fly in her mother’s…wing…steps (?) from a very early age. Now, they’re plying the skies together.