Jane Goodall

In celebration of Women’s History Month, The Cardinal spotlights their choices of influential women from around the world.

Adilene Sosa, Staff Writer

March 27, 2026

Jane Goodall was born on April 3, 1934 and spent her childhood in England. She passed away on October 1, 2025 at the age of 91.

Goodall was encouraged by her mother her whole life. Her mother told her to work hard and follow her dreams. She always dreamt of living with animals. Reading Tarzan and Dr. Doolittle books, she was motivated to move to Africa. She showed early scientific curiosity when she spent hours in a henhouse to know how chickens lay eggs. She loved to climb trees, read, and explore the outdoors which helped lead her to become a primatologist, ethologist, and an anthropologist. To travel and reach her dream of moving to Africa, she had to work many jobs.

Goodall protected the chimpanzees by creating the Jane Goodall Institute. She was able to discover that chimpanzees are able to make and use tools and show emotions. She successfully transformed the scientific world which was dominated by men during the 1960s. She showed women that their qualities are great for these fields of work because she had a passion and a dream.

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” -Jane Goodall

Goodall often emphasized hope to make a difference on earth. With what she said, she wanted to show us that we have the power to make a great change if we really wanted to. She really just wanted everyone to help make a difference, but with all that she accomplished she had already helped a lot.

About the Contributor

Adilene Sosa, Staff Writer

Adilene Sosa is a junior at Hoover High School in the VAPA academy. She enjoys watching all kinds of movies and shows but mostly prefers comedy and horror movies. Her favorite band is Queen. She enjoys camping, visiting her aunt in Riverside and going to Julian with her family. Her favorite colors are navy blue, cherry red, black and dark purple. She mostly likes listening to music and helping her brother cook. Her favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla. When she gets older she hopes to become a veterinarian, nurse or a teacher to help others and contribute to society. Adilene also hopes to travel when she gets older. Something she is most proud of is how her family has grown and even though they may argue from time to time, they still get along. She hopes to someday help her family get a house big enough for all of them. Something she hates most is when something gets overrated. She hopes to go to Mexico soon to meet with the rest of her family to really get to know them and visit her grandparents, who she never got to meet in person. Adilene hopes to meet people who will help her succeed in her goals and will only make her life happier and enjoyable. She hopes for a healthy and active future. Even though she knows things might take a drastic turn, she only wants to help others as well as herself to fix whatever goes wrong.