Hello, everyone! My name is Miho Aida . My first name Miho means to be a woman who brings democracy and equality for all people, and who protects Japan's cultural and ecological heritage. My birthdate is the day that US Congress officially recognized as Women’s Equality Day. I aspire to live a life that honors my name and my birthdate.

I was born and raised in Japan but I am currently living in the United States. Here, I am an immigrant from Japan, woman of color, environmental educator and photographer. I am also a founder and a manager of a non-profit project called "If She Can Do It, You Can Too: Empowering Women Through Outdoor Role Models." This project shares photographs and stories of diverse women from around the world demystifying the role of women in the outdoors. This project is dedicated to promoting women’s involvement in education, science, environmental conservation and adventures in nature. It is my hope that by sharing their stories that all people will be inspired to overcome any challenges in order to reach their dreams.

I am currently focusing on the "Photography and Stories of Native American Women Activists in America's Public Land." The project has been exploring the role of Native American women activists, and their contribution to protect parks' natural and cultural resources from their perspective. I have documented over 30 Native American women speaking up for their rights to protect the culture, nature and their way of life in the national parks. I am planning to continue this chapter of my project until the end of this year. If you are interested in my project, please check out my website at www.mihoaida.com.

Thanks everyone for reading my introduction. I am very excited to be a part of this group and learn about how other women are changing the world everyday.