CORPUS CHRISTI - For more than two decades, Americans have celebrated the month of March as Women's History Month, giving special tribute to the historic achievements and contributions of women to our society.

This year's celebration fittingly coincides with the 100-year anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America, an organization founded to support girls and help develop the values of honesty, courage, and confidence.

As a former Girl Scout and as part of the centennial celebration, I was asked to appear in a YouTube video talking about my mentors. Two women, who also are Texans, immediately came to mind. They are the type of women who underscore the meaning of this month: Oveta Culp Hobby and Anne Armstrong.

A native of Killeen, Oveta broke barriers throughout her life. I had the honor of knowing her because she gave me the first break in my career. After graduating from University of Texas Law School in 1967, as one of 13 women in a 390-person class, I discovered that the major law firms in Texas did not hire female lawyers. So, looking for a door to open, I dropped by KPRC-TV, the local NBC TV affiliate, in Houston. I met with the news director, and with the encouragement of the chairman of the board, Oveta Culp Hobby, who wanted to put the first woman news reporters on the air in Houston, I was the offered the job.

As CEO of a major media organization, she turned a daily newspaper into a multimedia corporation with television and radio interests. She started blazing trails in World War II when she was asked by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to lead the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), a precursor to women being integrated into the armed services. She later became the first Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Oveta accomplished so much in a single lifetime, clearly taking many bold, courageous steps along the way.

In 1971, as a reporter for KPRC-TV, I had the chance to interview Anne Armstrong, a Texan who had just won the co-chairmanship of the Republican National Committee (RNC). Before I knew it, I was moving to Washington, D.C., to be her press secretary and learned more in six months working for her than I ever could have imagined. Anne set a wonderful example of all the things a woman could do if she set her mind to it.

After graduating from Vassar, Anne married Tobin Armstrong and moved to a cattle ranch in South Texas. She got her start in politics campaigning door-to-door for Dwight Eisenhower. Following her time as co-chair of the RNC, she was appointed White House Counsel to President Richard Nixon, and President Gerald Ford named her the first woman to represent the United States as Ambassador to Great Britain.

Oveta and Anne were true trailblazers who overcame barriers to attain remarkable achievements in public life. They provided encouragement to women around them, and served as invaluable role models to women who also sought to pursue once unthinkable dreams.

Young women today live in a world of opportunities that are a direct result of the women who came before them. During Women's History Month, we celebrate the lives of trailblazers such as Oveta Culp Hobby and Anne Armstrong, gaining strength and inspiration from their life stories.