Tomorrow evening, May 14th, some of the most inspiring female politicians and activists from around the world will gather at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill to recognize remarkable female leadership and fund raise for girl’s empowerment programs. The 7th Annual Women to Watch Awards is the flagship event for the organization Running Start, a non-profit that seeks to inspire young women to run for office. With women only comprising 20% of the Senate, and an even smaller representation in the house, it’s high time we start addressing the real issue that Running Start seeks to address: the serious lack of female candidates entering the race at all.

Running Start was founded in 2007 with the goal of providing role models and support for young women interested in running for office. Originally they only hosted programs for high school girls, but now Running Start operates programs around the country for young women in high school, college, and beginning stages of their professional development. 

“Not enough young women are running for office because they don’t see politics as an avenue for change within their community,” Running Start Executive Director Jessica Grounds told me.

Running Start seeks to change such views by running programs that give women the skills they need in networking and advocacy to get campaigns off the ground.

“The earlier a woman decides to run for political office, the greater the likelihood is that she will rise up the ranks to take on leadership roles in the political system. That’s the goal,” Grounds explained.

Tomorrow’s awards ceremony will certainly be an awe-inspiring event for women everywhere. Florida Representative and DNC chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was first elected to political office at the age of 26, and will be the speaker for the welcoming remarks alongside Representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, who is the highest ranking Republican woman in Congress. Tina Tchen, the Chief of Staff for First Lady Michelle Obama will serve as the keynote speaker for the event.

Despite these big names, the true stars of the evening are the four young women being honored as “women to watch” in the political arena.

Malala Yousafzai, the brave girl who vocally advocated for women’s right to education, survived an assassination attempt at the hands of the Taliban, and went on to become the youngest person to ever be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Talia Leman managed to raise $10 million for Hurricane Katrina relief at the age of ten, through organizing a Halloween trick-or-treat campaign to collect donations. She went on to become the founder and CEO of Random Kid, a non-profit that provides financial support and mentorship for young people who have ideas for ways to create positive change in their communities.

Representative from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard will also be honored. Gabbard is the youngest person in America to be elected to a state legislature, which she did at the age of 21. She is also one of the first female combat veterans on Capitol Hill, having served two tours in Iraq.

The final honoree is Mayor Mia Love of Saratoga Springs Utah, who is the state’s first and only black female mayor. Love also ran for Congress in 2012, losing by less than 1%.

Despite having greater political representation than ever before, young women need to be reminded of the incredible ladies who are fighting the good fight on their behalf, something Running Start is aiming to achieve with the “Women to Watch Awards.” Hopefully with the continued support of organizations like Running Start, by the time I have a daughter we will be living in a world where “politician” is no longer synonymous with “old white guy” and more and more young women will be active participants in the national dialogue.