On March 6, 2016, Nancy Reagan died at the rich age of 94. We know and love Reagan as the woman who changed the game of first lady, which she served during Ronald’s presidency from 1981 to 1989. She was one of the most high-profile and influential first ladies in history.

Ronald and Nancy were both actors before they took to D.C. The two met in Hollywood, where they acted in the ’40s and ‘50s in films like "Hellcats of the Navy," which they appeared in together. When the two started dating while Ron was president of the Screen Actors Guild, the tabloids had a field day, like an early Brangelina, as they do with any Hollywood couple today.

The couple married in 1952, after Ron proposed in a glam Beverly Hills restaurant. The couple had two children together, Patti and Ronald Prescott.

Nancy’s role as first lady championed the roles of first ladies succeeding her, such as Michelle Obama of today, who advocates for child health and female education. However, Nancy started small. As soon as she entered the White House she began to direct a full renovation of the second and third floors, which apparently had cracked walls and beat up flooring, in an effort to restore the Kennedy Glam that once existed within the White House and had been neglected in the years since. Nancy was also known for her high fashion, often rocking an Oscar De La Renta gown to classy White House events.

While Ron was in office, Nancy began the "Just Say No" campaign, something I’m sure anyone with a middle or high school education is familiar with. To those who are unfamiliar, "Just Say No" was a campaign designed to get kids to “just say no” to drugs. Nancy was reported commenting that ”Understanding what drugs can do to your children, understanding peer pressure and understanding why they turn to drugs is ... the first step in solving the problem.” The campaign made its influence through a multitude of conferences and with the help of Girl Scouts of America.

After the presidency, Nancy and Ron moved back to California to the neighborhood of Bel Air. Through the Nancy Reagan Foundation, she continued to advocate against drug abuse. Later in 1994, Ron was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which led her to dedicate the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute devoted to the maturation of research on Alzheimer’s disease.

Not only was their love story glamorous and riveting, but Nancy used her position as first lady to make a difference. In the years prior to Ronald’s presidency, many women simply lived their lives alongside their presidential husbands. Nancy took that opportunity to raise awareness of drug abuse and later to promote Alzheimer’s research. After Ron’s term ended, first ladies succeeding her followed in her footsteps: Hillary Clinton who chaired the Task Force on National Health Care Reform, later became Senator and now the leading Democratic Presidential candidate; Michelle Obama who launched "Let’s Move!," a campaign designed to fight childhood obesity, "Joining Forces," devoted to making life more livable for veterans, "Reach Higher," which encourages students to strive for an education past high school, and finally "Let Girls Learn," “A U.S. government-wide initiative to help girls around the world go to school and stay in school.”

It bothers me quite a bit that we’ve never had a female president (I think that is incredibly ridiculous that we’ve allowed only men to be the most powerful individuals of our country) but I can at least be proud to say that the women who were given an opportunity to be in the public eye alongside the most powerful man in the nation used that opportunity to make a difference. Next goal: female president.