The actress scored her breakout role in 2014 as Riley Matthews on Disney’s “Girl Meets World,” but this year, Blanchard also made a name for herself as an outspoken activist and feminist. She penned an essay about the importance of intersectional feminism that went viral (racking up more than 97,000 likes on Instagram) and earned high praise from feminist blogs and fans like Emma Watson. She also spoke at the UN Women’s annual summit in June, where she explained how gender inequality affects youth. In her speech, she revealed that her biggest dream is to attend the Columbia School of Journalism. —Samantha Grossman