young girls

A few weeks ago, 8-year-old Michele Threefoot walked into school on "Superhero Day" dressed as her personal hero — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Michele's mom, Krista Wujek Threefoot, posted a photo of her daughter in costume on Facebook.

It has been shared nearly 2,000 times.

The photo even caught the attention of a prominent government official — someone who is a premiere authority on what it means to embody the chic style and scrappy spirit of Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg:

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself.

Ginsburg sent Michele a handwritten note praising her costume for its accuracy and encouraging her to keep loving books, the Huffington Post reported.

"Dear Michele," Ginsburg's note reads. "You look just like me! May you continue to thrive on reading and learning."

Needless to say, Michele and her mom were thrilled — and are sending love right back at RBG. "This wouldn’t have gone where it has if [Ginsburg] weren’t such an admirable person," Krista told HuffPo.

"I also want to thank her for taking the time to make a little girl really, really happy."

Now more than ever, we need women like Ginsburg in visible leadership roles, encouraging the next generation to rise up and fill their shoes.

For millions of women across America, Hillary Clinton's failure to win the White House showed that, despite decades of struggle in the name of equality, the glass ceiling endures.

Reminders are everywhere: American women continue to earn less than men, women made up only 20% of the last U.S. Senate and 19.3% of the last Congress, and women report having a harder time securing mentorship than their male colleagues.

Mentorship from women who have defied the odds can make a difference.

It can make a difference even on a small scale, like a simple, encouraging note received at a young age.

Ginsburg's "thank-you" letter won't change the world, but it just might give one young woman the courage to grow up and fight the good fight.

That matters.