Vasquez is only "strong" in her ability to ape stereotypical masculine characteristics. She gets petty and vicious under pressure, and takes it upon herself to load the ammunition, which she was forbidden for good reasons, anyway. And then, she and the other machine gunner actually do what Ripley & Gormon feared, and shoot the reactor, which threatens to kill the whole group of survivors. And her last words are to spitefully call the guy she should have listened to, an asshole.
Strong Woman Action Heroine - listed with several, one time.
And these women are so relatable, because the author was a coddled juvenile delinquent, whose mother was more concerned that people were polite and admiring of her daughter, than that the class be allowed to keep moving for ALL the kids, rather than be disrupted by the little darling's specialness. If you want your child's education to be a personally tailored custom process, don't send them to a mass-production indoctrination mill! Keep your damn kid home and teach her yourself. From the quotes in mommy's letters, she's already investing considerable time gumming up the works of an institution that is neither designed nor intended to nurture creative flowers.
Ya! Keep your weird kids away from my normal kids!