Hilde Lysiak was born in 2006. Just eight years later she founded the Orange Street News in Selinsgrove, PA. While her first issue was written in crayon, she went on to interview Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, report on a local homicide case (scooping her competitors by several hours), and sign a book deal with Scholastic Publishing. She’s got a press pass and she’s not afraid to use it! Photo credit: Orange Street News
Shanta Owens and Shera Grant are identical twins from Birmingham, Alabama. In 2008, Shanta was elected as a Jefferson County, AL district court judge. Eight years later, in 2016, Shera was sworn in as…you guessed it, a Jefferson County district court judge. Who did the swearing in? Her sister, of course! Law and order, times two. Learn more here. Photo credit: grantforjudge.com
18 year old Nikita Ducarroz is a BMX rider with heart. Despite suffering from extreme anxiety, she’s pursued her passion for BMX riding. She’s one of the few female riders to master the back-flip. Because she understands what it’s like to face a challenge, she uses social media to offer encouragement to other teens. She’s definitely on a roll!
In 2010, 20 year old Veronika Scott received a class assignment to design something that would fill a social need. Working together with the homeless community in Detroit she created a heat-trapping jacket that turns into a self-heated and waterproof sleeping bag. She continued to work with the homeless community to create new prototypes and improve the design of the jacket. Understanding the need to create jobs too, she hired and trained homeless mothers to make the coats with her company, The Empowerment Plan. Empowering, indeed.
Photo courtesy of startinggood.org
Julissa Cruz Gutierrez became deaf when she was only five years old after medication administered for an illness damaged her hearing. She attended a school for the deaf, but after transitioning to mainstream education, she endured chronic bullying. Julissa chose to rise above it all and today she rocks a cochlear implant, can read lips, and is the first in her family to attend college. As if that weren’t enough, her mother works seven days a week, and Julissa helps out at home taking care of younger family members. She wants to give back to her family and community, and she’s been described as a “force for good in the world”. I couldn’t agree more!
Talk about amazing! Dr. Mae Jemison is a doctor, engineer, academic, and entrepreneur. She was even on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation! She spent six years with NASA as an astronaut during which she became the first woman of color in the world to go into space.
As an astronaut, Dr. Jemison had assignments as a liaison between the astronaut corps and launch operations at Kennedy Space Center, served on the human research protocol board, tested the software that operates the shuttle and flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour Spacelab Japan mission—the first joint mission with the Japanese Space Agency.
Dr. Jemison graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and completed the requirements for an A.B. in African and Afro-American studies from Stanford University and earned her M.D. from Cornell University Medical College.
“There is a slight rustle of tree leaves; yet if one observes the accompanying signs, the next day’s weather is forecast. The hint of a breeze that kisses your cheek may turn into a full-fledged hurricane that uproots trees and old ideas.” – Dr. Mae Jemison
She is out of this world!
Photo courtesy of LIFE.
Dana Kerford of URSTRONG is teaching girls (and boys!) how to have strong, healthy friendships, and how to stand up for themselves in positive ways. It can be a challenge, at any age, to speak up for yourself. You may be afraid that people won’t like you, or that you’ll lose friends that are important to you. Nobody wants that, but how do you keep being you and still have a strong circle of friends when challenges arise? Through URSTRONG Dana shares ways of staying true to yourself, cultivating healthy friendships, and standing up for what you believe in while honoring what others believe in. That sure sounds like girl power to me! Check out Dana’s blog below, it’s full of all kinds of awesomeness.
“What better message can a girl receive than ‘You have the potential to do anything in the world, if you just go out and do it?”
Megan Grassell started her own body-positive line of bras, and became one of Time Magazine’s 25 most influential teens. She saw a need, found a way to fill it, and became a role model for girls, and women, everywhere! Love it! Sourced from yellowberry.com
Refinery29 takes down 29 lies fashion magazines tell us. “For an industry that thrives on creativity, individuality, and self-expression, fashion sure has a lot of restrictions.” – Liza Darwin We’ve heard that line from the Meghan Trainor song, All About That Bass, “I see the magazines, workin’ that Photoshop”. She’s right, it’s not real, so don’t buy into it. #makeitstop Sourced from refinery29.com
Tia Torres helps the people and dogs who most need a second chance with her Villa Lobos Rescue Center. It’s amazing to see the transformations in both dogs AND humans. Makes my heart all melty. Check her out here, and on Pit Bulls & Parolees on Animal Planet! Sourced from animalplanet.com