GIRL POWER NOVEMBER 2013 | Page 11

I would not let what people say bring me down. At that moment I decided I would not let my past dictate my future. I decided I would become confident and be okay with who I am and would not allow myself to be surrounded by negative people. Who is your mentor and how have they boosted you “Girl Power” along the way? I would say I have had a couple great mentors. As you move through life and set your goals you need to find people that can mentor you and help you achieve and reach beyond your goals. Mrs. Alf and Mrs. Miller have been two of the best “Girl Power” boosters I could ever have. Mrs. Alf encouraged me to be a leader and not be afraid to share ideas and be patient to see them through. Mrs. Miller let me take my ideas including THINK above and beyond to inspire young teenage girls and encouraged me to be creative. Having mentors that you can tell anything to and not feel judged really helps you feel empowered. The most important thing is that they both are always encouraging and I know I can call them up and say hey what do you think about this, or how should I handle this? What would you like to tell the tween and teen girls as they go through the tough pressures of today’s society? Society is always going to put pressure on us and that is unfortunate. I believe there are three steps in dealing with the tough pressures of today’s society. 1. The first step in dealing with social pressure is to take a look on the inside. A lot of time teen girls let social pressures get the best of them because of internal insecurities and lack of confidence. If we look and focus and use THINK on ourselves and build ourselves up and accept and become satisfied with who we are on the inside I believe the external pressures of society will seem less overwhelming and more manageable. 2. Establish boundaries. What do I mean by that? Well only allow so much negative energy and people around you.