Everybody has at least one role model, even if ya don’t
realize it. It could be your mom, your aunt, Amelia Earhart, Michelle Obama or
the super cool babysitter you had when you were little. Well, here are four
more awesome all-American babes that you can add to your list of role models,
and a few tips so you can be just like ‘em.
Brains Over Brawn
Hillary Clinton grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and went to
Wellesley College and Yale Law School. Before getting involved in politics, she
worked as an attorney, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas
School of Law, and a mom. While her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was
the governor of Arkansas, she began her lifelong work as an advocate of health
care and also focused on children and family issues. Then when she became the
First Lady, she got health care for millions of kids through the Children’s
Health Insurance Program, and she helped to fix America’s adoption and foster
care systems. In 2000, Clinton became the only First Lady to be a U.S. senator,
and she now acts as the Secretary of State.
Lesson Learned: Don’t
be afraid to show your smarts, even if it means intimidating a few guys.
The Muse of Civil
Rights
Born an African American woman in Missouri in 1928, Maya
Angelou suffered a lot of discrimination, which inspired her to work for change
and to become a civil rights activist. She became a single mother shortly after
finishing high school, but by the time she was 26, she was out pursuing her
passion for the arts by performing in the opera Porgy and Bess in Europe. Angelou lived in Ghana for a time,
teaching at the University of Ghana’s School of Music and Drama, and upon
returning to the states, wrote books and poems that made her famous all over
the world. She was the first African American woman to write a successful movie
script, and she has remained active in politics, having served on two
presidential committees in recent years.
Lesson Learned: Find
your own way to speak out about what inspires you, whether it’s through music,
art or writing.
Perf Performance
Kristi Yamaguchi stepped into the spotlight when she won the
World Figure Skating Championships two years in a row and took home a gold
medal from the 1992 Winter Olympics. She then became a professional skater for
many years. At the same time, she decided to give back to the people around her
by starting the Always Dream Foundation, which supports children’s activities
that range from after-school mentoring programs to holiday celebrations at
children’s shelters. Yamaguchi is now a member of four different halls of fame
and was a winner on Dancing with the
Stars in 2006.
Lesson Learned: No
matter how good or bad things are going, look outside your own life and see how
you can make a difference for others.
No Biz Like Showbiz
You’ve probably seen Oprah Winfrey on TV, either on her talk
show or acting in movies. Now, she is a billionaire who owns more homes than
you can count on one hand, but she wasn’t always that way. Her childhood was
pretty rough, as she had to deal with molestation and was passed from one
single parent to the other. She got her big break, though, when she was just 17
and landed a spot on the radio station WVOL. Then she quickly moved through the
broadcasting industry until she became the first woman to produce and own her
own talk show, which she used to promote good, healthy values. In 1993, Oprah
championed the creation of a database of convicted child abusers in order to
save others from the trauma she once endured, and today, she is one of the main
philanthropists in the world.
Lesson Learned: Fight
for your values, and don’t let circumstances or peer pressure make you give
them up.
So chicas, who are
some of your role models, and why?
BY CARRIE RUPPERT ON 6/28/2012 4:52:00 PM
POSTED IN On the Job