National Be Your Best Self Week - Be Ambitious - a video from Christina

This week, April 22-26, is National Be Your Best Self Week! Christina Maxwell, Distinguished Young Woman of America shares her thoughts on being ambitious, one of five elements that make up the Be Your Best Self program. Check back throughout the week for more videos from Christina!





Christina Maxwell is a college freshman at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan majoring in Musical Theatre. Originally from Asheville , North Carolina, Christina was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of North Carolina for 2012 and the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2012. Learn more about Christina here!

Single and Failing to Mingle - by Chloe

I hate to admit it, but I go to a school where it is incredibly common for girls to graduate with not only a Bachelor’s degree, but also an M.R.S. degree. Common IWU terms are “Ring by Spring” and “Freshman Mating Season.” (Ring by Spring refers to the ridiculous amount of engagements that happen in the months of February-April. Freshmen Mating season is basically just a loving description of the madness that ensues as the freshmen discover new future mate possibilities. Yes. It really is that ridiculous.) It seems like so much value is placed on finding a mate and it is an embarrassment to graduate with a bare left ring finger. Since when did it become a crime to be single at 22 or 23?

I will openly admit that I don’t really have any experience where relationships are concerned; in fact I have spent 19 years becoming really awesome at being single. My friends have said before that I am single and failing to mingle. Don’t be too jealous. Haha  (I should also note that the possibility of this streak being broken anytime soon is slim, because I go to a college where the girl: guy ratio is 3:1. Yes I am still serious.) I have never been ashamed of my single status, because I have learned how to be myself. So many people, especially women, see singleness as a weakness or a disease of some kind. Well news flash my teenage and twenty-something friends, IT’S NOT!!! Embrace your singleness without shame!!

Come on All my single Ladies!

My mom has always taught me that being married and having a family is wonderful, but there is something amazing about the years you get to be yourself. My early twenties are the years I should be finishing up school and pursuing my dreams, but the average expectation seems to be that I will be planning a wedding. I want to spend the next 6-8 years chasing the things that I have been dreaming about my entire life! I want to have the freedom to live somewhere incredible, travel around the world with nothing but a back pack, or ride my bike across the country like my mom did. After all, you really do only live once. I don’t want to regret not pursuing one of my dreams.

There is nothing shameful about being single. It can be exhilarating and fulfilling! Whenever I accidently drink the IWU Kool-Aid and start getting down about being “alone” I just remember that my relationship status on Facebook or a silver band on my left hand does not define my value. I have to love myself before someone else can love me.

So ladies (and gents if you are reading this!) do not stress about being “alone!” Spend your college years trying to find your maid of honor or best man and then you can worry about your groom or bride. Becoming your best self does not have to include another person! Enjoy college and stop worrying! Become YOU and happiness will follow!

Chloe McLaughlin is a college freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana majoring in Church Music and Christian Worship. Originally from Frankfort, Indiana, Chloe was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2012. Learn more about Chloe here! 

At the End of the Rainbow - by Christina

I recently took a wonderful trip to Mobile, Alabama, the home of Distinguished Young Women.  I was there for nearly a week, taking part in the Go Daddy.com bowl game events and speaking and performing as the national representative at various events.  It was an incredible week full of memories that I will continue to cherish.  However, two moments in particular have become a source of inspiration.

I had just finished talking to a large group of girl scouts about setting goals and how I achieved the goal of becoming the Distinguished Young Woman of America.  At the end of my talk, I shared with them my dream of becoming a Broadway actress and sang “Over the Rainbow” for them.  Then I invited anyone who had any questions for me to come to the front. 

A miniature mob of little girls, with their sparkly scrunchies and light-up shoes, crowded around the edge of the stage.  Their questions warmed my heart.  The first little girl asked in a tone of wonder, “How do you get your hair to curl like that?”.  Another little girl asked, “How did you become so beautiful?”.  After a stream of adorable questions, the last little girl asked a question that caught me off guard.  With a very serious expression, she said, “I was just wondering, is there reallya pot of gold at the end of every rainbow?”.

My heart was completely melted at her unabashed sincerity and her authentic desire to know if life was really as good as stories and favorite songs made it seem.

Earlier that week, another child had left me speechless and in tears.  I made a trip with the football players from the Go Daddy.com bowl game to a Mobile hospital to deliver toys and encouragement to children in the hospital. 

One particular little girl was in the ICU, only ten years old, but with a beautiful heart full of selflessness and contagious joy that fought its way through the obvious sadness like a determined daisy shooting its stem up through a crack in the gray sidewalk.  This little girl insists on saying a prayer for anyone who comes into her room.  And sure enough, after we had visited and laughed with this spunky and bubbly girl, she held our hands and prayed for us.  From her hospital bed, hooked up to all kinds of tubes, she prayed a beautiful and sincere prayer, asking for strength and courage for the football players, medicine to make us well and thanking God that we were his children.  Reduced to tears, I couldn’t even speak.  This little girl, burdened with so much at such a young age, exhibited courage, unwavering joy and compassion that we are not familiar with.

What is it about children that allows them to feel so deeply and be so free with their questions, advice and joy?  I remember when I was little, how I was so enraptured by the new and bright world around me that I couldn’t force myself to take a nap for fear that I would miss something.  I would dress up as Snow White and sing to the woodland creatures I imagined living in our yard.  I wasn’t afraid to tell people what I thought or to be loving and perhaps overly friendly to strangers.  My parents told me a story about how one Sunday at church when I was very young, I sat next to an older lady who was patient and sweet to my fidgety little brother.  After church, I wrote her a note that said, “I met a nice lady in church today and it was you”.

My acting teacher recently gave all of us students a piece of advice that has stuck with me.  In her wisdom and goodness, she said, “It is important that we remember to check in with our five-year-old selves every now and then.”  I believe that she is right. 

What happens as we grow up that causes that child-like wonder to fade?  Where along the line do we let our insatiable appetite for life and love, merry abandonment and our ability to dream wildly be extinguished?  As we grow up, reality sometimes takes a toll on us.  We realize that there aren’t always fairy godmothers to remind us that we are the belles of the ball rather than someone who deserves to be hidden in a corner of cinders.  Young men aren’t always kind-hearted and handsome princes and sometimes the pot of gold you had hoped was at the end of the rainbow isn’t there. 

Yet, in times of inevitable disappointment, I think it is wise to follow my teacher’s advice and see what our five-year-old selves would have done.  I think it is when we can face grown-up trials and tragedies with a child-like heart, full of stubborn resiliency and unwavering belief in undeniable good, that we have truly grown up … and miracles happen.

Christina Maxwell is a college freshman at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan majoring in Musical Theatre. Originally from Asheville , North Carolina, Christina was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of North Carolina for 2012 and the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2012. Learn more about Christina here!

Keep Dreaming - by Keyna

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."

- Walt Disney

This is my absolute favorite quotation. As a girl who dreams of performing on Broadway, I would love to believe Walt Disney and be fully confident that all I have to do in order to achieve my dreams is try. I'm a little skeptical, but I do agree that courage to try is the first step to making our dreams a reality.

Once you have gathered the courage to go for your dreams, it really helps to have a support system: people who love and believe in you enough to support you through all the obstacles on the way to achieving your dreams. I am so lucky to have the support of my family, my friends, my teachers, and countless others. I know that they will be there to encourage me to continue even if it seems impossible.

If you don't have a great support system, don't worry. Your dream can still come true. Believe in yourself, and prove the people in your life that don't believe in you wrong. They are just another obstacle to overcome on your way to success. Don't let them stop you from doing what you love.

You also need to have a purpose for achieving your dream. Know why it is that you want to do what you are devoting your life to. Do not live your life to simply "be happy." Rather, use your gifts, talents, and achieved dreams to make your mark on the world. No one person is too small to make a difference. As a performer, I want to be able to touch the hearts and brighten the lives of audiences that watch me. It seems small, but sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference.

Believe in yourself and all you want to be. Don't let what other people do or say take away your smile. Laugh as much as you possibly can. Enjoy your success and learn from your failures. When your journey seems unbearable, smile and push through. You are stronger than you think. The more obstacles you have to overcome, the more sweetly satisfying and exciting your success will be. NEVER GIVE UP. Always chase after your dreams because as Walt Disney says (with just a little addition from me), "all our dreams can come true if we have the courage to RELENTLESSLY pursue them."

Keyna Hoselton is a college freshman at Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma majoring in Dance Performance with a possible minor in History. Originally from Fargo, North Dakota, Keyna was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of North Dakota for 2012. Learn more about Keyna here!