Katie is a senior in college and has a passion for women and hopes to see young girls grasp their identity. We are so excited to give her the opportunity to share some of the things she has learned along her journey. Girl Above is always looking to provide reliable and tangible life advice, and we would love for you to join the conversation! Comment below to submit questions for future interviews.

What do you do when your actions and your values don’t align?

I think the best thing to do when your values and actions don’t align is to go back and figure out WHY you believe what you do. From personal experience, the guilt of feeling like you are a hypocrite or that you let yourself down can eat you alive. But I always find peace in knowing that I am loved, saved and forgiven, no matter the circumstances. Search for the reason you choose to believe, and that will set you on the right path.

What does it mean to be a leader when your friends disagree with you?

To be a leader when the people around you do not agree is one of the toughest situations, especially when it is with your friends. Though, standing up for your beliefs in this type of situation is such a testament to one’s character and inner strength. The moment that you can stand up and be firm is more than likely the same moment that someone will say, “Hey, she is different, strong and confident, I want to do the same.” So, at the end, when your friends disagree with you, I would say, is the most important time to be a leader.

Why Is It Worth It to Be Unique?

Hmmm, why is it worth it to be unique? To preface, I always look at people and wonder if they know how great they are. How the little, unique things they do, by nature, bring joy to the people around them, without them even knowing it. It is a crazy phenomenon. So, to answer the question “why is it worth it?” Here we go. Day after day I fight to remind myself that by embracing the weird, awkward, unique parts of myself bring out the most genuine, raw form of joy. For example, think about the last time you laughed until you cried… one of the greatest things ever, right? It doesn’t happen enough. I can almost guarantee that at that moment, you did not care what your laugh sounded like, what the person next to you thought of your hair, weight, or the old food stain on your shirt. The only thing that matters here is the unique moment. Simply effortless. Moments like these would not be possible if we were all the cookie-cutter, “ideal” human that sometimes society tells us to be. So, it is worth it to be unique. It is worth it for those genuine moments of joy. Your uniqueness is what makes this earth bearable, enjoyable, and sometimes laugh out loud funny.

Fight for your uniqueness.

How Do You Find Confidence outside of Male Opinions?

I find confidence outside of the male opinion in truth. There are all these sayings like “truth will set you free” or “joy is found in truth” or “cover yourself in truth” and while these words might sound cheesy, the message is powerful. Beauty extends WAY beyond what men tell you is beautiful. It is true that we are made in the image of God