Elle Woods is the fantastic protagonist from the 2001 film "Legally Blonde." The film follows a spunky Elle who wants nothing more than to be Mrs. Warner Huntington III, her long-time boyfriend. There’s just one thing stopping her: Warner thinks she’s too “blonde.” He breaks up with her and leaves to Harvard School of Law. So, Elle applies and gets accepted as well. That is when her perspective on life entirely changes.

At first glance, Elle doesn’t seem like the best role model. She does everything she does to win back a man, she seems shallow, and she doesn’t seem to care about anything but her appearance. However, the film portrays her growth as a person, and the person she is is the person I want to be. Here are 5 reasons why she should be your role model, too.

1. She genuinely believes she can do anything she sets her mind to.

As a senior in college, Elle suddenly decided she wanted to go to Harvard for law school. Many would say that it is too late and would give up from the start. That is not what Elle decides to do. She bends over books and studies away for the LSAT. She would not let anyone tell her that she couldn’t do it. Even when her academic advisor told her it wasn’t likely, she smiled and said she knew she could. Her self-confidence is inspiring and I hope to have that much faith in my ability to do whatever I desire.

2. She surrounds herself with people who support her.

In this case, her sorority sisters surround her and give her nothing but support and help along her journey. They gave her countless hours of their time to help her prepare for the LSAT and all celebrated with her when she got a 179 out of 180. They did not allow her to become distracted from her goal. Even at law school, her sisters called her and asked her how everything was going. They were with her every step of the way.

It sounds simple, but it can be hard to find people that support you, and to support them in return. It is easy to have friends that only want to have fun and mess around. To find someone that truly wants to help you is something special. Elle knows to treasure these people and to never underestimate their ability to help.

3. She knows that caring about your appearance doesn’t make you a shallow person.

It’s often easy to think that someone that is obsessed with how they look is an ignorant, uncaring person. However, Elle is just the opposite. She cares about other people. When Brooke Wyndham reveals her alibi, she asks Elle to not tell anyone. Elle sticks to her promise throughout the entire film. Even when she knew that revealing Brooke’s alibi would advance her career, Elle decides to be loyal and trustworthy. In the dog-eat-dog world of law, that is a remarkable ability.

4. She is a graceful woman.

Specifically, Elle is graceful in the way she holds herself. Upon being ostracized and bullied by her law school classmates, she treats them with kindness and respect. She refused to resort to tart remarks and hurling mean words. Instead, she took her time and was patient with her classmates -- even though they were rude to her. It paid off in the end -- she was voted by her classmates to give the commencement speech upon graduation.

5. She doesn’t change who she fundamentally is as a person.

Elle stuck out like a sore thumb her first day of law school. While everyone dressed in muted darker colors with tweed jackets and leather notebooks, Elle proudly dressed from head to toe in pink with a fluffy pink notebook. Instead of being ashamed of being so different, she stuck to who she was. She loved the color pink. What’s wrong with that? Elle understood that the answer was nothing. She knew that as long as she worked hard and stayed true to herself she could get to where she wanted to be -- sparkly scented resumes and all.

Elle knows that the best way to succeed in life is by being kind to others, working hard, and by being herself. She never let anyone tell her “no.” Even upon “winning back the boy,” she turned him down. Because by the end of the film, she knew she could do better. She found power in believing in yourself and by being a positive force in everyone’s life. I sincerely hope to be like her one day.

So in times of trouble or woe, ask yourself “

What would Elle do?” I’m confident you’ll find the answer. I know I have.