When I was in high school, I was a part of my school's NJROTC (Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps) unit. We learned about different aspects of the military, physical fitness, and valuable team and leadership skills that we could apply to the real world. For nearly two years of the four years I was cadet, there were only four female officers out of the 15 or so leadership positions. We called ourselves “Chicks in Charge” and while some of the guys teased us about it, it didn't take away from the fact that we felt pretty special. I still have the photo of the four of us in our cadet officer uniforms after a ceremony. In my junior year of college, I was president of my campus's Black Student Union, which was founded (under a different name) over twenty years ago by a woman who had a desire to see change happen at her school. My executive team was a group of ambitious, educated, and amazing young women that not only set goals for themselves and for BSU, but also achieved them as well.

It may not seem like a big deal to some people, but it is. Those experiences, from being a teenager in a high school program to being an adult in college leading a campus organization, have helped shape me into the person I am and am striving to be. In a world that's not always kind to women, it helps to be surrounded by those that know how to support and encourage you to get you where you need to be. Empowered women empower women, and here is what that looks like:

1. We know who we are.

And there's nothing you can do to challenge our character or make us doubt ourselves. We recognize our strengths and acknowledge the areas we want improve in. Self-awareness is a powerful tool; how can you tell anyone what they're not when they know for a fact what they are? You can't possibly convince an empowered woman that she's powerless... that's just bad news for you.

2. Our confidence shouldn't intimidate you.

And it definitely shouldn't bother you. We know that some people tend to get confidence and arrogance confused, but where arrogance creates a false sense of self, confidence does not. It's possible to remain humble while being confident in yourself. We were all created beautifully in God's image, but for some people that still won't be enough. And for those people, the ones that struggle with loving themselves the way they are, we're willing to be their personal cheerleader and remind them as much as possible that they're loved.

3. We're not in competition with each other.

"You can tell who the strong women are; they're the ones you see building each other up instead of tearing each other down." -Jen Selter.

This is what I admire the most; there is no competition! We want everyone to succeed. You shouldn't have to tear someone down to reach your goals, and when you see another woman struggling, you would do you best to help her stand to her feet so that you can both get to where you want to be in life. There's nothing like being surrounded by sisters that want nothing more than for you to succeed. Female friendships in the media are constantly portrayed as catty and petty and unfortunately, this is the model that thousands of young girls are watching. They need to know that they are capable of having non-toxic friendships, and yes, girl power is a thing!

4. We're willing to pass the torch.

The world is not always kind to women, so we know how important it is to model excellence and empowerment to younger generations. We're the mothers, aunts, grandmas, big sisters, cousins, mentors, teachers and anything else you can name to all of those that are stepping into girlhood and our job doesn't end. We want to teach self-love in a world that constantly tells you that you're not good enough. We want to build a sisterhood in a society that wants to isolate us. We want everyone, not just girls, to understand that just because you're a woman doesn't mean you're worth less than the next person.

5. We're not perfect, and that's ok.

We have faults, and we're not always going to be the best mom or daughter or sister or friend. We know this, and we want you to know this. The world won't end if we have a bad day; we're human after all. But even on our worst days, you still wouldn't be able to convince us that we're not good enough.