A little over a year ago, I bumped into a tiny brunette with an obsession for Jessie James-Decker, makeup, and coffee. Her name was Haley Hoffman Smith, and little did I know that she would become one of the biggest lights in my life. Never had I met a girl who showed so much promise. I wouldn't be surprised if she changed the entire world judging by how much she has changed my life alone. Now, I get to share her incredible story with you all. Memorize her name folks, because her success has only begun.

K: So Haley, who are you?

H: My name is Haley Hoffman Smith and I am a 19 year old sophomore at CU Boulder. I am the CEO and founder of my own nonprofit organization Lit Without Limits, President of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, and the Director of Academic Affairs at my university. I am a social activism entrepreneur targeting young girls through the theme of women empowerment and encouraging educational pursuits. I also started Mental Health Task Force in my capacity as the Director of Academic Affairs to start a conversation about mental health on college campuses. I am all about helping others live the happiest, most fulfilling lives possible.

K: And when did you decide that you wanted more for your life by starting a non-profit? Was there an explicit catalyst? Or more of a progression?

H: I decided during the second semester of my freshman year of college that I needed to start a nonprofit. It had always been in the back of my head. I am always asked if there was something that happened, but the story is truly that I was divinely guided to start it. I had spent a great amount of time on a spiritual journey inward. When I was quiet and really listened to myself, it was apparent that my role in the world was empowering girls and involving literature / education to some degree. When I began to pursue it, the amount of support I received urged me forward. Likewise, it seemed that everything I worked on in the process took on a life of its own. I met few obstacles, because the path had already been cleared for me. I mean that in the respects that I had truly found my calling, so everything fell into place. The passion and enjoyment of the process ended up being my catalyst, but it began with listening to myself.

K: What piece of advice do you live by?

H: My best piece of advice is that you have to find a "you-shaped" hole in the world (Lena Dunham). There is something you were placed on this Earth to do. I urge everyone to do whatever it takes to live the happiest life possible, and this is the most fundamental aspect of that. If you wake up everyday excited to be doing what you're doing, you've found it. Life should be fun. It is about human connection, laughter, and putting your heart and soul into whatever you're doing. If it comes from an authentic place, and if it fills you with joy beyond your wildest dreams, you are significantly improving mankind.

K: So in the long-run, where do you see Lit Without Limits going?

H: I see Lit Without Limits going internationally. My initial idea was to donate to girls in other countries, but felt it would be a better idea to start on home ground since I was only 18 at the time and was learning as I went along. Part of this is taking advantage of networking. I am currently working tirelessly on marketing and connecting with other movers and shakers, and seeing where the process takes me. I believe that Lit Without Limits will continue to reach and affect the right audiences because it has so much good to contribute to young girls.

K: As you've explained, your non-profit has a emphasis on literature. What books have personally impacted your course in life?

H: Reading a book is very personal. They affect the reader differently at different times in their lives. My favorite book of all time is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I read it at a time where I lacked faith in myself and was desperately trying to find self-respect. Jane became an emblem to me of all I wanted to be - someone so strong, independent, and self assured that she would not be malleable to outside forces. She could experience pain, loss, rejection, and hopelessness, but stay true to herself. She refused to surrender her innate values for anyone, including Mr. Rochester. Is that not incredible? It is a learning process to not equate your value with the things that happen to you or how you perceive others to see you. She was "poor, plain, obscure" (in her own words), but she possessed something that made her rich and beautiful beyond measure - self respect. Self knowledge. It will always be my favorite book for that reason.

Other favorites include Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilmore and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.

K: You have become quite a role model to me (as I'm sure for other people too). Who are your role models?

H:Thank you, Kaitie! As you are to me. My role models are my closest friends - Kaitlin Starr, Morgan Weiss, Elaine Shults, and Caitlin Quisenberry. Women who push me forward when I lack the motivation. Women who embody self-love, the best intentions, a love for life, engagement in the moment, and the desire to make everyday worthwhile and fun. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people I want to be exactly like. Others include Oprah Winfrey and Sheryl Sandberg, two women I want to work alongside one day. They possess an "IT factor" that place them in a position to make some serious good happen. I am enchanted by everything the two of them do.

K: What are the three most important things in your life?

H: 1. My friends and family, for always providing security and inspiration

2. My education, for giving me the freedom and the power to become whatever I want to be, for infatuating me everyday in class, and for being the most valuable use of my time, and

3. My spiritual atonement with myself, my connection to the source which always divinely guides me.

As it's clear to see, Haley is something special. You can check out Lit Without Limits' website at litwithoutlimits.org or Haley's own social activism entrepreneurial website at haleyhoffmansmith.com (which will be launched soon!). There, you will find blogs about women empowerment and self love, as well as details about her work.