Rowan Blanchard is a young woman who deserves much more praise for her achievements, activism, and poise. A mere 16 years old, Rowan is best known as Riley Matthews from the Disney Channel show, Girl Meets World.

She is an actress, singer, model, and an activist with a following that is comprised not only of young Disney channel fans, but also of adults who are aware of Rowan’s advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community and for minorities in general within the United States.

One of the things I admire most about her is the poised, soft-spoken nature of her eloquent battle for the communities that she is a part of. She is not all over talk shows and radio stations, like many other Disney stars, promoting her next single/album or her new acting projects—instead she is encouraging her Instagram followers to sign petitions and speaking at the Women’s March.

Rowan has starred in children’s entertainment since she was 10 years old. She was a lead in the fourth Spy Kids movie in 2011, played the title character in Girl Meets World starting in 2014 (when she was 12 or 13), and her Disney Channel Original Movie Invisible Sister aired in 2015 (in which she played the protagonist). These feats are certainly admirable, but they are not surprising or unusual for a “Disney kid.”

What sets Rowan apart from her Disney Channel peers—who are all genuinely talented people, don’t get me wrong—is the level of bravery and social-awareness that is often missing from grown adults, let alone a 15 or 16 year old girl.

In January of 2016, the at-the-time 14-year old came out as queer to her Twitter followers. “Yes open to liking any gender in future which is why I identify as queer,” she Tweeted in response to a fan asking her to specify on her sexual orientation.

It was a subtle, yet very public, way of coming out to her followers, something that other adult stars (understandably) struggle to do, and something that can require a great amount of courage.

She also often mentions her social anxiety, general anxiety, and sometimes hints at depression, calling out yet another aspect of her life that adults can find difficult to disclose.

Still not convinced that Rowan is a role model for not just young people, but adults, too? Last January, at the Women’s March in Los Angeles, she spoke to the protestors, along with celebrity activists like Miley Cyrus, Barbara Streisand, Natalie Portman, Laverne Cox, and Kerry Washington.

Anytime that there is a bill about to be voted on, an unjust court ruling, a case of police violence, a natural disaster, Rowan alerts her followers of ways to help. She will post links to petitions, websites to donate money to, lists of local representatives, or what numbers to call/text if you oppose a bill.

Her Instagram story and feed are full of these posts. She is active in participating in our government and encouraging other young people to do so—even those who, like her, are not old enough to vote.

What I love about Rowan is how she isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes in, and she urges others to do the same. She is younger than most of the other well known celebrities who fight for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, and she is also so young that she still has two years until she’s able to vote, but she’s already calling her senators and congressmen to demonstrate her voice.

Rowan Blanchard is a young person that I think more of us should be paying attention to. She openly identifies as queer and as someone who struggles with mental illness, and she’s someone that children view as a role model because of her roles on Disney Channel.

Even more than that, she’s not a young star who seems to be all over gossip magazines or the radio (there’s nothing wrong with that), but she seems like a humble young lady who keeps to herself. She knows who she is and she’s ready to fight for minorities, and she can act, and she just turned old enough to get her driver’s license.

Seriously; the world needs more Rowan Blanchard’s.