My grandmother, Louise Logan, was the matriarch of our family. She was widowed at a very young age, left with 4 children. At the time, remarrying was the thing to do, but she said "men are trouble" and instead provided for her family by running a local grocery. Her children were raised to be strong women and, in turn, raised strong women as well. The balls were set in motion many years ago, and I wouldn't be the woman I am today with out her example.

There are many amazing women that have inspired, motivated, and encouraged me. My mother-in-law is a role model to me; having decided at a young age to be a pharmacist and achieving it. She has a plethora of awards and achievements but most notably, she is an amazing mom, the best GG in the world, and my #1 cheerleader. Another woman I can relate to is the character Emily Cooper in the series Emily in Paris. She has a warm, caring, bubbly, and open personality and is enthusiastic about what she does. She faces challenges and always finds a way to overcome them. Similarly, in marketing, we face challenges every day and I have to find a way to overcome them while continuing to offer the best customer service with a polished product. It does not matter if your inspiration is an amazing mother or your manager in the industry, you set the bar for what inspires you.

I have had the privilege of several women being a true inspiration in my life in many different ways. I can’t even begin to name them all but I will tell you about a few who have shaped my career. My high school art teacher, Mrs. Robinson, pushed and challenged me to try new things as an artist and supported my dreams of carrying art into college. In college, Professer Marjaneh inspired me to only present work that was above the expectations and wasn’t afraid to tell me when I needed to push myself further. Finally, my mother has always been supportive of my ventures and has strengthened my personal skills of being polished, graceful and holding myself to a higher standard in every way. Each of these women have and continue to push me to become the woman I have always hoped to be. It is my life-long goal that I can meet the potential that they each saw in me.

When it comes to thinking of a single woman to highlight as an inspiration in my life, I find great difficulty in choosing one. I've been blessed by many wonderful role models in my lifetime. My mother was my first female role model, showing me how to find the positives during and after difficult times. Ms. Lu showed me that nothing is gained without hard work. Mrs. Nena is an example of being your true, genuine self. Mrs. Barbara built people up despite her own battles. I am honored to have these wonderful examples in my life that have helped mold me into the person I am today. 

Beyond the women I've personally known who have inspired me, there's always been Katharine Hepburn. From the first film I ever saw her in, she's always struck me as someone with a strong sense of character that was just unashamedly herself. Not only were her characters like that, but I've also found over the years that she was that same independent, outspoken character who knew what she wanted. Plus, she always got high bonus points for having the steel spine to refuse to entirely conform to society's expectations of women during her time. Overall, the main things I've always taken away from her are be yourself unapologetically and live life in a way that pleases you, not anyone else.

Melissa Harrison is one rare professional who consistently exceeds the highest expectation. I have the strongest opinion that Melissa Harrison has an extraordinary commitment, dedication, self-discipline, with a solid legal background empowering her to help people. Her legal training has prepared her to understand complexities empowering her to effect change. She has prepared herself, and she is ready for the task. Melissa’s philosophy and strong aptitude to help are among the top one percent of people I have ever known. Melissa’s approach to all aspects of life makes her the most remarkable person to dedicate her time to helping people. Melissa Harrison is genuinely is a person of compassion and action; therefore, she inspires me. I desire to get things done to move the mountains. I have seen Melissa move a few.