It seems that all young girls idolize someone. They look to someone to emulate. Unfortunatley, in American culture it appears to be the fantastical, self-serving female pop star or reckless young celebrity.
What a happy day it was for me recently when my 8-year-old daughter met a real role model named Tulsi Gabbard, who is a Democrat running for U.S. Congress here in Hawai‘i. My daughter was immediately captivated by her warmth and intelligence. After learning about all the things that Tulsi has already accomplished in her life to help people, like serving her country in the Middle East twice and fighting for GMO labeling, my daughter now thinks Tulsi is the coolest woman she’s ever met. And she’s “very pretty too,” my daughter adds.
I am so grateful to know my daughter has Tulsi to look up to. Tulsi possesses all the qualities of a role model that I would want to see cultivated in my own daughter. In Tulsi you find a person who has already lived a full life of service and leadership to her community and her country. She is beauty and brains. She is a compassionate leader and environmental activist. She is a warrior and hero, not only in my daughter’s eyes but mine too. She is someone who I trust to fight for us in Congress. She’s got our vote. And lucky for all of us, my daughter wants to be just like her when she grows up.
Jennifer Henderson, Hanalei