by Lara Piu

With the help of Lara from GoodGossipgirl.com (that’s me!), Girls By Design’s Kristin and Kendra recently asked teens across the globe to tell us why they’re awesome. Sure ‘nuf, you sent tons of great stories. We read each and every one and choose to hand the first Girls By Design Awesome Teen award to a girl who’s figured out in sixteen years what takes most of us a lifetime.

Meet Jayda
Jayda Simmons is generally not into promoting herself, but she happens to think she’s pretty amazing–and we agree. She is confident in her own skin, a simple, but profound feat for a sixteen year old, or anyone living in a world of confusing and contradictory images.  “It’s normal for girls my age to struggle with finding out who they really are, but I am confident within myself to do things that many others would not,” says Jayda.

Keepin’ it clean
Jayda’s go-get ‘em character sprouted at an early age. A self-proclaimed hippie, she’s passionate about animals and nature. In the third grade, she created a Spring Clean-up Day campaign at her school, which has been going strong ever since. “It’s not building houses in New Orleans or working in a soup kitchen. But it has helped me understand and appreciate the world we live in,” says Jayda. She’s been doin’ her thing ever since. Lately, she’s been expressing her passion through drama and photography, and recently, she won a photo contest.

When the going got rough
But don’t hate her because she’s confident. Her sense-of-self comes from hard work. “I’ve overcome a lot of personal obstacles. My family is a little insane, and I know that I’m not alone. And where I live, everyone is always trying to be perfect; that includes me sometimes,” admits Jayda.
Challenges lead her to what she wants: Happiness and integrity. Jayda wrote, “Being happy and staying true to you can sometimes conflict. I am a strong believer in fighting conformity and helping girls stand up for their selves.”

Jaya Simmons lives in Columbia, Maryland where she attends Hammond High School (http://www.hammondhs.org).

You are Awesome Too
Girls between the ages of 13-19 living anywhere in the world are invited to explain in 300-500 words why they are awesome. One entry that best supports the values of Girls By Design, will be chosen. Those values are: Compassion, honesty, integrity, kindness, and mindfulness.

Entries with photos or attachments will be deleted. The submission deadline is Monday, June 15 at Midnight, CST to news@goodgossipgirl.com.

About Lara

GoodGossipgirl, Lara Piu is all about good things celebrities do and how anyone, anywhere can Live the Good Life too. Check her out at www.goodgossipgirl.com.
Photo of Lara Piu courtesy of Barbara Stitzer Photography, www.barbarastitzer.com