smart girl's guide issue no. 11

issue no. 11march 2013

Happy March, Smart Girls!

As I write this little note, I am on my way back to New York City from Notre Dame, In-diana, where I spent a week meeting with Smart Girls from both Saint Mary’s College and the University of Notre Dame. These two schools host a joint week called “Love Your Body Week,” where they hold events that serve to promote confidence, good body image, and women empowerment. I was invited to be a keynote speaker on women empower-ment, called “Finding Your Smart Girl.”

The funny thing was, while I spoke about the five steps to finding your Smart Girl, I felt like I was finding a piece my own. It is easy to say we know who we are as Smart Girls, but what I have learned is that I’m figuring it out every day. I visited Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s in February last year for vastly different reasons. One year later, I would have never guessed that I would be invited there to speak, especially considering I am a freshman in college. The experience taught me that we really don’t know everything we are capable of as Smart Girls. However, the girls in charge of Love Your Body Week saw something that I did not.

We are all part of this growing sisterhood for Smart Girls, so take time this month to tell your sisters what you see in them. When speaking, I told the girls in the room that as Smart Girls, we are all capable of being influential leaders in this world. Sometimes though, we need a little push to go beyond the barriors we subconciously put in our lives. I never thought that I put up barriors, until I noticed that I categorized my lecture potential under not possible at the time just because of my age. Help your Smart Girl sisters see all that they are capable of this month.

Let’s think of this spring cleaning as a cleaning out of all the barriors. When all of those barriors are gone, it is then that we will truly find our Smart Girl.

I am pleased to introduce you to Issue No. 11. I hope it makes you smile.

Be smart share smarts,

EmilySmart Starter

A Note from Your Smart Girl Sister, Emily Raleigh

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Sophie RaleighNew Jersey

Amber AusleyUniversity of Alabama

Dorothy WaltonAlabama

Royar LoflinVirginia

Maggie ChaquetteRhode Island

Gabbi OppenheimerIllinois

Hannah O’BoylePennsylvania

Monica MurphySaint Mary’s College

Tori WilbrahamSaint Mary’s College

Megan BeckerMichigan State University

Annie PhelpsRhode Island

Emily RaleighFordham University

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Megan Rogers-ReilleyIllinois

Mimi WarnickPennsylvania

the guide girls

Maureen KeatingUniversity of Notre Dame

Ava GagliardiFordham Univer-

Abigail SloneOhio

Julia MattoxFlorida

Eleanor HarteUMass Amherst

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Stephanie PlucinskyFlorida State University

Are you interested

in joining this team of

Smart Girls? Are you a graphic designer

or a photographer? Send us an email at

[email protected]

**please include a sample of your fabulous work!

Are you a writer and want to share your smarts?Send us an email at

[email protected]

Have an idea for something SGG could do?

Send Annie an emailanniephelps@

thesmartgirlsgroup.com

Sarah Gould LongUniversity of Alabama

Nikki LakinFashion Institute of Technol-

Kendall CiesemeirGeorgetown University

Quincy BulinTexas

7 smart girl’s guide

Maureenmeet

We all know someone who is undeniably going to make a big change in the world. Well, our cover girl, Maureen, definitely falls under that category. As a proud member of the Notre Dame community, she welcomed us onto campus and showed us why she feels lucky to be part

of the Fighting Irish. As a freshman, she has already dove right into all the resources that the university has to offer. She is even spending her summer researching social anthropology in the history of the Irish heritage.

We are proud to have a Smart Girl on our cover who truly represents what it means to pursue your passions

and live the Smart Life.

MaureenAge 18 (19 on March 5th!)School University of Notre DameMajor Marketing & AnthropologyFavorite thing about Notre Dame?The “Notre Dame Family”. Attend-ing Notre Dame connects you to an amazing and unparalleled in-ternational community of people with some relation to the school (student, faculty, alumni, family of alumni, or even fans of the football team). No matter how different the members may be, they are all con-nected by a common love for No-tre Dame. The Notre Dame Family is a great personal, spiritual, and professional support group and I know that for the rest of my life there will be thousands of people who are rooting for me and want me to succeed. I think that’s truly special and unique!Favorite class?Beginning Irish Language. Notre Dame is one of the only schools in the country that offers Irish lan-guage courses so I figured it would be a good opportunity to learn about my heritage. The language is unlike anything I’ve seen seen or

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heard before and I feel challengedin each class. I’m also learning so many interesting facts about Irish culture--past and present--and hope to study the language in Ire-land sometime in the future.Favorite travel destination?Long Beach Island, NJ. I’ve been going to LBI every summer since birth and it is truly the place where I feel most comfortable and relaxed. There is nothing more peaceful than reading a book or napping at the beach! Hidden talent?I’m AMAZING at hailing cabs in New York City.Fun fact?In the second grade, I decided I wanted to rebuild the Titanic and assigned each kid in my class a spe-cific job in the building process.What is your dream job?I’m still trying to decide what I want to be--I change my mind at least once a week. Not matter what I choose to do, I want to be in an environment that challenges me with something new everyday and actively supports continual learn-ing and development.

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Who is your Smart Girl role model?Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. Watching her TED talk about the lack of female leaders really changed my perspective on the importance of wom-en supporting other women and taught me how important it is to make sure that my voice is heard. She is also a real-life superwoman: she is absolutely brilliant, an executive at one of the largest companies in the world, an in-volved mother and wife, and an inspiration to women everywhere. She is definitely my professional and personal role model.What defines a Smart Girl in your eyes?A Smart Girl is someone who is confident, motivated, and passionate. She recognizes and capitalizes on her strengths while embracing her weaknesses and working to improve on them. She is always looking to learn new and ex-citing things, whether it be a new subject in school or simply about the peo-ple around her. Lastly, a Smart Girl is passionate about making a difference, no matter how big or small, in the lives of those around her.

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Happy March! Spring is almost upon us, which means lots of functions–from spring for-mals and semi-formals to school receptions–that require a more formal dress. If your schedule is packed with these events, I know as well as you do that there’s no reason to buy a brand new dress each time, especially for the smaller func-tions. A packed social calendar should never equal an empty wallet. It’s simply not necessary, because there are so many other options. If you have a classic, simple dress–an LBD works especially well–there are countless ways to reinvent your look. Changing up your jewelry, from your earrings to your necklace to your bracelets is a surefire way to bring new life to a favorite dress. Hairstyle is also a huge thing to consider. If you wore your hair down and curled once before, try a sleek and sophisticated ponytail. The last thing to consider here is your shoes. We all have that favorite pair of nude pumps that we fall back on, but what about a red shoe? Or a turquoise? The little details are what take an LBD from a dress to a look, and they’re so much fun to play with! Another great idea for dresses is to bor-row from a friend. At my school, this is a hugely popular method, and it’s a common occurrence to see girls wearing their besties’ past dresses left and right. For this year’s Turnabout dance at my school, my first instinct was to borrow a dress from a friend. Take some time to look through your friends Facebook photos from past events. If any of the dresses particularly jump out to

you, don’t be afraid to ask for a loan. One of the best compliments you can pay a girl is to compliment her sense of style. Asking to borrow a dress says you have a ton of respect for and confidence in her style. After all, you’re basical-ly putting your look for the next event in her hands! Just like for your own favorite dress, you can use her dress as a base and design a com-pletely different look around it. In the end, it’s the little details that make a huge difference with your formal look. In my experience, I’ve had the most fun with taking one of my old dresses and spinning it a new way with my hair, shoes, and jewelry. Creativity is key, but trust your instincts. Even though it’s a “new” look, it should still feel like you.

How to Reinvent aFormal Dress

Again and Again

by Gabbi Oppenheimerdesign by Abigail Slone{ }

OPEN DAILY 10-10


STORAGEWARS We have all heard the phrase spring cleaning before, but this year why not take it to the next level? Don’t just clean; get organized. Recently I felt the need to organize my whole room, and I realized that the most important aspect of an organized room is the storage space you have! While organizing my room, I found it easiest to make a check list of what needed to be organized and what needed a place. In my bathroom, I purchased new drawer orga-nizer as well as a bin for under my sink. By having small tubs where I can place everyday objects, my bathroom seems less cluttered, and it is more likely to stay that way! The same goes for your closet. Plastic drawers may just become your new best friend to safely store your purses, scarves, and anything else that may be cluttering your space. For your bedroom, I suggest finding storage in out-of-the-way places, such as under your bed or inside your desk drawer. Your room will appear as though it is more organized! One thing that I never tend to have space for is books. While I have a tiny book shelf and a shelf on my bedside table, it is never enough space! A great space saving way to arrange and organize items like books is on a hanging wall shelf. Hanging shelves are awesome because they do not take up any floor space and still allow you to display your treasures. Another creative storage container that I find myself using often is old stationary boxes. If you have ever purchased stationary from Target then you probably know that I am talking about the really thick, super cute, patterned boxes that stationary comes in. These boxes are great to use to store small odds and ends. Plus, they fit nicely inside of drawers and can act as great drawer organizers! If you are looking for a do it yourself storage container that is a little larger, take an old shoe box and cover it in fun fabric that matches your room. These act as great containers to hold and organize your larger items. I hope you find these creative storage containers useful for storing your posses-sions. I challenge you to not only clean but also organize your room if you choose to do some spring cleaning. Happy organizing!

by Dorothy Waltondesign by Eleanor Harte

STORAGEWARSAre you part of the SGG sister chat group? Join in and connect

with your Smart Girl sisters!

For more info, write on The Smart Girls Group Facebook

wall or Facebook message us and we will get you set up!

by Mimi Warnickdesign by Julia Mattox

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Happy March, Smart Girls! This past February I went for a two-week adventure to San

Francisco, California. The school I attend, Country Day School of the Sacred Heart is apart of a national and international network of Sacred Heart schools. Each school allows and encourages their students to take part in the exchange program. I took full advantage of the exchange experience, and went to Convent of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco. It was amazing there! I loved my host families, and all the people I met. The students were just like the west coast versions of my friends. It was really cool to see the Sacred Heart tradition carry through into another school. I sadly missed out on Nemo, the winter super storm in the east, but the 70-degree west coast weather made up for it . I really enjoyed the city and the surrounding suburbs of Marin. I hope to go back soon and encourage all of you to check out the northern California scene. However, my reason in sharing

with all of you my experience is because I truly experienced a global sisterhood. I have een apart of my school sisterhood for sometime now, but I truly understood after my trip how lucky I am to be apart of such a network of wonderful young women. Seeing how strong the Sacred Heart network is, I inspire all of us to continue to make SGG a global network. So many of us here at SGG have such aspiring goals and are confident young women. Most people around us look to us as leaders. We each want to achieve the goal of having every girl and young women to have a voice and be successful. I ask for all of you for a springtime goal to truly spread the SGG message. Introduce SGG to three new people who do not know about it. Tell them to check out this month’s guide, or read a loop post. Continue to repost or retweet whenever SGG posts on social media. If we as a community support and spread our message, we will inspire other girls to become apart of our growing community. SGG is and can be a global sisterhood. I hope you all have a fabulous month of hopefully putting away the snow gear, spreading some Irish cheer, and enjoying the start of Spring!


The College Columnby Emily Raleigh

Freshmen Smart Girls, Happy March! This month is all about plan-ning. Yes, there’s a lot of plan-

ning involved in The College Column, but it is essential to success in high school! The focus this time is on your 4 Year Plan. Don’t worry, this isn’t an agen-da that needs to be set in stone; rather, it serves to give you something to work to-wards. By having goals in place, you have motivation to accomplish daily tasks that may seem tedious. Your 4 Year Plan is centered around what you would like to have accomplished when you graduate from high school. The reason we are doing this now is because by this time, you know what is expected of you in school, you may have an idea where you fit, and hopefully, you have found a few activities that interest you. So here’s what you do! First make a list of what you would like to do/accom-plish before you graduate. When I made this list my freshman year, some of my goals included graduating with a specific GPA and class rank, becoming captain of the sailing team, and being elected Presi-dent of the National Honor Society. Your goals can be anything! However, I suggest

making them goals that only you can con-trol. For example, don’t have on the list to get a boyfriend or find your best friend. Unfortunately, that sort of thing involves other people. Depending on others like that will only bog you down and serve as a distraction from your other goals. Once you have your list of goals, separate each of them out onto their own sheet of paper. Then, under each goal, list everything that you can do to ensure that when you graduate, that said goal is accomplished. Really get down into the nitty gritty details. The more detailed you are, the better plan of action you have moving forward. From there, I suggest making a time line, where you can see what you can ac-complish this year and then break it down from there into monthly, weekly, and even daily tasks. This will keep you con-stantly working towards your goals. Plus, when you know that you are climbing the ladder to your goals, it motivates you to keep going. I wish you the best of luck! If you have any questions on your 4 Year Plan, you can always email me at [email protected].

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Sophomore Smart Girls, welcome to March! I hope your month is getting off to a great start.

This month, you are going to make your first ever college list! This may seem a bit early, but it really is important to get a head start because take it from someone who already experienced it, I wish I looked at more college options sooner. Last month, you looked at your pref-erences to see what type of environment you were looking for in a college. Well now, we are going to take that one step farther and begin researching schools that fall under those categories. The best way to do college searches is through CollegeBoard.com. They have a great filter system through their college search page on their website that will show you all of the colleges that fall under your preferences. From there, check out their websites and spend some time learning about them. While doing this, I suggest having a notebook in front of you. Write down each college’s name as you research them and from there, take notes on their loca-tion, tuition, academics, what makes them unique, etc. Try to find a system that works for you. When I did this, I wrote down location, major options, study abroad op-portunities, if they had a sailing team (I was a sailor so it was something that mat-tered to me), their tuition, and their merit scholarship opportunities, just to name a few. I warn you that this may take some

time, but seriously it is worth it. We all have spring break coming up, so use a lit-tle bit of that time to research colleges. Once you have researched the schools, make a tentative list of about 30 schools that you would like to look more into, whether that be a visit or talking to an admissions representative from the col-lege. This is only a tentative list, so more schools can be added and schools can be erased. The purpose of this is to get you thinking about where you would like to apply. The time goes quickly and fully re-searching schools can be challenging, so please start now. Trust me, Smart Girls, you’ll thank me later.

Junior ladies, hope you are doing well! This month will be very similar to the sophomore ladies’ task, but a

little more advanced, since you are far-ther along your way in the college process. You are getting close to the time when you apply to college, so use March to make a more refined college list. This may involve some research. My suggestion is for each school that you are looking into, really search around their website, set up a phone or in-person meet-ing with an admissions representative from each school (the actual meeting does not have to occur this month), and try to contact a student at the school. Usually, you can ask your high school guidance of-fice for a list of students who are attending the said university. If not, contact Annie from SGG. She has the running list of all


of the Smart Girls in the community and would be happy to see if she can get you their contact information (after asking their permission, of course). Her email is [email protected]. The bottom line is use every possible method you have access to so that you can ensure you have a strong list of colleges where you would like to apply. Take my word for this because I had some schools on my list that should not have been there and there are some that maybe I should have applied to. Take the time now! :)

Senior Smart Girls, happy March!I’m sure many of you are going to be hearing of your application sta-tus this month, so I wish you the

best of luck. Remember, a school should never choose you; you should choose the school. They are lucky to have you there! This month, I suggest just taking time to start making an educated decision on your college choices. Look into scholar-ships, various forms of financial aid, and where you would like to go next year. I suggest making a ranking system of which school is #1 on your list and so on. Some say that doing that makes you up-set if you end up going to the school that was #8 on your list. However, you should never apply to a school that you wouldn’t 100% want to go to anyway. If you do have schools like that on your list, take them off

your list NOW! Whatever you decide, use this month to start making some big decisions. I had my heart set on one place and did not hear until April 10th (I live on an island and our mail is terribly slow). I ended up not getting the greatest news and had only 20 days to make a decision on where I would go. Don’t do that! Start now and you won’t have nearly half of the stress that I had. I wish you the best of luck and hope that wherever you go, you find that it is the perfect place for you.

Well Smart Girls, this is the last article of the year long college column. While the column is ending, continue to use the past issues as a reference for which task you should be accomplishing each month for the rest of your high school life. I know that as Smart Girls, you can accomplish anything in high school. If you ever have questions, don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected]. I thoroughly enjoy helping Smart Girls with this process! Happy March!


Want to bring The Smart Girls Group

to your high school or college campus? Start a SGG chapter

today! Contact Megan at [email protected]

for more details!

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37 - the smart girl is...healthy

Creating Your Own

Meal Plan

Creating your own meal plan is a way to keep clean eating in check and make sure you are getting proper nutrition and calories everyday. Start off by just creating a sample day, consisting of breakfast, lunch, and din-ner, as well as some snacks. If you find that you prefer eating more

small meals and that works for you and your schedule, feel free to do that. Since you are making your own meal plan you can cater to your own needs. The new food pyramid, “my plate” shows how you should construct your plate at each meal. For example, you should have fruits, veggies, grains, dairy, and protein. Obviously if you don’t have food from every single category at every meal, it’s ok. The idea is to aim for this well balanced plate. When you are creating your meal plan, keep the plate in mind. Also keep in mind your activity levels for that day. Will you be lounging around at home, out hiking, or spending the day at the beach? The more activity you are doing, the more food you should eat! You have to keep in mind what types of food will

by Annie Phelpsdesign by Abigail Slone

be available to you, and whether you have to plan ahead and pack food or not. You can prep meals in advance when you make your meal plan. You get the idea! Obviously, this is very vague, but it is a start. You should vary the types of food you get every day, and obviously sneak in a little treat whenever you deem necessary. Making a meal plan for an extended period of time may seem over-whelming, so just take it by the week. Set aside some time on a Sunday and plan out your meals for the week in a notebook. You will find yourself much more organized and it will be so much easier to stay on track with your eating!

~Sample Day~Breakfast: omelet (2 eggs, milk, choice of veggies), a piece of toast, a piece of fruit, glass of water

Snack: veggies, crackers, hummus

Lunch: salad (lettuce, fruits, veggies, nuts, light dressing), yogurt, glass of

water Snack: fruit

Dinner: fish, rice, veggies, sweet potato


by HannaH O’bOyle

It’s that time of year again! The time of office brackets and screaming at the TV.... it’s March Madness!! For those of you who don’t quite know what March Madness is, hopefully this article will help you get a better understanding of what it is all about.

First of all, March Madness is the biggest college basketball tournament of the year, full of the 68 best teams in the country. It spans from March 19th to April 8th. This tournament deter-mines which team has the champion title in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and it is a single-elimination competition. The teams and the first couple rounds are broken up into regions (Midwest, West, South, East, or other generic regional names). March Madness is basically equivalent to the Bowl games for college football in that it has crazy college fans, tons of face and body paint, and the opportunity to bet against your friends. Even if you aren’t interested in college basketball, it’s still fun to participate in a bracket with your friends, family, or coworkers. It’s a lot of fun to watch the games and root for the teams you have picked! But perhaps the best feeling is winning the bracket and showing those boys who’s boss! I realize that some of you may not know what a bracket is. In that case, I am sorry and the last few sentences must have been confusing. The picture on page 41 is an example of a March Madness bracket. It may look confusing, but essentially all you are doing is predicting the winning teams for each round and continuing that until the whole bracket is filled out. There are people who spend hours researching what teams to choose and reading up on professional opinion. As for me, I find the best way (or the most fun way) to fill out my bracket is to randomly pick the winner or do it for a shallow reason, like picking the winning team because their uniform is cooler! This has never worked out in my favor, but it is fun and gets me excited about watching the games. Hopefully, you have a better understanding of

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what March Madness is and will fill out a bracket of your own and see what all the hype is about! Finally, some rounds have special names that you may want to keep in mind so you sound like a Smart Girl, talking about the tourney! The round with 16 teams left is called the “Sweet Sixteen.” The winners in the Sweet Sixteen then move on to the “Elite Eight.” The Elite Eight winners then move on to the “Final Four,” and after that there is only one game left: the National Championship. If you fill out a bracket, tag @smartgirlsgroup on Twitter with a picture of your choices! Good luck!

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a smart girl of historyby Tori Wilbraham

This month’s Smart Girl of History is Christiane Amanpour. A pioneer woman in the news world, Ms. Amanpour’s influence on both national and international news re-porting has created her legacy and has allowed her to pave the way for women in the news broadcasting industry. Ms. Amanpour was raised in Iran. To further her education, her parents sent her to London to study. She studied Journalism in the United States, graduating from the University of Rhode Island. After graduation, Ms. Amanpour started working for CNN in an entry-level position. Like many other people entering a new job, she knew that in order to make it to the top in the world of broadcasting, you must start at the bottom. In 1990, Ms. Amanpour became an international correspondent by working her way up. Through her dedication and tireless effort, she was able to show the world that you are able to achieve anything with hard work and determination. Ms. Amanpour had been very active and embedded while reporting stories about the Persian Gulf War, the Bosnian war, and other conflicts around the world. In large part due to these major news stories, Ms. Amanpour quickly became a popular and well-known broadcaster. In 2009, Ms. Amanpour received her own daily program, Amanpour. Here she would interview various world leaders. Her role on this program allowed her to meet many major international leaders, including Iranian presidents, the president of Sudan, and the president of Afghanistan. In 2012, ABC and CNN under special agreement allowed Ms. Amanpour to have programs on both networks. A key figure in the journalism world, both competing networks agreed to keep their contracts with her, knowing how important she is to the world of broadcasting. Ms. Amanpour has also been awarded many television show awards, including an Emmy. Christiane Amanpour currently lives in New York and continues to work for both CNN and ABC. This special lady has a bright future ahead of her with many more important interviews and world shaping events. From someone who started at an entry level position to becoming a top news anchor, Ms. Amanpour’s story should shows Smart Girls that through hard work and dedication, we too can achieve our goals.

ChristianeAmanpour

College Spotlight

Fashion Institute of Technology

by Nikki Lakindesign by Emily Raleigh

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At one point in time, the American Dream was to settle down in the spread-out suburbs and a cozy split-level home. To bake cookies with your family and play Mo-nopoly in the living room. To have a white picket fence around your house and even a rose garden next to your front door.

Today, the American Dream has modified a bit and picked up pace. Where I go to school, the girls are multitaskers and big dreamers. It’s not just New York City, it’s the Fashion Institute.

Academics The 10,000 of us here, girls and guys, are all here for a reason. We’ve dreamed of being fashion designers, stylists, graphic artists, entrepreneurs, and even journalists for most of our lives. The programs are heavily focused on creativity and business, and even though we’re all learning about things that we enjoy and find interesting, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. Depending on the program you’re in, you could be enrolled in between six to ten classes in a semester. It’s more common for students in the School of Art & Design to be taking about 10 classes. It’s a mix of core classes for your major and liberal arts classes, which are required as FIT is a State University of New York. (We even have to take physical education classes!) The unique thing about the classes is that most of them are three hours long, but only meet once a week. Classes are also relatively small; you’ll never have more than 27 students in a class. Yes, 27. You get up-close and personal with your professors in traditional classes that are mostly centered around in-class discussions and post-class readings. Design classes tend to have more time to talk with other students because their classes are kind of like labs. Those students work around big tables while design-ing, cutting, and sewing. It’s like a big bonding experience while also learning at the same time.

Student life Although there are 10,000 students flocking on and off our block of a campus on 27th street, consisting of dormers and commuters, FIT is reminiscent of a small country town: you know everyone. You tend to see the same people every day, especially if you’re a first-year or freshman student living in the dorms. For my class, we all friend requested each other on Facebook after joining student-made “FIT Class of 2016” groups, but that’s how we all started talking to each other – and recognizing each other on the street. And the constant recognition and virtual conversation turned a lot of us into acquaintances and brought on friendships! Another great way to meet people and make new friends is to become active in student life and clubs. Clubs at FIT range from random and fun interests to completely career-focused. Our student government, FITSA, oversees all the clubs and officers and student ambassadors from FITSA are seen all over the school. Our newspaper, W27, is recognized as being the only college newspaper to publish all of its photos in full color. The Merchandising Society, another really active and popular club, runs the FIT’s Style Shop, which sells student-made clothes and accessories (they also have the GREATEST bake sales!). Living in the greatest city on Earth (we’re biased) is a lot of fun, but it can be difficult to filter out what to do when there is free time in our busy and fast-paced


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schedules. A quick solution to fill time gaps is to hit the gym. It’s fashion school and we all want to look good. If you walk into our fitness center, all of the cardio machines – treadmills, ellipticals, stairmasters – are flooded! And everyone there is really healthy, too, which is a great motivator. What everyone also does is wear bright and colorful activewear while they’re working out. Yes, it’s mandatory to be stylish while sweating our butts off!

city life What students rave about forever but only get to experience twice a year is New York Fash-ion Week. After classes when the sun goes down, the heels go on and everyone flocks to Lincoln Center to see if they can catch a glimpse of celebrities and their favorite fashion designers. The main goal is to get into a fash-ion show at all. The trick? They wear all black, act like they’re someone important, and ask if there’s extra standing room for the show. If they get in, you’ll know because your Instagram feed will be drowning in sneaked pictures! The one thing, though, that’s the most important for FIT students to fill up their extra time is what will help them get ahead of their peers: Interning. It’s what everyone talks about: Are you going to intern this spring? What specialization are you thinking about? Have you interned before? For us, the more internships, the easier it is to finally land our dream job and be a few steps in front of everyone else. I’ve dreamed about being a career woman forever. My focus is to work in entertainment, and studying communications in New York City makes this accessible for me. There may not be any football, Greek life, or multi-acre campus, but there really is no place to go to school like FIT.

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49- smart girl spotlight

SmarTGirl Spotlight: kendall ciesemier

interview by Gabbi Oppenheimer

Our Smart Girl Spotlights of the month have ranged from athletes

to entrepreneurs to traveling scholars, but one thing remains the same with all of them: passion. Passion could not say enough about this Smart Girl. We are honored to have Kendall Ciesemier’s inspiring story in the Guide this month. This sophomore at Georgetown University does it all, but all in the name of others, and when y o u p a i r t h a t w i t h h e r i n c r e d ible inner strength and

sincere humility, there is no denying that she is a true

Smart Girl.

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What was it about Africa that piqued your interest?I’m not sure that there was anything specific that captured my heart about Africa. It was more that I had seen a show that was highlighting extreme poverty and the lives of AIDS orphans and I was captured by the enormous discrepancy between my life and their’s and I was so angry that we as fellow human beings could just sit back and watch what was happening without doing anything. I felt like I had won the birth lottery and, because of that, I had a responsibility to do something to help. What was your first step in giving aid to children in Africa?My first step, in response to the 2004 Oprah Special that I watched that night, highlighting the lives of African AIDS orphans, was to sponsor one little girl from Mauritania through World Vision. Her name was Benite and she was 8-years-old and with $360 of my saved up birthday and Christmas money, I sent her to school for the first time and provided her with healthcare and food.How has that first step evolved into Kids Caring 4 Kids?A couple months after I had begun to sponsor Benite, I received a letter from her. She wrote how she was in school for the first time learning how to read, add, and write. I was in awe of the change that I had made in her life and I thought that with a little help, I could do so much more. That summer, as I underwent two liver transplants, I asked that in lieu of gifts, friends

51 - smart girl spotlight

and family donate money to help more children like Benite. With their generosity I sponsored the vil-lage of Musele, Zam-bia. By the end of the summer, I had raised over $15,000, as kids from across the coun-try, hearing of my effort, started their own fundraisers. As a result of this snow-ball effect, I decided to officially organize my effort, calling it “Kids

Caring 4 Kids”, and in January of 2005, Kids Caring 4 Kids (KC4K) became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Tell us about the mission of Kids Caring 4 Kids.Kids Caring 4 Kids is an international non-profit that works to provide opportunities for young people to help provide basic human needs: food, water, shelter, healthcare, and education, to kids in sub-Saharan Africa, especially those affected by AIDS.

How do you choose who receives aid? Is there a specific area that is targeted?We accept grant proposals and have grant criteria that we follow when choosing which projects and on-the-ground organizations to support. We work with organizations that are helping provide basic human needs to kids in sub-Saharan Africa. We look for projects that are sustainable in their impact and organizations that have successful track records.


How has the organization grown and developed since its inception?Ki d s C ar i ng 4 Ki d s h a s g row nt re m e n dously since its beginning days. We have grown to involve over 8,000 kids across the country in helping over 8,000 Africans abroad. I started as one girl who wanted to help another little girl and now we’ve helped thousands. That’s incredible to me. I never knew that was possible. It’s amazing how many lives you change when you just say “yes I will help.”What enabled you to expand Kids Caring 4 Kids?I have to say that the “Oprah effect” did greatly affect Kids Caring 4 Kids. After having the opportunity to share my story on the Oprah Show in 2007, Kids Caring 4 Kids really took off. We like to say that the organization’s transition was like a teenager growing 5 inches in one night. Literally overnight we were receiving emails from all over the world.Where do you see Kids Caring 4 Kids going in the future? Will you be expanding your programs and adding new ones or sticking to what has proven most helpful?I’m always hesitant to comment on the future of Kids Caring 4 Kids because of the fact that I would have never imagined the last eight years of Kids Caring 4 Kids so I really don’t think that I can predict the next year. I can say that this year we are working to build a high school for the students of the Lifesong primary school in Kitwe, Zambia.What opportunities have become available to you through your charitable work?I have had the opportunity to meet some really incredible people through Kids Caring 4 Kids. How can someone get involved in Kids Caring 4 Kids?Anyone who is interested in Kids Caring 4 Kids can get involved by visiting to our website


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(kidscaring4kids.org) or emailing me at [email protected]. We love student groups to get involved in any kind of fundraiser that appeals to them, be it holding a dance marathon at their high school or holding a bake sale.Do you have any advice for girls who are interested in beginning their philanthropy efforts?Follow your heart. Follow the love and make sure that it what is driving your work, nothing else. Also, find organizations out there that can help you do incredible things. There are so many people trying to help young people contribute so take advantage of that opportunity! Find how you can use your strengths and talents to meet the world’s greatest needs because that is where great change will happen.


Hello from...

by Stephanie Plucinsky

55 - hello from home

Let me start off by saying this, working for Disney World has been one of the best experiences of my life and I’ve only been

here for about two months now.

Okay, let me rewind. September 9 is the day I made the greatest decision of my life: applying for the Walt Disney World College Program. September 21 was the day I found out I was accepted. The rest was history. Let me tell you a little about this program. Walt Disney World decided it would be a great idea to start a program for college students where they could network and build their resume. It all starts by simply applying. Shortly af-ter you reply, you are asked to do a Web Based Interview and if you pass that, you are asked to schedule a phone interview, aka the most nerve-wrecking part of the whole process. My phone interview was about twenty-five minutes long and I was asked about my top three role choices. I was then asked a lot of questions about my past work experience and they tried to see where they could place me. Before I knew it, I was accepted into the Full Service Food and Beverage Internship. I work in the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. As some as you may know, it is a buffet style restaurant but also with Winnie the Pooh Characters! It is also the busiest restaurant in Disney World. There is never a dull moment working there, and the people I work with are one of a kind. They make this experience meaningful. I cannot express to you the gratitude I


have for them. Some of my favorite people are from all over the world like Brazil or Morocco. Not only that, I get to create what they call ‘magical moments’ for our special guests. Nothing warms my heart more than getting a surprise hug from the little girl I just tried to make so happy. It’s such a great moment when you know that the look on a families face is all because of you. Whether it is because you let them sit inside when we are fully booked or because I replaced a lost item, it’s truly magical. I love my work location. Yes, it’s overwhelming at times, but it’s tremendously special to me. The rooming situation at Disney is also another awesome experience. I was lucky enough to find the three most perfect girls to live with for seven

months. Their names are Jenina, Connar and Krista. Without them, my program would not be as enjoyable as it is right now. Disney gives us four options for apartments to live in. They are called Chatham Square, Patterson Court, Vista Way and The Commons. My roommates and I decided Chatham would be the best fit for us. It’s beautiful here. I share a room with one other girl so it is like a dorm. However, we are given a living room as well as a kitchen. It’s been the most enjoyable living situation I’ve had since I’ve been in college. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without my friends here. Disney takes the rent for the ap ar t m e nt out o f you r

we e k ly p aycheck so you don’t have to worry about anything. It’s actually a lot cheaper here than the majority of places I’ve heard about in Orlando. And to tell you the truth, I still have money left over for not only food but for every girls favorite past time, shopping. Disney also offers classes to those willing to take them. Everything from marketing, to engineering, to entertainment classes are offered. There’s something for everyone. The majority of colleges offer credit for these classes as well. Unfortunately my school doesn’t give me credit for them but I still decided to take the most of this experience and take a class called Disney Heritage. At some point in the weekly class I will get to go to Hollywood Studios for a scavenger hunt! It’s definitely

“Nothing warms my heart more than getting a surprise hug from a little girl.”

57 - hello from home


of it you do the program. So let’s talk about the perks. First off, did I mention the FREE park admission? Whenever you’re not working, you’re allowed to go to whatever park you want as much as you want! My days off are practically mini vacations. I will start my day at the Disney water park (Typhoon Lagoon) and end up in Epcot for dinner. Not only that, I get a limited amount of free tickets for my families and friends. It truly does not get better than that. Plus, I can’t forget to mention the discounts on the merchandise, food, and hotels. It is not all fun and games, though. I work around thirty to forty hours a week, while being a part time student. However, it is very possible and entirely rewarding. Working with Disney has been one amazing ride so far. I create magic for over 1500 guests at my restaurant every single day. It’s overwhelming. It’s stressful. And it’s a lot of hours. When it comes down to it though, it’s worth every hour of my time. There are so many opportunities with this program that I get to be involved in. I’ve met some of the most amazing people that I know I will be able to call my best friends throughout my life. Ultimately, I did this program because I want to work for Disney in the future. Ninety percent of Disney’s top employees started with the Disney College Program and I plan to head that way soon.

59- the smart girl’s reading club

We are about to introduce a section called, “Letter to the Smart

Starter,” but we need your help! Send in your reviews and comments (likes or dislikes!) on any column in Smart Girl’s Guide and your review will be part of the section! Add your

name or Twitter handle or be anonymous! Send your review to

[email protected].

Coming Soon!

by Sophie Raleigh

Dear Smart Girlby Monica Murphy

How are you using the power of your voice? Being a woman in today’s worldcan be challenging. In some ways, our dignity and worth is degraded in society. I want to challenge you to use the power of your voice and to fearlessly let your life speak. It takes courage to stand up. I am constantly reminded of the courage that Rosa Parks had, and because of her courage, she remains a heroic icon. If it were not for her courage, our world would be different today. Think about it. In order to bring true justice to this world, us women must stand strong in the moments of controversy and we must fight for equality.

But let’s not forget what we can do in our day-to-day lives. We can start by using our voices to impact those who cross our paths. Just four weeks ago, my dad and I were on a road trip and we stopped to see my Uncle Ron in the nursing home. He had a stroke last summer and grows weaker every day. When we arrived, he was completely surprised and cried when my dad told him stories from his childhood. My Uncle Ron, with all of his strength, held on to my dad. My uncle lived a challenging life because of the choices that his children made. I knew that in this moment of being with my uncle, I could impact, encourage, and show radical love. I bent down and said, “You know Uncle Ron, you have really accomplished a lot in your life and you should be proud of your strength, humility, and dedication to the many people that you have served.”

In that moment, nothing but hard tears came down my uncle’s face. I wanted him to know that he was valued, important, and appreciated. I wanted him to know that in all the brokenness and unfair challenges that he had faced with his children, that he still was designed for a purpose—his life mattered.

I share this story because I truly believe that the greatest impact that you can havein this life is through the words that you speak and how you say it. If you are like me, you have many opinions. You are eager to change the world. You are destined to make your leadership known and nothing will stop you. Never doubt that your voice can make a difference in someone’s life—this ripple effect will change the world.

Much love to you beautiful, Smart Girls,

Monica Murphy

63- dear smart girl

Goals for the MonthWell ladies, it is that time of the month again! Time to set some goals. In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, we hope you are blessed with luck this month, but when in doubt, create some luck for

yourself.I am smart. This year, I will share my smarts with ____________

by doing ____________.

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I will remember how lucky I am for ____________.

As spring begins to show it’s light, I will start spring cleaning by clearing my mind of all barriors that I myself have established solely out of fear. The

barriors in my life include ____________.

Smart Girls present themselves as Smart Girls in how they dress and in how they behave. I will present myself like a Smart Girl this month by

____________.

I am a part of the Smart Girl sisterhood. This month, I will show my SGG sisters some sisterly love by ____________.

I know that in order to succeed, I must work hard, but sometimes that can be a challenge when others do not agree with my strong work ethic. In order to keep my eyes on the prize, I will motivate myself by ____________ this

month and forget about ____________ this month.

Healthy choices are crucial to living the Smart Life. This month, I will create my health plan like Annie says so I can reach my health goal of

____________ this month.

Smart Girls don’t alway see just how much they are cabable of achieving. This month, I will help ____________ see how much potential she holds.

Smarts Girls look towards the future and sees what she can do now. In the future I want to ____________ so this month, I will ____________.

Upload a picture of your Goals of the Year to Instagram and tag @smartgirlsgroup! Your picture will be in our next magazine!


Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!Issue No. 11 was one of our most motivating issues thus

far. With stories taking us from Disney World to Africa, it is clear that we are cultivating a community of truly inspiring Smart Girls. This would not be possible,

though, without a few special people.Maureen Keating, for being the most easy going cover girl yet. We loved working with you on this issue and exploring the wonderful Notre Dame campus. Thank you for being a true Smart Girl in all that you do. Stephanie Plucinsky, for giving us a taste of the world of Disney. You are motivating all of us to pursue our dreams, wherever they may take us.Kendall Ceisemeir, for not only inspiring us, but leaving us in awe of your work. Your story is a true testimate to Smart Girls everywhere that even in the worst of times, we can look to change the world. We know this is only the start of your amazing journey.Wendy James, for always being the Smart Girl big sister and giving us advice on all things in the socially good business world. Nikki Lakin, for being our eyes into FIT. Thank you for showing us around your fabulous world! All of the Smart Girls within The Smart Girls Group, for continuing to support and contribute to the entire community, whether it is on our chat group or through sharing your smarts. We are all so lucky to have each other.Finally, thank you to all of the Smart Story Spreaders. You are connecting the Smart Girls of the world and for that, we are all forever grateful. You are helping create a sisterhood of future leaders who will have a positive

impact on this world. Thank you so much.

We wish you all a Happy St. Patrick’s Day and hope you have a month filled with lots of luck!

Be Smart. Share Smarts.

“No one gets to the top if they sit on the sidelines or if they don’t believe inthemselves.”

-Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook

smart girl's guide issue no. 11

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