Hello*) I am 20 years old. I am currently a full-time college student with hopes of becoming a screenwriter someday. First of all, I don't feel the need to share a story telling the world how great I am. I truly believe inspiration and self-worth is simply that; found within yourself. Therefore, I am declaring I am Smart and Sexy because I am REAL. Here's proof: 1. I'll wear stripes and plaid together because I look good in my black striped shirt and I look even better in my red plaid jacket. 2. If I want Mighty Taco (or Taco Bell) at 2am, I'll eat Might Taco at 2am. 3. I'm smiling. 4. I am only overwhelmed because I have too many dreams and I can't keep up. 5. Chapstick (not really a reason, just a necessity) 6. I cut those little hairs that grow right at your scalp line, and laugh when they grow RIGHT back. 7. I played bass clarinet for 10 years and have permanent teeth indentations on the inside of my lower lip. 8. I don't shave my legs in the new year until valentines day. 9. I'm always singing. Hey people get discovered in supermarkets, right? 10. I have Michael Jackson dolls. Beauty, strength, tenacity, however you call it, comes from being who you are and no one else.

I'm single and 32, ready to meet a fabulous guy and admit I'm pretty selective. I was having dinner with a male-friend last night, asking him why he thought I still hadn't met Mr. Right. He said, "Well, you're smart, sexy, direct, and intelligent. That scares a lot of men off." I replied, "You know, you're right - there is absolutely nothing wrong with me. Too bad so many men are losing out!" That's why I feel I'm smart and sexy! Fearful men beware!

I am a 36-year-old divorced single mother of 2 teen daughters and a 9 year old son. I have juggled work and family balance my entire life since my decision to have my oldest at age 20. I married at 21 and struggled through a physically abusive marriage to a drug addict for 14 years desperately wishing for change. During the process I transformed myself. First denial, then realization...I knew I had to take a stand. My children would always be my first priority. So, I work 2 jobs to provide for them. (I have for 10 years.) A short time ago, while at work, I began having severe pain in my back and right side. I ended up in the hospital where I was told I had large tumors in my liver which were critical to my health. Now what would I do?? The illness prevented me from not only financially providing for my family, but now I also had physical limitations as well. I finally found a wonderful female surgeon who agreed to a hepatectomy to remove the right side of my liver. In the mean time, the love, patience and support of my clients and employers poured in. They raised money to help support my children during this hard time. My entire income during the 10 months of recovery was provided by them. A true blessing!!! Now, over a year later, I am giving back in every way I know how. I have walked miles for liver disease, donated time and money to various charities and agree to participate in anything I can get my hands into. I had to give back.

At one point in my life I was 5' 8" and weighed 103 lbs and was convinced I was horribly fat and that I didn't deserve love. I'm happy to say that I'm now a healthy 155 and I can put on lingerie and look at myself and see my beauty instead of my flaws. I recently met someone who thinks I'm just right the size I am now, he likes my curves and for the first time I'm not trying to convince him that he's wrong. Not only do I love who I am and how I look, but I can accept that other people in my life might also. It's a freedom that I could never find before.

I believe that I qualify as a Smart and Sexy Woman because of my incredible strength - even through adversity - and my determination to maintain my inner beauty and sexy style. My story begins long before I became a woman. I've always been a self - confident person who strives to make a name - and world - for myself. But it wasn't until my junior year of college that I realized how strong and assured I really am. While attending The Ohio State University, and unknown to the negative mixture of birth control and antibiotics, I unexpectantly became pregnant. Many of my friends and family assumed that I would drop out of college and move back home, to give birth and raise my daughter. I on the other hand, had a different idea. Although it was 3 hours from all of my friends and family, I was determined to complete my Bachelors Degree from the University that I loved and was so proud of. I delivered my daughter in Columbus Ohio in July 2003 and with the help of a wonderful, loving baby sitter that I found after months of interviewing pre-birth, I graduated from The Ohio State University in December 2004. Soon after, I transferred to Cleveland, Ohio - closer to home but still the city life that I adore. I focus on providing a loving, quality life for my child, all the while maintaining a youthful, in shape appearance and - albeit rarer than the days of old- a healthy social life. I am extremely proud of myself and my life! It has only caused me to be more assured and feel more beautiful - on the inside and out - than ever before!! I believe that I prove that facing whatever obstacle, women can overcome adversity, ending up on top, and still being as young, beautiful and confident as every woman should be and feel!!

I am a chubby girl, and because of the weight I gained I've been very insecure about myself. However, I discovered that I can be comfortable under my own skin by looking myself in the mirror with sexy underwear. I think that a girl that is comfortable under her own skin is a very smart girl. I am a smart girl because I can be naughty inside and smart all over! I want to finish college and go into the University, my major is Food Science and Economic Resources, my main goal is to have my own farm and work with organic food. In order to do that, I need to feel secure and confident. The most sexy way to feel confident is having sexy underwear under my working cloths. Personally one of the things i've said to my friends is that the key for success is sexy underwear! When you feel confident the world is yours.

I recently was accepted into medical school and will be starting on the path to becoming a doctor specializing in infectious disease and epidemiology in the third world. Today, there are still disparities in the work place between men and women and I had to face overcome there to get where I am to day. Almost every medical school interview I had questioned whether or not I could be a good doctor and a good woman i.e. a wife and mother. What would happen to my practice and career when I started a family? It was as if the professionals still believed you could not have both. Something in my life would have to suffer. I stood my ground in each interview and cited all the powerful and accomplished women who would able to balance both her own life and the lives of her friends and family. There is no reason why a woman can not have everything in life that she wants.

This piece is about my dream of becoming an educator. I have been a cashier for three years now. It is so far from being a fulfilling job but there have been moments that I have enjoyed. There is one in particular that always stands out in my mind and has pushed me in the direction in pursuing a career in art education. Two years ago, while I was working my usual six hour shift I had an experience with a very special customer. She couldn't have been much older than the age of seven. Her face was sweet, filled with innocence in her eyes and a box of crayons in her hands. She placed the box on the belt for me to scan, her eyes not leaving them for a second. The total came to one dollar and nineteen cents. Her tiny hand was filled with change, mostly pennies and nickels, only coming out to be seventy eight cents. I knew that wasn't enough to cover it but I was willing to toss in the rest of the money out of my own pocket. I placed the crayons in a bag, smiled at her and told her to have a great day. Never in my life would I want to be the reason that someone has had their creativity limited. When I see a child or anyone who is willing to learn, I want to do what I did for that little girl that day. I want to take all the potential they have and I want to help them out. As an educator I would want to provide others with the ability to understand and respect themselves, others around them and what they are being taught. Not all people in the world are destined to be artists or doctors and there is nothing wrong with that. All our paths have different destinations, I just want to be there to help them discover out where they are headed.

Sadly, since I am a poor student I have no video camera to bring you awesome footage of my glorious self- But that's o.k! As a smart and sexy woman you got to make it work whatever the situation may be. I am smart and sexy because I am a mother. Now you may be questioning, "Pft...a mother? What is so smart and sexy about that?" Well at nineteen years of age not only am I juggling work and school which equals smart, I am sexy while doing it. I am sexy because I am strong willed and have confidence in myself as a woman and a mother while oddly enough wearing stilettos. But behold, I am here to tell you that all that confidence didn't come out immediately as some would think. In contrary, after graduating high school and then six months later sitting dumbfounded on the toilet looking at two pink lines on a stick that I knew would change my life forever, I crumbled. I crumbled because I thought too much about other peoples opinions. "What are people going to think of me?" "What am I going to do about my life?" "Am I ready to be a mother?" Even while being pregnant I received a lot of negative feedback of pure doubt from family, and friends of family, even care workers who would whisper, "Tsk...tsk...you're still a baby yourself." It was humiliating for people to look at me with such negative feedback, I wasn't used to it. I was used to getting the gold stars in elementary school, the honor rolls in high school and for someone to talk to me in doubt, instead of the usual "you're doing such a great job" really hit home. Basically throughout my pregnancy I received many shaken heads and sighs as people assumed that I was throwing my life away, and that I would probably end up as trailer trash, without a proper education and a baby to take care of while working at the local Piggly Wiggly. Needless to say I spent many nights crying the hours away. So fast forward to labor--which was literally labor...Honestly I think that's the hardest I've ever worked in my life, so mad respect goes to all pregnant mothers! Basically after twelve hours of pushing and grunting I heard a soft cry and the nurse gave me a wiggling little bundle -a beautiful baby boy who was just simply put it- mind blowing. Upon holding him in my arms that's when I realized you know what? I am worth something--I am NOT a foolish young girl, I am a woman. I am a mother. Because of this precious boy sleeping in my arms that's when I realized I have to be strong, I have to be confident in myself, because I have to do it for him. A mother, a woman is someone who is strong, confident, and will fight the masses for what she knows is right, and honestly what can be more sexy than that? I fought the masses to prove that I was right and that they were wrong, and let me tell you I fought a good battle, which in the end I ultimately won. I proved that I am not a child, but I am a woman- I proved that just because I don't have my college degree, yet, I am smart because I know how to support myself and my child, I proved to myself that it doesn't matter what other people think, as long as you know you're a wonderful, beautiful, amazing, smart and sexy woman in the inside. Ultimately I proved to everyone that I am the coolest person in the world because I'm a wonderful mother at only nineteen juggling everything from work to school to above all the best job in the world which is taking care of my son. I'm here to tell all women whether your younger or older, that people are always going to break you down whether your pregnant and seventeen, trying to prove your worth in the office, or trying to fight for a cause that you know is right. Sometimes they may break you down, sometimes they might make you feel like you've lost your self worth, but ultimately remember that you are worth something and more, you are the most glorious thing in the world, a woman. A woman who despite what everyone thinks, is absolutely beautiful. You're beautiful because you have that confidence inside, you have that strength--you just have to bring it out while rocking those killer stilettos that you know are secretly hiding away in your closet. Needless to say ladies, I am a dream in the making. Granted financially wise I sometimes may not be doing too hot, occasional water being shut off, anyone? But despite all the downs which is expected in this crazy, beautiful life, I am ultimately happy, and honestly isn't that what everyone wants? Nothing in the world can beat the joy that my son gives me. To put it into words... it's like an infinite high that will never go away because he loves me and I know he's my biggest fan. His smile, his love is the most rewarding thing I could ever ask for. Not to mention I have the confidence and the strength to make it places in this world. I am a role model I am a mother I am a woman I am smart and sexy...hear me roar.