it is NOT easy to be a teenager

This is going to sound like a commercial, and I don't care.

On Friday Mac & I went to the Step Up Women's Network Inspiration Awards Luncheon. Which, wow, that's a mouthful, huh? Step Up is a really cool organization, though. They do a lot, but primarily focus on helping young girls living in challenging environments (like, say, south central LA) to build their confidence, engage in healthy activities, improve their education, and ultimately go to college. The goal is to break the destructive cycle so many at-risk youths find themselves in today.

While we were there, we saw a row of young teenagers declare they were going to college for all different reasons--and they'd all be the first in their families to do so. We heard from one girl who, although she used to be painfully shy and down on herself, got up in front of a room full of people and unabashedly informed us all that it is NOT easy to be a teenager. Another girl read the essay that won her a college scholarship, in which she talked about how her biological mother chose drugs over her and her two siblings. And her adoptive parents told her that she'd never amount to anything, and probably just end up knocked up and on drugs just like her mother. Her parents. And yet, because of Step Up, she's getting out of that environment, and going to college.

Needless to say, it was an emotional, amazing event. There were some celebrity guest speakers too, but really they weren't nearly as cool as those kids. If you haven't clicked through already, check out their website to see if there are ways you could get involved, and help change a young girl's life for the better!