“A sense of humor is more important than anything you see in the mirror, in fact I would advocate for looking at yourself less, especially given what kids are up against with social media today.”People Magazine
“My parents made me feel like anything was possible, but that it was also okay if things weren’t going well. Eventually, though it might take days, months or years, things will settle.” People Magazine
“When the demon starts to slither my way and say bad stuff about me I turn around and say, ‘Hey. Cool it, Amy is my friend. Don’t talk about her like that.’ Sticking up for ourselves in the same way we would one of our friends is a hard but satisfying thing to do. Sometimes it works.” Smooth
“Don’t be afraid to have your own opinion. Don’t take no for an answer. Fight. Because people try to bring you down, and people try to get in the way of your dreams. But if you set your mind to something, you can accomplish that – and then some.”Betty Magazine
“I grew up in a very abusive home. My mother could never show affection towards us. When I was young and I first was homeless my escape was always school. For me, from an early age, I knew that what was going to take me out of my homelessness was my education. I got a degree in sociology and with that I wanted to help people. I feel that’s my calling… that’s my purpose in life. I got hired at Covenant House and became a case manager. That’s a full-circle moment right there for me. I often have youth look at me and say, ‘you don’t know what it’s like to live herE.’ I look at them in the eye and tell them I slept in these hallways. I slept in those bunk beds and I made it to college and I made something of myself and now I’m here giving back to you guys. So… I do know.” Soul Sundays with Oprah
“There were a lot of things that you go through in your life that you prefer not to remember because they’re too painful. But knowing what I know now, I realized that when there is acceptance, there is no pain. There is freedom.” People Magazine
“I believed wrongly that if I could just be perfect he, my father, would love me enough to not have a drink. At night when alcohol made my Dad especially violent, we would all get hurt physically or emotionally. The booze made him act viciously and say terrible things; “You’re stupid, hopeless, worthless, you’re nothing, you’re a big zero.” Sadly, his rants became my reality. I believed I was what he said.” People Magazine