Who Is the Woman You Admire Most? Tell Us!

In honor of women everywhere, share with us a story about who makes your world a better place. You could win $250!

When tasked with naming who I most look up to, whose opinion and advice I value more than anyone else, the answer has always been and will always be the same: my sister.

Five years her junior, and despite sharing two parents and a blood line (and for the first ten years of my life, a bedroom!) we are opposite as can be.

Analytical, level-headed, emotionally reserved and independent from the start, she attempted to run away at seven years old, fed up with the attention I was getting, and ventured into the park behind our house to start a new life. The “do it now, worry about it later” mentality that I’ve carried through my 30s is in stark contrast to her conscientiousness. I still don’t have a savings account. She has multiple.

Growing up, I thought she was so cool, and I wanted to copy her in every way — sneaking into her closet to “borrow” clothes, always being available when her girlfriends were around, listening to the same music that came blaring from her room.

I was that annoying little sister.

It was, perhaps ironically, a move across the globe that pushed us closer. Only she could understand the sacrifice of making the drastic move from Italy to the US. Our history connected us, our struggles brought us closer together. She became my confidant, my safe place, my teacher. As we’ve grown older, life looks very different for us both but she is now. more than ever, the woman I admire most.

She is ridiculously smart. Once a topic piques her interest, she will dive DEEP to learn everything  about it, and somehow retains this information forever. Her cooking is delicious. She can read French. She is the most organized human I know. When my niece was first born, my sister communicated with her only in Italian and taught her both the Italian and English alphabets before she was even a toddler. 

My sister experienced a difficult divorce and, with it, a career change and subsequent financial challenges. Today, she has carved out a beautiful life for herself and her daughter. She is a full-time single parent with multiple jobs, and still finds time and energy to be one of my biggest supporters. She’s the first person I turn to when I need guidance because I know that she will be brutally honest, even if what she has to say might hurt. I am blessed to have been born with this ally by my side, and I am proud to stand by and watch all the wonderful things she will surely accomplish in the future.

In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8th, we’d love to hear from you:

WHO IS THE WOMAN YOU ADMIRE MOST?

Tell us about her in 400 words or less and enter for a chance to have your story featured right here, and win a $250 Free People gift Card!

Send your submissions to blog@freepeople.com before 11;59pm EST on March 5th.

Readers will be notified by email.

Open to residents of the United States only.

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