It was a warm, sunny afternoon in Malibu, California. I was sitting at Alumni Park, the fairytale-esque "front yard" of Pepperdine University, close enough to the Pacific Ocean that you could feel the cool breeze of the waves. It was the annual Wonderfully Made Pepperdine conference, and I was sitting on a checkered blanket with a few of my girlfriends as we listened to inspiring women share their life stories on the stage.

I met Abbey Holden on the first day of fourth grade, and even then, I knew there was something special about her. She’s gorgeous, kind, personable, and, as evidenced by the pics below, uber talented. Even as a kid, Abbey had a clear gift for art, so it should come as no surprise to learn that she studied it further in college and became a print designer for Lilly Pulitzer (!!!) after graduating.

Fashion blogging is becoming more and more popular - but it seems many women shy away from the world of expressing their passion for fashion due to fear of judgement and criticism. "I'm not thin/pretty/savvy enough for this, that, or the other," we gals often tell ourselves. Natalie Craig, known for her popular fashion platform Natalie in the City, crushes the stereotype that women must fit a cookie-cutter mold to leave a dent in the fashion world.

Creating and running a non-profit is an accomplishment in and of itself, but Riley Banks-Snyder started one when she was just 14 years old. Really. She took her first trip to Kenya when she was 13 to serve at a neonatal unit and a school, and she remembers seeing babies being fed from medicine cups instead of bottles and an entire class sharing a single pencil due to a lack of resources. The experience created a deep desire within her to aid the people she met there.