Words We Heard: 'Everybody is learning.'

Everyone ought to be confident in themselves and in what they’re passionate about, and help to instill that confidence in others. Especially when you’re young, your confidence is low; it’s hard to build yourself up without the support of peers and teachers. Once that confidence is built, it’s incredible what young people can accomplish.

Even when I think about my secondary education, that strength was built from simply having a teacher who took an interest in me or having an aunt take me to volunteer at a local animal shelter on a regular basis. I hadn’t fully realized until now that they weren’t taking on these responsibilities as a burden; they had a passion and saw potential in young people like me. It’s inspiring to see how many leaders and role models the younger population of Cincinnati has to look up to.

–Ellen

• “The young people coming up, I think they’re even more aware (of community needs). One thing about media and technology that might be positive: It brings the world right into your home every day. To participate in the vision of creating something better, there are people who want to do that.” –Vicky Reynolds, in a story by Hillary Copsey in Movers & Makers Cincinnati, on her efforts to support Cincinnati youth
• “Society somehow gives us this message that success is a straight line – that this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened and then, by God, I was a billionaire! But there are at least a hundred opportunities to be successful every day; you just need to be out there, playing in traffic.” –Sallie Krawcheck, Ellevest founder and CEO, in an article on Girlboss
• “I always think about how big that is, and everything that I do – the way that I carry myself, the way that I conduct myself – I’m always cognizant of the fact that little girls are watching me. I try to include them.” –Councilwoman Yvette Simpson, candidate for mayor of Cincinnati, in an interview with Women of Cincy
• “Everybody is growing. Everybody is learning. Those people who are out in front of you that you are comparing yourself to, feeling like you're not catching up or you're not getting there, they've got some more years on you. But they are still learning and they're still growing as well, so be hungry to catch them, but don't be down comparing your beginning to somebody else's middle.” –Cliff Wegner, CEO and creative director of Mighty in the Midwest, in a speech published by Creative Mornings
• "We wanted to bring together all types of women at the top of different industries, yes, so they can learn, but also so they can relax with their peers in a way that they might not get to do often." –Anne Fulenwider, Marie Claire editor-in-chief, on the magazine’s second annual Power Trip networking event in an article on Refinery29