To introduce myself, I’m Julie Griswold, a freshman at Unionville High School. I am honored to be the winner of the 2017 GETT T-shirt Design Contest. In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, singing, acting, and creating artwork. If you would like to check it out, I also write a poetry blog "A Jade Teardrop".

What does it mean to have a mind of my own? In this day and age, social pressures strongly influence how we should feel, dress, act, and think. Trends are born one day, and die the next. In this busy digital world, when is there time to sit back and think about what it means to have a mind of one’s own?

When I was in seventh grade, my Nonfiction Writing teacher gave our class an assignment to end the year: a six-word memoir. She told us to describe who we were and wanted it to be in only six words. I spent a long time wondering about how to describe myself in so few words, and eventually I settled on a statement: A mind of my own. I wanted people to know that I could think for myself, and that everyone’s opinions matter.

Since I have an interest in science, I attended the 2017 GETT Expo (Girls Exploring Tomorrow’s Technology). While there, I entered the Four Girls on a Mission t-shirt design contest and felt that “A Mind of My Own” fit the theme of empowering girls in STEM. I created my t-shirt design to inspire girls to think for themselves and follow their dreams. When people buy one of my t-shirts, Four Girls on a Mission will make a donation to The Malala Fund. The Malala Fund aims for every girl in the world to be able to complete a free, safe, and quality education.

We can be anything we want to be, do anything we want to do, and go anywhere we want to go-- if we learn to think for ourselves. The people who think are the ones who make a difference, stand out, and risk being heard by the world. I hope to make a difference in the world with Four Girls on a Mission, one t-shirt at a time. I would like to think that I can do anything because I have a mind of my own.

Join Julie on her "A Mind Of My Own" mission and get your new favorite t-shirt today. SHOP NOW.