TRENDING

With over 7 billion people in the world, hundreds of celebrities filling up social media feeds and *so many* adults yelling at each other on TV, a 16-year-old girl was just named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year. We've already told you about Greta Thunberg's passionate and powerful movement to spread awareness about climate change, and about her brilliant response to bullies (they're trying to bring her down again right now, btw, but we're not wasting space on that), and now she's finally getting the recognition that she deserves. 

There's a lot to love about Greta, but one of her most impressive traits is the balance she strikes between being relatable and being extraordinary. This is a girl who, at 15, started "School Strike for Climate," a now worldwide movement, has met with and in some cases schooled world leaders, and, according to TIME, "inspired 4 million people to join the global climate strike on September 20, 2019, in what was the largest climate demonstration in human history." Yet she's also the girl who opens up so beautifully about her struggles as a teen. Greta can remember first hearing about the climate change crisis. She was in grade school when a teacher showed a video on the subject, and the message stuck with Greta so profoundly that she went into a deep depression because of it. She lost weight, lost interest in everything else, and did everything she could to learn more about the subject. You see, Greta has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, which according to Autism Speaks, is characterized by hypersensitivity, difficulty with social interaction and remarkable focus and persistence. “I see the world in black and white, and I don’t like compromising,” she told TIME. “If I were like everyone else, I would have continued on and not seen this crisis.” 

We are certain that Greta has a long career in world-changing ahead of her, and she's opening doors for so many of us to stand up for what we believe in. “We can’t just continue living as if there was no tomorrow, because there is a tomorrow,” she told TIME. “That is all we are saying.”

What do you love most about Greta? Comment below to leave some love!

by Jacqueline F. | 12/13/2019