Steve Pavlina recently wrote an article called "How to be Man" and then challenged readers to write their own post called "How to be a Woman". At first I though this was a great idea, but then I felt way under-qualified. Yes, I am female, but can I really speak for the world population of women? I'll let you be the judge.More... (I'm not going to number mine as Steve did...I'm just going to shoot from the hip.) We all know there isn't a magic mold that makes up the ideal woman. We ladies cannot be cloned and it is obvious that the world would be a very boring and monotonous place to live in if we did. My women friends are not the least bit like me (probably a good thing). We each have our strengths and weaknesses. We compliment each other, not with words, but with our actions.

Excellent article by linebacker Jordyn White on The Root, chronicling her football career and why she enjoys the game so much. Special thanks to Jordyn's teammate Allison from the DC Divas for the tip. ;)

Who says girls can't fight fires? Meet 20 year-old Samanta aka "Sammie" from the suburbs of New York. Sammie talks about her passion for her career and how she overcame obstacles to do what she loves. She also offers some great advice for future women firefighters.

GCW: What is your main passion and describe when you first became interested in it.

Sammie: Firefighting! I've always wanted to do something out of the ordinary with myself, something challenging! My mother once suggested volunteering in the community and the idea took off from there. Some of my friends were members of other local departments and they helped me get started, from that point on, I guess you can say I caught the 'bug'.

GCW: Have you ever been injured or encountered any setbacks while pursuing your dream?

Sammie: Right at the the time I joined, I had a little 'encounter' with a car, it was nothing big, but my foot was useless for a good month. Other than that, during training and calls, I often strain my back and neck and have to see my chiropractor. The only other major thing was my knee, over time I've put enough stress on it and developed water build up.

GCW: What is your favorite tool, piece of equipment or (whatever) that you use?

Sammie: I love the halligan tool! During one really great training session I tore apart the wall with just that tool, and made a pretty great doorway! The runner up is a pair of hydraulic cutters, they get pretty heavy but Ive found a great way for myself to keep them up and working, I prop my knee up against the car (or just get low enough) and rest the body of the tool right a the edge of my knee, it takes a lot of the weight off. My favorite 'big tool', or truck rather, is our tower ladder. A few months ago I became a certified flyer and I absolutely love it!

Step Up Women's Network (suwn.org) is an organization that works with underserved teen girls in NYC, Chicago, and Los Angeles where roughly 90% of them live below the poverty line. Recently, they launched youaremyinspiration.org, an online interactive gift house that will send 100% of funds raised back to their teen programs.

If you think you have to wait until you reach adulthood to make a difference in the world, spend a few minutes with 18-year-old Sondra Clark from Bellingham, Washington. Sondra has traveled the world, volunteering in a plethora of situations where she saw a need she could fill. She is also the author of seven books, including her latest work titled 77 Creative Ways Kids Can Serve. An incredibly busy person, Sondra was kind enough to squeeze in this interview between her volunteering efforts and performing in two plays last week. Prepare to be inspired. ;)

GCW: Have you ever been injured or encountered any setbacks while pursuing your dream?

Sondra: I've never been injured, but have had setbacks. I wrote my sixth book, SNAP 2IT!: A Real Girl's Guide to Staying Positive and it was supposed to come out in March 2006. Because of a cover design problem, they postponed the release of the book an entire year. Another time, I collected 5,000 pens, 3,000 toothbrushes and 500 Frisbees to send to Lima to kids I met there, living in the slums. The boxes got held up in customs for 8 months. We tried and tried to get customs to release the items, but they said the toothbrushes were medical supplies and then destroyed everything! It really upset me because I knew how the kids could use those items.

GCW: Wow. I'm glad to see that did not discourage you from continuing your volunteer work. What is your favorite tool or piece of equipment that you use while on volunteer missions?

Sondra: My favorite tool is a power drill my dad gave me when I was 11. When I first got it I drilled holes in lots of things because it was fun. Now I use it for decorating or building projects. I like putting pieces of furniture together that come in kits like from IKEA.

GCW: What are some of the highlights of your life so far?

Sondra: One of the highlights of my career was carrying the Olympic torch for the 2002 Olympics. It's quite a feeling running down a street with helicopters overhead and the crowds screaming "Go Sondra! USA! USA!" I've had amazing experiences doing job shadows. Just spending the day with Shamus trainer was great. I helped her put vitamins in dead salmon and then gave it to Shamu. (He didn't like his vitamins)

Dictionary.com defines "Paramedic" as

a person who is trained to assist a physician or to give first aid or other health care in the absence of a physician, often as part of a police, rescue, or firefighting squad

Paramedics are often the first to arrive on the scene and their care and medical attention can be the most important during the critical moments after an accident or injury. I applaud all of the men and women who have undergone the intense mental, physical and emotional training to prepare themselves for those moments when we need them most. The career of EMT is typically a male-dominated one, but we all know women are quite capable of handling this occupation with the same grace and skill as their male counterparts. So for all the women out there driving the ambulance, administering the medication or holding someone's hand, this design is for you. It is now available in the Girls Can't WHAT? shop on a variety of gifts and apparel.

The EMT-Paramedic design is brought to you by request. I am always looking for new ideas, so feel free to contact me and suggest a new Girls Can't WHAT? Character. :D

Meet Samantha Landa, a 21-year old heavy hitter from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who loves nothing more than to play the drums. Samantha graciously completed an interview with Girls Can’t WHAT? where she explains how she got started as a drummer and offers tips to help young percussionists stick with their musical dreams.

Meet 15-year-old political activist Cristina Lara from Fair Lawn New Jersey. A high school sophmore, this girl is not waiting for graduation to make a difference in her world. In 2007, she founded a a female empowerment youth organization called the Society of Young Leading Women. The society is for “the elite young [...]

I can’t tell you how many people either called or emailed me today to let me know that Danica Patrick won the Indy Race yesterday in Japan. Woo hoo! Lots of Danica fans here. Not only do I know that from the emails and phone calls, but the Girls Can’t WHAT? [...]

Don’t forget to visit the Girls Can’t WHAT? shop for great Mother’s Day gift ideas. Show Mom that you support her dreams, too!