Gabrielle Douglas: Girl on Fire

Photo courtesy of bet.com.

STORY BY DESTINY ATTAGBA, FNN REPORTER, WOODRIDGE BUREAU

APRIL 22, 2014.  With Women’s History Month just ending and all the talk about the Catching Fire and Captain America movies, I sit back and wonder who are true heroes for our generation? Who can be a role model, has persevered and shown tenacity to reach their goal? The one person that comes to mind for me is Gabrielle Christina Victoria Douglas—also known as Gabby Douglass.

Gabby was born December 31, 1995 in Virginia Beach. She is a Capricorn and is known for becoming the first African American gymnast to win a gold in the individual all-around event. This inspirational girl won a state championship when she was eight years old! That is truly exceptional! Gabby competed in the Summer 2012 Olympics. I believe that Gabby’s book, Grace, Gold and Glory : My Leap of Faith, is a must-read for young girls all over. It is a book that will inspire readers to never give up on what they believe in and to work hard no matter how difficult the task might be.

A thing you might not know about Gabby is that her favorite subject in school is English. She also likes reading and knitting, and that’s different for a person who’s her age when we live in a social media and internet world. Her favorite food to eat is Mexican and Italian. She is known as the “Flying Squirrel” because she flies so quickly into the air.

This phenomenal girl has achieved so many things such as being an Olympic all-around gold medalist, Olympic team gold medalist, Secret US Classic uneven bars gold medalist, and so much more! Truly this girl is on FIRE and a role model for many to look up to.

Destiny Attagba is a 4th grade scholar at Friendship Woodridge Academy!