Texas native Michelle Cottrell-Williams moved to the Metro-D.C. area in 2004, living first in Arlington and now in Springfield. In 2017, the Wakefield High School social studies teacher was named Arlington Public School’s 2017 Teacher of the Year before ultimately winning the state’s 2018 Virginia Teacher of the Year award this past September. (She plans to write about the honor’s impact on her life on her website.) Cottrell-Williams, who says she is “constantly inspired by Sydney Chaffee,” the 2017 National Teacher of the Year, participates in the Moms Run this Town national running club and has created an Arlington Public Schools Teacher of the Year (APSTOY) network so that award-winning educators like herself can come together to collaborate and advocate.
Words that inspire Cottrell-Williams: “Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.” -Eleanor Roosevelt; “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou
Alexandria stay-at-home mom Rachelle “Shell” Peterson’s 2-year-old fashion blog, A Courageous Beauty, is named after her daughter, Bravely Belle. “I want to help women build their confidence and self-esteem by how they look at themselves inwardly and outwardly,” Shell says. “True beauty shines from within and once you feel secure in your inward beauty, you can then feel confident about the outward beauty.” Shell, a California native, can be spotted in this month’s issue of Virginia Bride Magazine.
Words that inspire Shell: “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” -Commonly attributed to Winston Churchill, though disputed
Though she’s only a junior at George Mason University, Richmond native Morgan Fitzpatrick already has her own company. MTF Cosmetics, which launched in August 2017 and offers face, eye and lip makeup, plus accessories, has received praise from national names such as Allure and Popsugar. When she’s not busy running her business and keeping up with coursework, Fitzpatrick works as an intern at General Dynamics Information Technology in Fairfax.
Words that inspire Fitzpatrick: “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping-stone to greatness.” –Oprah Winfrey
