CIERRA RAMIREZ
Best known for her Disney stint on the popular "The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody", the Mexican-American actress has proven her dramatic side as Mariana Adams-Foster in Jennifer Lopez’s drama series The Fosters and will also appear in the upcoming film "Broken Doll" with "Hunger Games" actor Evan Ross.

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The month of November holds a special day celebrated by many people. Thanksgiving is a day set aside on most households around the world to giving thanks. Whether it's because of religion or tradition, it's always a good time to say thanks. Because being thankful is something we can all do and it doesn't cost us a penny.

Who are the people you are thankful for? We can count on people. Regardless of differences, when times get tough someone says, "I'm here". Someone on the other side will always pick up. Mom and Dad will call back. Sisters and brothers will show up. Good friends extend a hand. So let's be thankful for them. Let's be thankful for the special people we have in our lives.

Who are you thankful for?

Celebrate your iconic chica and/or chico by giving thanks. By being thankful.

Thank you Iconic Chica readers for your support. 

​While many chicas (and chicos) are working to accomplish a dream of their own, they may not realize there's someone looking up to them. Someone is inspired by our actions, our accomplishments, the roads we take, the decisions we make and how we handle certain situations. Just like we have our icons, we too become an icon to others. Whether it is as a result of a simple resemblance or a goal someone else shares. 

​Stephanie Nieves Ferrer is one of those Iconic Chicas. Recently receiving her bachelor’s degree in biology at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. Stephanie has one goal down and many more to go. She's proof that hard work and dedication lead to accomplishments and a road of success. We spoke to this chica and asked her about her hardships, overcoming, and what led her to study science.

Iconic Chica: Stephanie, what made you study the sciences? 
Stephanie Nieves: Well, I always found that subject interesting and when I was in high school I decided I wanted to study Biology. Plus I would get to wear a white coat!

IC: Did you have any influences growing up? Anyone you looked up? If so, who and what about her/him influenced you the most? 
SN: I would have to say my mom because she is very hard working and dedicated and I’ve learned that’s a very important quality, especially for young women.

IC: What is your goal with your degree? 
SN: My goal is to become a pharmacist.

IC: What does the future of Stephanie look like? (Are you going to continue your career? In what? Where do you hope your career takes you? 
SN: Hopefully very bright. I start pharmacy school this fall. I’m going to Nova Southeastern University-College of Pharmacy (NSUCOP)  and ​

I plan to graduate in May 2019.

IC: College is sometimes intimidating, both educationally and socially (making friends and talking to new people). What helped you overcome these that you can share with others who are now beginning or about to begin the college experience? 
SN: It’s a process and it takes some getting used to, but I think that if you take it day-by-day it’s going to be alright. Just be yourself and it’s only a matter of time before you meet people that become great friends. I made really good friends in college that are now going to be future colleagues. 

IC: What do you believe to be an iconic characteristic every chica should hold dearly and why? 
SN: Her perseverance because if times get tough she will have to keep fighting for her future. An iconic chica should never give up!

As I sat in front of my computer to organize photos and files that have been long overdue, I scanned some old and new photos of myself. I saw a beautiful woman years ago and i thought about all the insecurities I had. I always felt so unworthy of so much. I never felt pretty enough, even though so many people told me so. There was always extreme self-consciousness. I compared them to newer photos of myself. I realized I hadn't changed much. Though I did look a lot happier years ago. At least, the pictures reflected a level of honesty that the newer pictures didn't. When I was younger I looked forward to the days I’d be older. I thought about being a woman and feeling fabulous about myself. I realized now, the older I get, the more insecure I am. My legs were never too big. Why did I obsess over exercising so much? My arms have always looked pretty good. Why have I always hid them so much? Recently I asked someone close to me to take some pictures of me. I was feeling self conscious and looking in a mirror wasn't enough. I asked for a few angle pictures so I could examine myself from the outside. I took one look at the shots and I quickly hated myself. I put my phone away and didn't even look at it again. I figured, If I just didn't look I wouldn't feel so insecure. It worked for a little while. Days later I was looking through my cellphone and I came across those pictures. I saw how skinny I looked. My arms were not big. My belly was flat. My body looked in shape. But there was still something that was missing. I still didn't like it. I wondered, were my insecurities just self-consciousness or was it far more than that? Had I reached a level that I could no longer control? Did I have an eating disorder?

A few days later, I was skimming through my magazines. The many subscriptions I had. I came across a famous celebrity, truly known for not really caring much about what people think of her. She wasn’t super skinny. She was happy with her curves and wasn't afraid to say it. While her pictures online and her image on live television seemed very real, this ad of her didn't. I looked through the magazine twice before I even realized it was her. Her beautiful imperfections were gone, the ones that not even the best tv lighting could remove. Her legs were covered in makeup and her skin seemed perfect. Perfect to the point where it wasn't. It wasn't her. In fact, no one looks like that. I then continued to look at my other magazines. I began to compare live video footage of celebrities, models, and stars and I realized they are just normal people. They look like me. They have flaws like me. They have insecurities like me. So why on earth had I been so self-conscious half my life? How did I allow photoshop so deeply into my life to the point of victimizing myself into a reality that was nothing but a facade? 

I took away the magazines from beside my home work out station. I unsubscribed myself from emails and newsletters. I began to look away for a while at supermarkets when I saw the magazines. Now I look at them and opt for the recipe booklets. Those are truly fulfilling. 

What have you found that has worked for you in becoming a successful entrepreneur that you can share with other women? 
It's not the most important and I don't feel you have to spend a lot of money in looking good. But it is part of who you are. Why? Because an image says more than a thousand words. You go into a room and without speaking, people are looking at you... Looking good gives you security. 

Especially now with this program Make a Power Move. Women want to be independent. We want to wear all the hats; we want to be businesswomen, we want a husband, we want to have kids, we want to have our friends. So that dynamic that the modern woman has, which I love and you have to learn to manage it all. Part of that success is to feel comfortable and confident with yourself... It doesn't have to be fancy, but look groomed. That you look put together. That gives you the security to conquer the world.  

What is an important characteristic you look for and believe to be a must have? 
I really like individuality. I like people who bring something new to the table. In fact, in my company there are chicas from 20 years of age all the way to 55. And the dressmaker is 87! 

Reality and what the media project can be over dramatized, what is some helpful advice to younger women on not allowing vanity to affect them negatively?
As a stylist, I advise them to not allow themselves to be handled by friends. Don't give into pressure. Don't go by fashion, because it goes by really fast. Fashion comes and goes. I have a 21-year-old daughter and I tell her, "Look, you always have to look good because you have to look presentable... but it cannot be an obsession.” You can't obsess over it. Everything has its limits and if you cross the limits it gets out of control. 

By: Jessica G. Ferrer
www.jessicagferrer.com

give sufficiently well advice like the one you discover on your own. Whether the other piece of love you held onto for such a long time finally parted from you, or that huge exam you needed to ace to pass the course failed on you, one never fully recovers and simply drags on throughout the day. Wishing all would be fine, wanting it to be much better than the present; we all struggle.

Although we cope and combat with dozens of difficulties onward, we may never really find ourselves. Very few of us may find our true meaning and purpose, but in all it becomes an eternal process. Our feet take huge steps, as well do our lives. Overall, it is basically the way you view the whole thing. Do you believe this to be true? We never really find ourselves? The constant lessons that result from a college education may help each of us gain perspective. Some may go on to forever be one-hundred percent clueless, while others believe they found their “calling”. Triumph awaits those who endeavor and give it their utmost attention. Give it some thought; let the mind flow onto greatness in pursuit of finding yourself.