Finding a mentor is one of the most important finds you can make.
Julie, my church youth leader in high school, was such a mentor. She was fun. She could laugh at herself, even at her few extra pounds and love lost on what seemed a never-ending string of almost boyfriends.
She was wise beyond her years, coaching me to focus on my studies (unless there was something more interesting going on), and to wear the skirts with the longer hemlines when I came to church.