Sara & Michelle Larson

Mother and participant, fargo, Nd

Meet Sara and Michelle Larson, our first BIO Girls participant and parent combo! Sara and Michelle are from West Fargo, and have quickly made a community out of other local BIO Girls participants. Thank you to Sara and Michelle for being so willing to share your love of BIO Girls with us!

Read more about them below!

Answers from Michelle are marked “M” and Sara’s are marked “S”.

What is your connection to BIO Girls?

Michelle is a parent and Sara is a participant.

How long have you been involved with BIO Girls?

2 years at three sites: Fargo, ND - Olivet, West Fargo, ND - Holy Cross and the 2019 summer camp in West Fargo!

What drew you to become involved with BIO Girls?

M: The overall mission of BIO Girls. I love the fact that it's a faith-based program, I love the values of creating self-esteem and empowerment in women and young girls. It’s an issue that we all face. Even myself, knowing that I have had a successful career, I still wrestle with self-doubt or impostor syndrome. I think it's so important for young girls to get this lesson from someone outside their family.

The old adage "it takes a village to raise a child"… I think that is so true. It's so important for them to have those adult mentors that can guide them and help them work through issues. In those small group sessions, girls are more comfortable confiding in people that aren't their parents, so it is important for the girls to have those mentors.

The BIO Girls mission is "to improve the self-esteem of adolescent girls through empowerment of self and service to others." How do you resonate with the mission?

I feel many women, myself included, experience moments of insecurity, lack confidence or self worth, even impostor syndrome. The BIO Girls program encourages them to appreciate their individual strengths and characteristics, while also respecting individuality in others. I wish there would have been a program like this when I was younger!

Again, it's the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child. I want my kids' lives to be filled with positive role models, which includes the BIO Girls mentors and friends! Sometimes, the message resonates more clearly when it's someone other than Mom speaking. Life isn't always easy, and I'm grateful there are individuals willing to invest their time & talents to help create kind, confident & compassionate children.

What changes have you seen in your daughter?

M: So many of Sara’s friends are involved in BIO Girls as well, I see that servant heart in Sara and her friends. They can confront and talk about all different types of issues and things when they come up. I have seen the self-esteem and confidence rise in all of them. They are going into fifth grade this year, and that can be a really challenging time for a lot of young ladies. I haven't seen a lot of the drama that I expected from this age. That comes from the confidence and self-esteem that they learned through BIO Girls.

Why should other parents consider enrolling their daughter in BIO Girls?

M: It’s an amazing program. Not only for making new friends but having that mentor guide them, coach them. It gives them another avenue to help them grow up to be successful and confident young ladies. I have been amazed by the program since day one and I am so excited that Sara is enjoying it and will continue to be involved.

The goal setting is another huge part of BIO Girls. At work, we focus on a growth mindset, along with setting and accomplishing goals. I think that's such a huge factor of BIO Girls that is going to carry them for the rest of their life. You start with a goal and you plug away at it until you reach it. You don't just go out and run a 5K, you start with the baby steps to get there. The self-fulfillment of setting it and working towards it is a huge facet that is going to benefit these young ladies in school, life, and everything else.

What is one thing that surprised you about BIO Girls?

M: The surprise was totally how much Sara has changed her opinion on running. When Sara was first signed up for BIO Girls, she despised running. I didn't know how we were going to handle it! I know that I could never have pushed her into running, but she had that adult mentor to encourage her and all of the other girls going through it together.

Now Sara loves running. She crushed that first 5K. Seeing her confidence and how she lit up when she finished the 5K. I was proud of her because she set this goal and she did it. It was awesome. That developed a love for running in Sara that brings us together. We did three 5Ks last year and are training for a 10K in August. It has become something that we can do together as mother and daughter to do forever.

What has been your favorite lesson?

S: The lesson we talked about a lot was "What is Beautiful?" lesson. It was eye-opening and very valuable. I liked seeing a big difference in the model before and after. They photoshopped her and she looked so normal before. Then after the Photoshop she looked so fake.

Tell me one BIO Girls lesson you've used with your friends at school.

S: Most of my friends are in BIO Girls! We talk about the lessons after the session if we liked them and think they are fun. I went to a friend's birthday recently and we all wore our “Be Kind.” race shirts. There are so many girls in our neighborhood this spring who were in BIO Girls that we hosted our own virtual race with 20 girls and their parents! We mapped out the race and had people cheering them on while still being socially distant!

What is the coolest thing about your mentor?

S: My mentor Cody was fun because she always does games with us before the start of the session.