When I was really little, I wanted to be our first woman president. I always knew I want to be the kind of grownup who makes people's lives better. And since that's pretty much the job of the President of the United States, it seemed like a good idea.

But I've realized that you don't have to be very old to start trying to fix the problems you see in the world around you. (I'm 11.) That's why I created #1000BlackGirlBooks, a book drive to collect stories about young black girls. I wanted to be represented in books and show people that it's possible to create spaces to be seen and represented.

Hillary Clinton is someone who's never waited around for someone else to do the hard work. She's been an organizer and a change-maker for her whole life practically. But people don't really talk a lot about what she did when she was a kid like me. It turns out she's always been an activist. She's always wanted to make a difference.

I know, because I asked her! I emailed Hillary Clinton to find out what she was like when she was in middle school, why she loves her favorite books, and what happened when she got one really bad haircut. (I once cut off a big piece of my ponytail, so I know what it's like.)

She has shaped the way I think about my future, because so many of the qualities she has now are ones that I want to have when I get older. It makes me so excited that she could become our first woman president. If someone had to do it before I could, I'm happy that it will be her. It's really no problem.

Reading our interview, I think it's very obvious that Hillary Clinton can be deep and funny at the same time. Sometimes, we expect a woman like her to be really serious always, but I want people to understand that she can talk about deep issues and chocolate, and that's okay. She's a real person—just like I am, just like my mom is, just like you are. She's not just a presidential nominee. She's a friend. She's human! And her favorite black girl book is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, which is an excellent choice.

What was the first book you ever saw yourself in?

Hi, Marley! I love this question, because I think it's so important for all of us to be able to see ourselves represented in the books we read and the movies and TV shows we watch. That's why I love your "Black Girl Books" project so much. I hear you have more than 4,000 titles now. That's fantastic. I am really proud of you.

Hillary Clinton with her mother, Dorothy Howell Rodham. Hillary for America

Okay, back to your question. When I was young, I really identified with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, particularly the character of Jo. The book was written at a time when there weren't as many options for women and girls as there are now. Jo really struggled with that. She wanted to write, to work, to help her family. And eventually she found ways to do it, and to live the life she wanted, even though it wasn't what society expected of her. I loved that she wasn't afraid to chart her own course. I remember reading that book and thinking, I want to be like that when I grew up.

What's your favorite black girl book?

One of my favorite authors is Maya Angelou, and I love her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It tells the story of how Maya became such a strong, confident, determined person. Some parts are painful and hard to read, but of course that's the case in a lot of great books. And because Maya became a friend of mine in real life, it meant a lot to be able to read her story and understand her journey better.

As a side note, Maya wrote something else I loved—a poem for Bill's first inauguration back in 1993. It was called "On the Pulse of Morning," and I want to share a stanza from it with you:

Do not be wedded forever

To fear, yoked eternally

To brutishness.

The horizon leans forward,

Offering you space to place new steps of change.

Isn't that wonderful?

Maya led a really difficult life, but she never forgot that each new day presented new opportunities. I'm sure she felt afraid sometimes, just like we all do, but she didn't let her fears hold her back. That's a lesson I try to remember each and every day.

I have had the same friends for a really long time and I like them because they like some of the stuff I like, but they are also really different from me. Who are some of your best friends and how are you different?

I've had the same friends for a long time, too. In fact, I met my best friend when I was a little younger than you. Her name is Betsy, and we've been leaning on each other and making each other laugh for a long, long time. Betsy and I have a lot in common (she works for the Illinois Department of Human Rights), but one way we're different is that she's much more effusive and talkative than I am. If we're at a party, she's the one telling stories, and I'm right by her side, laughing and listening. I consider myself so lucky to have terrific friends like Betsy in my life.

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You are confident now, but what were your insecurities in middle school?

Oh, Marley, I have a terrible story to tell you. It was my first week of high school, and I was excited and nervous. At that time, I wore my hair in a ponytail or held back with a headband. When I saw the older girls with their hair in little bobs, I thought that looked so much more grown-up, so I begged my mother to take me to a real beauty parlor to get my hair cut. Our neighbor recommended a man who had a small shop behind a grocery store, and he got distracted talking to my mother and hacked off a huge chunk of my hair! I was mortified. So I tried to fix it by wearing a fake ponytail to school. And then a friend of mine accidentally pulled it off in front of everyone. Which of course was a nightmare. At the time, I felt like it might have been the worst moment of my life.

Now that I'm older, I have a little more perspective. But I certainly remember what it was like to be your age and be so worried about what people thought of me. And I'm glad I didn't know back then that I had a whole life ahead of me of people commenting on my hair!

Tell me about a time that someone took credit for something you did, and how did you deal with it?

I'll tell you another story from high school. When I was a senior, I ran for class president. And I lost. One of my opponents even told me I was "really stupid" if I thought a girl could be elected president. Fine. But then the boy who won asked me to be the chair of the Organizations Committee. This meant that he got to be president, but I had to do most of the work.

Hillary for America

I said yes anyway – and it turned out to be a lot of fun, because I got to plan all the events I would have pushed for as president. (One of them was a mock presidential debate, if you can believe that!) In the end, I've always found credit isn't just something you take – it's something people give you when they see how hard you're working.

If you were on a deserted island, what three things would you want to have with you?

A phone to FaceTime with my grandkids, some chocolate to snack on, and of course, a really great book. I'd call you first for a recommendation.

If you had to give any advice to your 11-year-old self what would you say to her?

I would say that when you have a big dream or you're trying to solve a big problem, there will always be people who tell you that you can't. Here's my advice: don't listen. Keep striving for your goals, and remember that it's good to be ambitious. There's nothing wrong with knowing what you want and going after it.

And Marley, what you've accomplished already is proof of that.

P.S. Do you follow me on Instagram?

I do now!

Marley Dias

Read more from Marley Mag here.

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