As little girls, we needed to look up to someone other than Mom. We gazed with starry eyes upon the cousins, babysitters, and camp counselors whose style and opinions and musical tastes quickly became our own, who showed by example how to handle those boys who made us feel so squirmy. Now that our cousins have gone on to shotgun weddings and a life of dope smoking in the family room, we wonder if that was such a good idea. Thank heavens, then, for Rachel Muir, the founder of Girlstart, a company that encourages girls in math, science, technology (and the occasional pillow fight). Girlstart offers classes in Web site design, desktop publishing, and the opportunity to meet all sorts of brave, successful women - the kind of women we might grow up to be like. With her ambition and grace, Muir is a role model any parent can feel confident about; but with her glam and good humor, she hardly even seems like your typical "role model." But she is, and having been featured in national media outlets like USA Today and CNN, Rachel Muir is not just a role model for what girls can be but also for the kind of conscientious technology community Austin should strive to become.
