Guidance for girls today
Free thinking . Joss discovers that experiencing new thingscan help a person grow , especially when she tries out forthe cheer team and sees she can do and be more than onething

Dedication . As a surfer , Joss is always " all in . " and shetakes that same drive to cheer with her determination tomake the team

Respect and teamwork . Even though it takes time . Josslearns the importance of balancing her own ambition withthe feelings and safety of others

Getting Joss's story right throughresearch
Just as with previous Girl of the Yeartm characters , wechose to bring Joss's world to life because her themesconnect with girls growing up today .

To ensure we accurately depict Joss's storylines and thechallenges she faces-from competing on the wavesand in the gym to the partial deafness Joss was bornwith-we consulted with experts in these areas


Introducing our advisors
Crystal Dasilva , the women's short board champion atthe 2009 biannual World Deaf Surfing Championshipsplus a swimsuit and athletic wear designer

Bianca Valenti , a big-wave surfer who takes on the mostadvanced waves in the world , including Mavericks inHalf Moon Bay , California and Peahi in Hawaii , as well asthe co-founder of the Committee for Equity in WomensSurfing , which led the fight for equal pay for women insurfin

owners of Fury owners of Fury Athmetics in Madison , Wisconsin , a cheerleading-only gymthat grows competitive teams--many that have wonprestigious events

sity , a private university for the deaf , and a specialis /Sharon Pajka , professor of English at Gallaudet Univerrepresentations of deaf characters in adolescent litera -ture

Jennifer Richardson , Au . D , an educational audiologistand founder of Hearing Milestones