I wanted to tell my story and where I came from and my background, because it was not easy.

Always be courageous and strong, & don't fear. You've got to be confident when you're competing. You've got to be a beast.

You know, God has a plan for me, and I'm going to follow in his footsteps and just rejoice and be happy.

You need your mom and dad to protect you. It means they love you so much. It was awesome she was backing me up and defending me.

I googled 'Gabby Douglas,' and all these things popped up like 'Gabby Douglas makes history!' And 'She's the champion!'

Everyone was telling me you have this great potential and you can be on top. I didn't believe that, but everyone was just telling me to believe in myself. I did and I'm kind of up on top and it's amazing.

Did I choose my hair texture? No. I'm grateful for having this hair on my head.