The Midwest has so much to offer to the world; hard work, grit, authenticity, and passion. Industries all over the world need those with drive to represent the image and uphold prestigious reputations to ensure success. These featured women have showcased just that through their blogs.

Sydney Swing

“My dream is to motivate people that go to MSU to just branch out - don't fall into a pattern of life because it's what everyone else is doing or because you feel that's your only option.”

Daily Flaus is a blog run by the fun-loving, Sydney Swing featuring a lifestyle section, style section, food and drink section, and a fitness section. She presents herself as a unique, creative, and self aware woman who also believes in the power of an outfit and the need for a spontaneous trip to New York City. As the blog reflects, she is now focused on accepting that a life of letting go is one worth living, as long as you have fun living it, and she encourages others to do the same. Swing loves to make a connection and her blogging is more than skin deep. She mentions her vulnerability and said, “the best part is when I write something, that is typically showing a not very flattering side of myself, and people reach out and say how it is something they really needed to hear, or something they also struggle with” to explain her authentic work.

Alexandra Faulkner

“My favorite things about blogging is being able to express myself and my style and have an outlet for my inspirations to share with others.”

Alexandra Erinn is a fashion and lifestyle blog by MSU student, Alexandra Faulkner. She covers everything from the perfect bag to the perfect parfait in a classic and elegant way. With stunning photography and a minimalistic format, the blog showcases her chic style and collections. Faulkner was excited to share future plans with us to prove her drive. She explained that she plans to “expand [her] social media sites to having [her] own YouTube channel” and “take on the blog full-time and make it more of a lifestyle” so, whether you are going out for brunch or sitting inside embracing that messy bun on a rainy day, she has you covered for looking and feeling your best.

Tiffany Ivie

“I love blogging because it helps me clear my head. I tend to hold thoughts in and writing is a great way for me to express my ideas. I also like letting people see different sides of me because I have an extremely wide range of interests.”

Tiffany Rain is the blog everyone needs to read. Creator Tiffany Rain Ivie, covers all of a young woman's trials and showcases those Sunday scaries in a way that allows women to ease those stressful situations. She enlightens her readers on her daily experiences and offers them a way to conquer it all, embrace life, and look good while doing it by featuring all of her fashion choices. She has this grit to her and views the world in a different way. She stated that blogging allows her viewers to pay attention to all the layers of a person and focuses on the fact that “the way our world works with social media these days [she] feels that people only get to see each other on the surface level, which can not only be deceiving but uninteresting.”

Mindy Ashby

“My favorite thing about blogging is making connections with the world. I love showcasing my work and I love when I can share my work and ideas with others.”

Mindy Kantarevic Ashby will run the world someday one photo at a time. Her blog, Mindy Ashby, features her own photography portfolios and tells her viewers about herself. She provides her viewers with modern, street-style like photos and clothing that make her unique and authentic. While being a student at Missouri State she has recently fallen in love with the art of photography. She mentioned that being a bear helps her “to expand [her] work and meet plenty of people” at the same time. Though she is just starting out, look out for her 2018 goals!