When it comes to girl crushes, Leslie Knope takes the cake. There are plenty of reasons to love her on Parks and Rec: she lifts you up when you’re down, makes you laugh until you cry and epitomizes what it means to be a great friend, wife and ultimately, great person. She’s changed the life of Pawnee’s residents for the better—so much so, that you wish she existed IRL. Here’s a few ways that she motivates you to change the world, one little piece at a time.
1. She teaches children to be inclusive.
Her Girl Scouts group allowed boys! How badass is that?
2. No matter what obstacles she faces, she remains optimistic.
You can tell she loves life almost as much as you love food.
3. She nurtures every relationship she has, romantic and otherwise.
You wish you could be Ben AND Ann.
4. She makes an effort to create safe, pleasant spaces for her community.
If you tried turning a big hole into a park, you’d break the Earth.
5. Having kids doesn’t stop her from killing it in her government role.
Forget whether or not women can have it all—this woman does it all!
6. She gives gifts that come from the heart, not from the wallet.
That Christmas episode still fills you with admiration and jealousy, no matter how many times you watch it.
7. Let’s face it, the woman clearly has all of her priorities in order.
Food, friends, anything before work! The gospel truth.
8. Her work ethic is undeniable.
How she managed to even get dressed after that fateful snake juice night still amazes you.
9. Seriously, there is nothing she can’t do.
Except maybe sing, even though you’ll always have a soft spot for her version of “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”
10. In school, she excelled in academics and extracurriculars.
Meanwhile, you can’t even find the will to put on pants most days.
11. Her entire career has revolved around improving her town.
Whereas many of your days revolve around removing as many pimples from your T-zone as you can.
12. Despite dealing with petty scandals, she still ran for city council.
The last time you ran for anything was that ice cream truck pulling away from your block.
13. She continued to sacrifice so much for citizens that didn’t always appreciate her.
Which is crazy because how could you not be grateful to be under the direction of such a woman-goddess?
14. She never let past failures discourage her from striving for success.
You still have dreams about attending that killer harvest festival.
15. She worked her way up to be a deputy director and never gave up on her dream to be president.
You would literally vote for her in a heartbeat—the U.S. needs her now more than ever!