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| Natalie Portman W Magazine |
One of my all-time favorite celebrities in Natalie Portman. She was always one of the positive Jewish female role models that I looked up to while growing up and continue to look up to her this day.
One thing that really stood out to me was when she said "I'm going to college. I don't care if it ruins my career. I'd rather be smart than a movie star."It showed me how she much values her education and how even a celebrity of her status is still willing to sit in a classroom and take time out of her day to study and learn about different subjects. Later when I did more research on her I found out that she was so dedicated to her studies she decided to miss the film premiere of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace so that she could study for her high school final exam. She then went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology at Harvard University and then continued with her education taking graduate classes at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She later went back to give the commencement address at Harvard in which she explained her own struggles while in academia and life.
Philanthropy
Natalie Portman does not have her own charity but has always been passionate about animals, children, hunger and women's rights and has been active in many organizations.
When she was around eight years old, she decided to become a vegetarian, and as she got older, she decided to become a vegan. Currently, she does not eat or use animal products and does not wear fur, feathers, or leather. She is a big supporter of PETA.
In 2007, Natalie Portman designed a vegan collection of shoes in collaboration with Te Casan. 100% of the proceeds of the shoe sales from the partnership went to the Nature Conservancy. I still remember purchasing a pair of shoes from her collection online even though I am not a vegan because I couldn't stop thinking about the "coolness" factor of it.
She is a big supporter of the anti-poverty movement. While on a visit to Israel (her birth country) she campaigned to have the different political parties in Israel unite to help feed the hungry children. She is also an ambassador for Free The Children, through the Power Of A Girl project and has traveled around Africa with the ME to We to learn about women's empowerment.
Using Media to help solve global issues
Natalie Portman uses her Instagram to stand up in what she believes in, and some of her earliest Instagrams pertained to the Time's Up movement against sexual harassment. She is also willing to give interviews and talk about what she cares about in regards to her philanthropic efforts.
