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The Glee Project

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What Inspires Marissa
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We asked The Glee Project contenders to tell us what inspires them. Heres what Marissa had to say. <br><br>New York City has and will always inspire me because it is my home and there is nothing for want here. Every day you have the opportunity to meet someone, see something, do something you've never done before. The world is at your fingertips. I'm so proud to have been raised in such a diverse and culturally rich place.

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My mom: She inspires me to be braver and stronger and stand up for myself. Since I am not a very naturally assertive person, I try to emulate my mom whenever I need to kick some a$$. She is an amazing woman of which I haven't met an equal.

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My dad: He is living proof that you don't need to steamroll over everyone else around you to make it as a performer. He taught me humility, decency, and kindness. He's the best dad anyone could ever ask for.

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People like Glee's Kurt Hummel, who aren't afraid to be who they want to be and wear what they want to wear in environments like high school, where they face adversity, prejudice, ignorance, discouragement, and even sometimes violence: they inspire me. No one should ever have to limit who they are or attempt to snuff out the full vibrancy of what they want to express about themselves for fear of other people's reactions. In school I tried my best to be exactly who I wanted to be and not what anyone else expected of me in order to fit in. Everyone should let their "colors burst" if they choose to :)

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World music always inspires me because it is an all-encompassing genre for so many different sounds! I love to listen to the Putumayo record label's CDs. I especially love Reggae, African gospel choir, Turkish, Arab, and Indian music. World Artists are also very inspirational because many of them promote the message of unity and peace -- think Bob Marley.

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Believe it or not, the song that inspires me the most is "Believe" by Cher. I cannot say exactly why, but whenever I listen to it, I get in this really feel-good, life-loving mood. Maybe Cher has powers because her other songs like "Song for the Lonely" and "Different Kind of Love Song" give off a similar effect. I think it's because she seems to address everyone in her lyrics and it's accompanied by synth-y dance music :P

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The book "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupry is very inspirational to me because, while it is technically a children's book, it has many messages about life that adults can understand and appreciate. "One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye."

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Deaf culture inspires me because it is a complex and culturally rich social group that is largely ignored by the rest of the world, but has thrived nonetheless. Sign Language is beautiful and just as intricate, expressive, and efficient as any spoken language. ASL poetry combines words and imagery in a way that no other language can. Most of the world is completely ignorant about anything that has to do with Deaf culture, and it's a shame and a terrible loss to the rest of society!

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Sarah Jessica Parker is an inspiration to me. Not just because I loved to watch her on Sex and the City, but because I've met her in person by chance before and it was easy to tell immediately how kind, genuine, intelligent and humble she is. I think she is a beautiful, talented woman who deserves to have gotten to where she is today, and I respect her to no end for carrying on and holding her head up when so many have made cruel comments about her looks. I don't know if I could be as strong if so many people were that unkind to me. So it would be nice if you guys weren't! LOL.

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Advocates for equal human rights inspire me, especially those who fight in creative and unique ways. It isn't easy to stand up and say flat out that you're a feminist or a gay rights activist when people tend to roll their eyes these days. Everything's played out. It seems the more direct with a message you are, the more defiant your audience wants to be. Society won't listen most of the time because the argument has been repeated and repeated to them, but never actually felt. Lady Gaga makes some of the biggest social changes because she makes statements through her music. With music, you don't just reach the ears, you reach the heart!<br /><br />You can also follow Marissa on <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/#!/MarissavonB_TGP">Twitter</a&gt; and friend her on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marissa/208478539180769">Facebook</a&gt;. Get to know Marissa&rsquo;s competition <a href="http://thegleeproject.oxygen.com/meet-the-cast-gleeproj&quot; target="_blank">here</a>.

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