World Champion Gymnast Simone Biles Speaks In Denver
DENVER (CBS4) - Olympic gold medal winner Simone Biles is speak at Mile High United Way's Women United Luncheon. The world class gymnast came to Denver a day early, in part, to meet with participants in Mile High United Way's Bridging the Gap Program. Bridging the Gap is a program for young adults who have aged out of foster care and are struggling to succeed on their own. Biles has her own foster care story. She spent several years in foster care as a young child, before her grandparents adopted her.
Britt Moreno got an exclusive interview with Biles, here is an excerpt of their conversation.
"So what is your message to kids in foster care?" Moreno asked.
"I think once foster kids see you can do something once you get out, or it's like not the end of the world, because it is a very tough time for a lot of the kids while they're in there, that you can still make something out of yourself," Biles responded.
"What does it feel like to stand on that platform and earn a gold medal?" Moreno asked.
"It's...it's kind of like a dream or a fairy tale because when you're younger you kind of want to be the princess in the castle. I kind of relate it to that because it's the closest I can get to it because it doesn't seem real," Biles explained.
"There may be kids who look up to you and say I want to be just like her, what would you like to say to them?" Moreno asked.
"I would say dream big. And not only dream big, but make sure you write down your goals as you get further and further along," Biles said.
"Oh, is that the key?" Moreno said.
"I think so because once you're younger you always say, 'Oh, I want to go to the olympics!' but I think you forget that there are steps that you need to take to get there," Biles responded.