Nowadays it is hard to find someone who has not heard of Harry Potter. The famous books and movies are a cultural phenomenon, and they all came from the mind of one woman: J.K. Rowling. Writing her bestselling books, collaborating on films, and firing fast responses at Twitter trolls is now her legacy. In the beginning though, Rowling had to work hard to achieve her success. While writing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Rowling lived as a single mother on welfare. She had to work on her book as an afterthought. After five years of mapping out all seven books in the series she scored a deal after a publisher read the first three chapters.

Interestingly enough, J.K. Rowling did not publish under her full first name, Joanne, at the suggestion of her publisher. They thought that if male readers knew it was written by a woman they would be less inclined to read the book.

Since then, though, Rowling has become a role model to all people for more than just her successful career. On Twitter she constantly champions marginalized groups such as the LGBT community and crushes trolls with ease. One user asked if Hogwarts would be a safe space for gay students. She replied, “Of course. If Harry Potter taught us anything it’s that nobody should have to live in a closet.” She’s an active philanthropist who has written Harry Potter side stories and donated almost all the profits to charity, and is an overall role model for anybody.