Growing up in a small conservative town just outside Houston, Texas, was an uncomfortable experience for Instagram star Randi Banks. In her own words, she felt like the ‘perpetual outsider who never quite fitted in.’

“At my birth, fate had seemingly decreed that my life would follow a simple pattern,” explained the 23-year-old. “I felt little else was expected of me than to find a man, get married, start a family, listen to country music on a Saturday night and go to church on a Sunday morning.”

Such a life was not compatible with the ambitions Banks had harbored from a young age. The born adventurer explained, “I felt depressed and insecure while growing up. Though I had big dreams, I felt trapped and helpless when it came to chasing and fulfilling them. My family was not the most supportive, and nearly everyone around me appeared to be happy to settle for the Status Quo. If you expressed a desire to live a different kind of life or were perceived to have ambitions above your station, you’d be instantly shot down.”

 The overwhelming feeling of despondency kept growing, until one day Banks had a Eureka moment. She explains, “I suddenly realized that if I wasn’t happy with the cards fate had dealt me, nothing was stopping me ripping them up and living life by my own rules.”

Banks adds, “I knew there was a big and exciting world just outside my doorstep, but to embrace and experience it I had to pack my bags, ditch the small-town mentality, and take the chance.”

The gamble paid off. Although still young, Banks has already packed a few lifetimes of living into her 23 years. She has worked as a flight attendant, a vet tech, a monster energy girl, has worked on anti-bullying campaigns, has been a successful TikToker, and has even found the time to study for a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology.

When she is not busy working, Banks likes to dance, skate, surf, write poetry, play guitar, and is a big fan of video games. Banks’ go-getting but modest and down-to-earth demeanor has struck a chord with many on Instagram. Yet, it is her love of animals and passion for helping others that she regards as her true calling.

Randi Banks explained, “Helping animals is why I studied biology and became a vet tech. Unlike us, animals are not masters of their destiny and rely on humans to be kind, which unfortunately many of us are not. Yet above all, I believe in working for female empowerment in everything I do. I want other women to look at my story and realize that as long as they are committed to working hard and dreaming big, anything is possible. I started without a penny to my name, just a clumsy and insecure girl from Texas, but with one extremely important thing on my side, ambition!”