KATIE STEVENS

I was overwhelmed when people started to know who I was.

I think that they way my parents raised me, they taught me to always follow my dreams and never give up, no matter what the obstacle.

I'm going to keep pursuing my dream, keep singing and, hopefully, move to L.A.

It was a pleasure to work with everybody at 'American Idol' and to be able to be part of the 'Idol' family.

You're always in love with your best friend. That's why you're best friends.

I like to look effortless, so I just accentuate my favorite features.

Whatever I do, I have to put 100 percent of my focus into it because I don't like to do a bad job.

I didn't necessarily hit rock bottom, but I was working at Sprinkles Cupcakes and trying to make money, not wanting to tell anybody that I was getting a job because other people that I knew from 'Idol' were like, 'Why aren't you singing places and making money off of the Idol name?' And I was like, 'Because I don't only want to be known for that.'

'American Idol' gives people really wonderful opportunities, and they shouldn't take flak for what people do with that opportunity after they leave the show. A lot of casting rooms I was in, that was the only thing on my resume, and people would just be like, 'Oh, here's Katie Stevens. Another 'American Idol' girl who thinks she could be an actor.'

My favorite thing is when I work with anybody - crew, hair, makeup - I always love to ask who's the coolest person they've worked with in terms of who's been the kindest and most down to earth. A lot of people have said Meryl Streep.

SPF and moisturizer are two things that will ensure you stay younger-looking longer! I moisturize my entire body right when I get out of the shower, and I always use makeup with an SPF.

I find myself saying 'sorry' for things I shouldn't be sorry for, haha.

'Faking It' was hard for me to let go of because I knew how many kids it helped.

I wanted to be good at sports, even though I wasn't.

Meryl Streep is my favorite actor of all time, period. That would be a dream to be in something with her. I just think there's so much I can learn from her.

I always say it doesn't matter what age you are: everything is like high school.

I definitely want to put out and album, kind of like a Kelly Clarkson vibe: a soulful voice with a pop rock background. I think it's something that I've always loved and always loved to perform. So that's the kind of album that I'd like to put out.

Take care of your skin! Wash your face every morning and night, and be sure to moisturize!

One of the best decisions I ever made was getting a dog.

In high school, I felt pressure to fit in with groups and with people who didn't actually want to be my friend. That's something I learned moving forward into adulthood: to keep the people around me people who love me for exactly who I am.

Any time you have a dream job of where you want to work, it's so incredible, and I don't think that people realize it could go away.

Bronzer keeps me glowing, and a little blush makes it look natural.

I have to stay true to who I am.

Like everyone, I had low self-esteem, and I wanted to be like the pretty, popular girls.

My issue was I was always the friend and never the girl, so I always had crushes on guys, and they all wanted to date my friends.