Paulina Carmel Capotosto is sixteen years old; lives in Biddeford Maine with her Mother, Dad, four brothers and a dog named Prince Valiant. Her older brother has his own business also.

Her mother, Carmel is a stay-at-home-mom; a pastor's wife and home schools all her children. Her father, David Capotosto, pastors The First Apostolic Church of Biddeford, is an engineering consultant, and the math teacher in the home schooling.

Paulina received the Holy Ghost and was baptized in Jesus' Name at the age of eleven. Active in the youth group, she plays piano and directs the choir. She began playing at the age of eight; is trained in classical music and presently teaches music to eight students. Her first love is of course, gospel music.

Paulina says that being home schooled has allowed her to pursue her own interests and tailor her education to fit those interests. At the age of ten she started and owned a successful mail order cookie company. After one year she had to shut it down as it was taking all her time, and she wasn't ready for that at age ten. 

Like most girls she always enjoyed dressing up and shopping. She found it frustrating because she couldn’t find modest skirts or tops, especially when she became a teen. She said, “Most of the clothes we found that fit my standards were not the kind of clothes a Christian girl wants. If it was modest, it looked too old.  If it was stylish, it was usually immodest. I began to imagine a place to shop that had clothes I could wear that were youthful and modest. This began my desire to sell clothes for girls like me. I was told, “That would be a great business for you, when you grow up”. I don't know why, but that “when you grow up” stuff was a challenge. Why did I have to wait?

“My home schooling would allow me to run my business and use it as high school credits, and it would look very good on my transcript. Besides, I really felt God calling me to do it. I wanted girls everywhere to have access to the clothing I would provide, so I planned to start my business online. After two years of saving from my piano teaching, odd jobs, and birthdays I had the capital I needed. I put hours into research, and consulting friends and family. I have now launched my own clothing company, Paulina Carmel. It has been hard to balance school and work, but Jesus made a way for me, and put the right people in my path. I pray that this company will be a blessing to others.”

Very involved in church, school and work, Paulina enjoys the things most sixteen-year-olds do. Playing soccer (in a skirt), talking on the phone, traveling and meeting new people, walking, biking, swimming, art, photography, and . . . she likes to shop! She will graduate at the age of seventeen and would like to go to college for music, photography, or business after building her clothing business for a while.

She said, “Wherever the Lord directs I want to be listening close enough to hear Him. I have learned that sometimes he speaks in a still small voice and if you are paying too much attention to other things, you might miss it. I encourage girls to pursue whatever dream the Lord gives them, and for His glory. A few years ago, if I had seen where I would be now I think I would have been very surprised, but with Jesus all things are possible.”