Trust me when I say this: as a teenage girl looking to make it big in the world of writing (even comedy), I know funny. And it wasn’t too long ago that I needed a new show besides Orange is the New Black and re-runs of The Office to binge on.

Stumbling along YouTube, I came across Inside Amy Schumer and immediately clicked on it as if it was instinct. I watched Amy Schumer’s stand-up earlier in my life when she was performing her routine before the show, and I could not stop laughing at her quick sense of humor. It clicked with me.

I’m a full-time college student who sadly has to study and procrastinate, so I don’t have time to catch the show live. However, I can say with pride that I have watched every single clip. And now, after seeing everything she has accomplished this year, I can declare that Amy Schumer is the greatest comedian of this generation… sorry Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler… well, you get the point.

Why do I think this? It goes way beyond this year. Schumer grew up in New York, where upon graduating she was voted “Teacher’s Worst Nightmare” and “Class Clown.” She then went to Towson University, where my sister goes now, and graduated with a degree in theater. After that, she split the next two years between stand-up comedy, bartending, and working as a waitress.

She worked hard to get to where she is today. She didn’t wait to be discovered; she worked and spent time cracking jokes and doing stand-up. Finally, she started to develop a comedy pilot for Comedy Central and… well, you know what happened next.

What I also love about Amy is how straight-froward she is. Schumer stands up for herself and tells it like it is; she isn’t afraid to shy away from speaking her mind or expressing herself, such as when she called out a comment from . And she does it all with an amazing combination of comedy and realism. One recent example being

 when she called out Jackson Murphy, a 17-year-old critic, for a sexist comment by simply replying “I get it. Cause I’m a whore? Glad I took a photo with you. Hi to your dad.”

In addition, she puts her values out there and has become a role model for other women. She is open about her body and what she does behind closed doors. She is  honest with herself and others, and doesn’t care what other people think of her (though we all just think she is hilarious). Even though she is being accused of stealing jokes (which she hasn’t, because jokes only cost $1.50 a piece), Schumer stands tall and defends herself, standing up for her values.

Here’s to you, Amy.