I'm a sucker for a great smile.

I'm looking for a guy who can make me laugh, who knows exactly what he wants, who's ambitious, ready to start a family, ready to get married.

I'm in this thing, you know. I'm 'Bachelor' Nation, I'm a part of the franchise.

The 'Bachelor' franchise does believe in happy endings - some people get an on-camera happy ending, some people get on off-camera happy ending, and some people get both.

I think it is fair to say that I was denied my on-camera happy ending.

The Bachelor is in charge of saying what they're interested in and what they're not. Some people don't know that - they do ask you.

I've always wanted to get married and have a family, but I'm not the girl who sat down and planned out her wedding, her dress, or how everything would go with the proposal.

To be the first to do something is huge - all eyes are on you. You just don't know how people are going to judge you.

I have a big personality, and people feed off that.

I love a man that's in touch with his feelings. Now, I don't need you to cry more than you talk, but I love that if you're feeling something you just go with it.

You have to know what you want and focus on that.

When you aren't private you open yourself to everyone's opinions about you.

That was my thing: if it's so easy, it's boring or something's not right.

I run away from the one who is good on paper - the one who has it all together - and I run toward the one that's more complicated, and who I can fix and we can work on it together.

I'm a huge Russell Westbrook fan. I pretend I know him, I call him Rusty. But I love his style and someone who steps out out of the box and is bold and that's him.

I'm a Black woman and I've always been told that I wasn't Black enough because of the way that I grew up, the experiences that I had.

Up until I was 30 I really didn't date seriously outside of my race because I felt like society - not my parents, not my friends - society was telling me I had to pick a Black man.

I can tell you my dream bachelorette party, but I cannot tell you my dream wedding.

Family's big to me.

I love Dallas.

I am a proud, not Texan, but a citizen of Dallas.

I need to be able to cook for my kids.

I don't shop a whole lot. But when I shop, I shop!

I'm obviously nervous and excited to take on this opportunity but I don't feel added pressure being the first black Bachelorette, because to me I'm just a black woman trying to find love. Yes, I'm doing on this huge stage, but again my journey of love isn't any different just because my skin color is.

I kind of consider myself a tomboy.

Any date that requires you to don a plastic poncho while inside an establishment with a liquor license is going to be incredible.

I spent much of my adult life focusing on my career and I take pride in my achievements in my field.

I'm looking for extraordinary. I'm looking for a man who I see and it makes me melt.

I am truly a person who believes in energy and vibes.

I'm very excited to be partnering with Vaseline because I've been a fan for years. It's products I grew up with - my mom always used them on us - and now, I use it all, from the petroleum jelly to the lip gloss and lotion.

Life is hard so why does my relationship have to be hard at the same time?

You cannot reason with delusion.

I'm looking for the man I cannot imagine a day without him being in my life.

My sister is married to a white guy, so it's nothing new for our family.

I use the petroleum jelly on my lips because they get very dry and it's truly the only thing that works.

I'm looking for the unexplainable connection and spark - real, true love.

I just wear like a powder, like a Bare Minerals, maybe some Nars, like a bronzer or blush, light gloss for my lips. That's pretty much it. Mascara.

I learned it is important to be confident in what you have and drown out all of the outside noise. You can't be distracted by what everyone else is doing and how they are doing it.

I do think I can change the perception of the 'Bachelorette.' And not just because of my race.

When you're putting out something that is very whitewashed and doesn't have any type of color in it and you're not trying to be effective and change that... I think that they have to at this point, give us a black Bachelor for season 25. I don't know how you don't.

All mornings should start with a cup of coffee and a good message from Chris Harrison.

My friends mean everything to me, so if you want to me be my lover then you have to get along with my friends!

I feel very indebted to my job. I support the loyalty that they've given me - it's very rare, especially in my profession, that you find people who are not just supportive of who you are as a person, but supportive of you finding love and your happiness.

Whether you say I'm too black, I'm not black enough, this is me. I hope people realize that my journey to love doesn't have to be any different just because my skin is.

My dad is a judge, but he started off as an attorney. He is one of my biggest role models; both of my parents are. So, from a young age, I said I wanted to be an attorney.

It's so unfortunate because people have become so comfortable being mean.

I'm happy to represent myself as a black woman in front of America and I'm happy for America to rally behind me and see what it's like for me to be on this journey to find love. Honestly, it's not going to be that different from any other season of 'The Bachelorette.'

I'm just like, 'Give me all the babies. If we can't have them, we're adopting.'

I had seen my dad overcome and work hard for the things that he has, and I hear the stories about the injustices that he faced.

I'm so humbled and honored to be chosen to represent myself as a black woman to America, and I look at it as such a positive. That's what made me move forward and want to embrace being the first black Bachelorette.