Over the years, Selena Gomez [1] has become a household name with her incredible music career [2] and big movies [3], but before she became a bona fide superstar [4], she was a teen starlet on Disney Channel. Any dedicated Selena fan [5] knows her character, Alex Russo, on the hit show Wizards of Waverly Place is the epitome of cool. Not only is she chock-full of sarcastic comebacks, but she's also super relatable (aside from the whole magic thing, of course). In honor of the actress's 24th birthday this week, we're throwing it back by counting down all the reasons we wanted to be BFFs with her hilarious character.

She Tells It Like It Is

She Embraces Her Dark Side

She Is a Pro at Running Away From Her Problems

She Knows the Best Way to Celebrate Is With Food

She Is the Queen of Procrastination

She Isn't Afraid to Put Her Heart Out on the Line

She Shares Our Same Sentiments on Valentine's Day

She Raises Some Valid Arguments

She Has High Self-Esteem and Isn't Afraid to Show It

She Has Her Priorities Straight

She Gives Great Pep Talks

She Owns Her Lazy-Girl Status With Pride

She Is as Blunt as She Is Stylish ​

She Can Drop Some Quality Zingers at the Drop of a Hat

She's Always There in Times of Need