Bella Swan is a strong character. She is brave,caring,forgiving,accepting, and just plain awesome:) she has risked her life many times to save someone she loves, such as Charlie Renee, Edward, Jacob, the Cullens, Nessie, etc. she went through weeks of pain to save her daughter. She was willing to die so her baby could live. She had also formed a huge army and was prepared to fight to the death to protect her child and family. So yes, Bella is a role model and no she is not dependent on Edward.
Harry Potter is a strong character. He is brave, caring, forgiving, accepting, and just plain awesome:) he has risked his life many times to save many people he loves such as, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Nevile, the Weaslys, Luna etc. everyone went through years of pain to defeat Voldemort and save the world. He had also formed a huge army and they were all prepared to fight to the death to protect the ones they loved and the greater wizarding world. So yes, Harry Potter has great role models too, in your own words.