U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito visited Eagle School Intermediate on Thursday to talk with students for her West Virginia Girls Rise Up program.
This was the 34th event for the program, as Capito strives to inspire the next generation.
Capito, R-W.Va., started the West Virginia Girls Rise Up program in 2015 after becoming the first female senator from West Virginia. She wanted to encourage young women to follow their dreams and show them that they can be the next leaders.
Through this program, she visits different elementary schools throughout the state to talk to fifth-grade girls.
“I wanted to see West Virginia girls be the next leaders,” Capito said. “So, I thought that if they see a leader like me, they will say to themselves, ‘I want to be like that.’ If they can see it, then they can imagine it for themselves.”
During her visit, Capito talked about three different things girls could focus on to help them achieve their goals: education, physical fitness and self-confidence. She asked what those things meant to them and how they could improve.
Capito also shared her own story. When she was in fifth grade, she received a note from her teacher that said she needed to speak more in class. Now, as a U.S. senator, Capito is inspiring other girls to overcome their own weaknesses.
“By showing them my weaknesses, I hope to give them more confidence in themselves and show them that they can practice and set high goals to work toward,” Capito said. “It’s also fun to see what’s on the girls’ minds and learn more about them.”
At the end of the presentation, the students split up into groups to write down and discuss a goal to help them “rise up” and become a better version of themselves. Harper Johnson, a fifth-grade student at Eagle School Intermediate, shared that she hopes to become a marine biologist, baker or kindergarten teacher someday. Johnson shared her favorite part of the West Virginia Girls Rise Up program is how it helps girls like her.
“I think it’s great, because it shows how girls can be more empowered,” Johnson said. “Girls often get put down, because people think we can’t do the same things boys can do, but this program reminds us to dream big.”
Capito used the opportunity to learn more about Eagle School Intermediate and visited a few classrooms, where she introduced herself to students, teachers and other staff at the school. Two students, who are members of the school’s newly established leadership team, guided her throughout the school.