CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – West Virginia’s first female U.S. Senator is working to inspire the next generation of women leaders.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito traveled to Charleston on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023 to host a “West Virginia Girls Rise Up” event. Capito launched the initiative in 2015 with the goal to empower young women through education, fitness and self confidence.
“I want West Virginia young girls to aspire to be anything they can be, whether it’s to be a U.S. senator or a justice in the West Virginia Supreme Court. And I learned through the course of doing some of these that one of the things that really helps the young girls is to see what that really looks like. If you can see me, you can be me,” Capito said. “If they don’t see you, they can’t be you. And I think that’s a lot of times, it’s a mystery what we do or how we act. We’re just like, just as on set. We’re just regular people.”
Capito also involves other women leaders in her mission. For today’s event, she was joined by West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Justice Beth Walker and Justice Haley Bun at Sissonville Middle School.
The West Virginia Girls Rise Up program travels to schools throughout the Mountain State every year, ranging from small class discussions to big assemblies.