Emily Raleigh
As a senior in high school, Emily Raleigh wrote a short book to her younger sister, an incoming freshman. This book taught her sister the ins and outs to surviving high school and told her to be the best person she could be. Her family told her to publish this book, but she wanted to do something a little more. Instead, she took a different route and created an online organization for girls across the country.
Now, as a sophomore in college, Emily runs and owns The Smart Girls Group, a one stop shop for the next generation of superstar women. This website provides information and articles for girls ages 12-25. Once run by just eight girls, this organization has expanded to over 300 girls, myself included. The purpose of The Smart Girls Group is to inspire and empower girls all throughout the world via many mediums. From the online blog and magazine, to classes, conventions, and book clubs, The Smart Girls Group caters to the needs of many girls, and has over 4,000 readers worldwide. Besides the resources listed above, this organization has campus chapters located throughout the US and Europe, a custom-designed internship program, and has become a home to many girls throughout our world.
Emily’s goal to empower females throughout the nation, is quite inspiration. No one ever told her she had to start The Smart Girls Group because it was a school assignment. Rather, Emily started it because she wanted to help girls across the country be better versions of themselves and help break the glass ceiling that females face in today’s society.
Without Emily, I would be where I am today. Without the help of all the girls at The Smart Girls Group, I would not have found all the opportunities that I am now involved in. Because of this group, it has helped me decide what I want to do with my future. I used to want to be a publisher, but now I’m very focused on becoming an advocate for women’s rights. It brought me to a new perspective, and I see things in a different light.
Emily Raleigh and my fellow sisters at The Smart Girls Group not only empowered me, but inspired me to empower other girls. With the Smart Girls Group, I’ve been inspired to empower girls in my community by creating a workshop to help girls ages 8-16 become better leaders. I’m not the only example of people that have been empowered by Emily. So many girls have done things in their own communities because they wanted to help girls in their community.
Submitted by Anonymous
