By Liz Chevalier –
Recently I had the pleasure of speaking with Lily Wachuku, a senior-to-be at Cy-Ranch High School. Lily is no ordinary high school teenager; She is on a powerful mission to change the world. The founder of the Girls’ Empowerment Organization, “Live Life the Girl Way,” (livelifethegirlway.com) Lily is seeking support from the Cypress community.
Where did you grow up? Tell me all about yourself…
I grew up right here in Cypress. I am from a family full of very diverse interests and a mindset for self-improvement and world betterment. This has definitely impacted me since the very beginning of my life. I have been raised to believe in myself, to strive for the best in all that I do, and to use my gifts and talents to positively impact the world.
Schooling?
I am currently a senior in high school and my academic plan is focused on STEM and French. I love learning new things and growing as a person!
How did the organization begin? How many years? Tell me what you do, your mission…what do you want your audience to know. I started my Girls’ Empowerment Organization “Live Life The Girl Way” (livelifethegirlway.com), in the fall of 2018 to empower and encourage girls globally to work toward achieving all of their goals and dreams, to be confident in themselves and their abilities, and to never close the doors on great opportunities even when they seem like stretch goals. My organization’s mission and platform are structured around providing helpful resources such as articles, YouTube videos, podcast episodes, and inspirational Twitter posts to help girls and young women to have access to the examples, habits, and way of thinking that they need to continue to work towards achieving lofty goals and ambitions.
What drove you to move forward with the organization?
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to change the world positively. I always believed that I could make a positive change in the world if I tried. Three years ago, when I was thirteen years old, I finally took a step towards positively impacting the world and future generations by creating my organization. My driving force was definitely the belief that I could use my gifts and talents to inspire and empower girls everywhere.
How did you decide to start your organization?
Much of my talent lies is writing and speaking, so I thought that the best way to inspire and empower girls was to incorporate those talents for the most positive impact. I found that the internet was the best way to reach many people while using my talents of speaking and writing, so Live Life The Girl Way was born soon after via the website livelifethegirlway.com.
Grades? Favorite subjects, talents, fun time activities?
I am currently in the top 9% of students in my graduating class. My favorite class is AP
English because I can spend an entire hour each day doing what I love to do, which is reading and writing! My favorite things to do for fun are painting, reading, listening to music, and working for my organization.
What challenges have you experienced running the organization in the pandemic?
The pandemic makes it difficult to have events that make it possible for me to connect with my amazing community. This challenges me to find creative ways to connect with and inspire others!
Finish this statement: When things are the toughest, I…
I read a good book, write poetry, or watch a ‘feel good’ or comedy movie to remind myself that better days are ahead.
Family time usually involves…?
Before the pandemic family time usually involved fun trips to Houston’s Museum District and Uptown Park Houston, but now family time usually involves family movie nights.
What do you do to relax? Hobbies/Activities?
Running a Girls’ Empowerment Organization while being a full-time student at age sixteen can definitely be very stressful! To relax, I like to listen to music, to dance, and to create art.
What has helped you to get through Covid-19, any thoughts, correlations to what you do?
Creating content for my organization has definitely helped me to get through COVID-19 because it gives me a greater purpose, which is to inspire and empower girls everywhere. I am so grateful for my organization during this time because it keeps me grounded and inspires me to stay positive and keep trying no matter what.
Any additional comments?
I am most excited about my new “Fuel Her Dreams” initiative. Recently, my Girls’ Empowerment Organization launched the “Fuel Her Dreams” initiative in collaboration with UNICEF USA.
When I learned that many girls in Malawi were not given the chance to complete their education after primary school I was displeased; and when I heard that because of this many were exploited through child marriage I was angry. So, I launched my “Fuel Her Dreams” initiative to provide 20 girls in Malawi with an entire year of education this year. I need $3,540 to accomplish this goal. I am working as hard as I can to achieve this goal, but I still need help. I would greatly appreciate your donations to this fundraiser to help to save girls in Malawi from child marriage today. Learn more about my campaign to educate girls this year by googling “Fuel Her Dreams” today to find our GoFundMe page!
charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/fuel-her-dreams1
