Fairhaven Teen Empowers Girls With Powerful Women’s Event

Fairhaven’s Emmalyn Pereira, an eighth grader at Elizabeth Hastings Middle School, is proving that age is just a number when it comes to making a difference.

What started as a school civics assignment has blossomed into a full-blown community event called “She Did It, You Can Too,” a celebration of female leadership and empowerment taking place May 18 at Ryan’s Sports Pub & Billiards in New Bedford.

Emmalyn, just 14 years old, is organizing the event to inspire girls like her and raise funds for the Malala Fund, which supports education for girls worldwide.

“I want to show young girls of the next generation that there are so many women who’ve made it and they can too,” Emmalyn said.

A Showcase of Local Talent, Businesses, and Speakers

The free event features live music, including performances from Emmalyn and her vocal coach Lindsay Joy Mota, a female DJ, and a lineup of female speakers such as a local firefighter and women business owners who will share their stories. There will also be raffle prizes donated by local businesses including a $100 gift card to Nasketucket Vineyard, packages from Play Arcade, K&A Creations and more.

READ MORE: Meet 30 Successful SouthCoast Women Who are Making a Difference in the World

“This started out as a project, but I wanted it to be more,” Emmalyn said, adding that her passion for women's empowerment also stems from her pageant platform, “She Can Too,” and her school club, You Go Girl.

A Mom’s Pride and a Young Leader’s Drive

Emmalyn’s mom Trisha Affonce is helping her behind the scenes but emphasizes that her daughter is doing most of the legwork.

“She’s reaching out to businesses, recruiting talent, and organizing the whole thing,” Affonce said. “As a single mom, I think she’s seen the importance of believing in yourself when the odds are stacked against you.”

Emmalyn, who plans to attend Fairhaven High School next year, said she wants to continue organizing events like this annually, and maybe even explore politics someday, citing Taylor Swift as her biggest role model for using her voice in both music and advocacy.

With a voice beyond her years and a vision bigger than herself, Emmalyn Pereira is already making waves, and she’s just getting started.