Local Empowered Women: Emily Laput

For being only 15 years-old, Laput demonstrates what it means to be a feminist and to be selfless.

This week we had the pleasure of talking to not only a volunteer here at Empower Her but a remarkable young woman, Emily Laput.  Only a junior in High School, Laput exemplifies what it means to be an empowering woman and empowers other women everyday.  Emily is very active with her involvement in the Women’s empowerment club at her high school and tutoring students when need be but what makes Laput remarkable is the work she does for the community.  

This past year Laput held a Health and Wellness conference for her local community.  When asked where she found her inspiration she said, “I subscribed to Oprah magazine and saw she was holding a Health and Wellness conference but it was out of my price range so with the knowledge that I had along with expert help, I figured I could do something myself.”  This event that Laput put together was unlike a typical Health and Wellness conference.  Laput showcased what health and wellness truly means by holding workshops that include, intellectual health, mental health, emotional health, physical health, and occupational health.  As Laput said, “Health is so much more than what society deems as healthy, it’s multidimensional and we’re just scratching the surface of what it really means to be healthy.”  With that in mind, Laput went to work to create this event that would show her community what health and wellness is.  During her planning process however, COVID-19 changed the direction of this event.  When asked if it affected the event, Laput said, “I am not someone who is typically flexible but this change forced me to adapt and I am proud of the event we held virtually.”  This event, although altered, was a success.  There were speakers who specialized in the different health fields and with their help, the event raised enough money for 27 gift cards for a local food bank along with a filled grocery cart.  When asked if she would host this event again Laput said, “yes, it was such a rewarding experience and I think that we can make it even better.”  

This event demonstrates Laput’s determination and selflessness to give back to her community.  When asked why a health and wellness event was so important to her she talked about her battle with anorexia.  When talking about it she said, “You don’t understand how much your mind has a difference in life until you have a mental illness.”  Laput’s openness and vulnerability about her mental illness shows her strength as a young woman and empowers other women by encouraging them to be open, and not be ashamed of their mental health struggles.  By discussing her journey, she has created a community that women can admire and relate to.  In Laput’s definition of female empowerment, she says, “ being positive and helping women realize their true strengths is female empowerment.”  Although Laput has struggled with anorexia, she is strong, selfless and not ashamed.  She refuses to accept  mainstream society’s definition of health and wellness by creating her health and wellness event.  Laput’s health and wellness event allowed Laput to change the narrative of what it means to be healthy.  

When Laput is not destigmatizing mental health, she enjoys spending time with her dog Mazey, does strength training, and enjoys card games with her family. For the future, Laput would like to go to college and major in Marketing and minor in either digital marketing or non-profit and  advocacy.  For being only 15 years-old, Laput demonstrates what it means to be a feminist and to be selfless.  As an organization, Empower Her is thankful to have her donate her time to them and for demonstrating what it means to Empower women.