photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph Area six grade girls walk balancing a books on her heads as part of a game Saturday during the annual Junior League of Tyler Inc. Girl Power event held at the UT Tyler Ornelas Activity Center.

Morgan Koziol’s life was never the same after she attended the Junior League of Tyler’s annual Girl Power event for sixth-grade girls in Smith County.

“In the sixth grade, I came to the Junior League Girl Power summit and it changed my world,” Miss Koziol, now 15, said. “It taught me about confidence, self-value and how valuable as an individual everyone is and I thought that was really important. I just wanted to keep coming back and getting involved.”

Hundreds of girls gathered Saturday at The University of Texas at Tyler’s Ornelas Activity Center for the Girl Power’s “Tea and Time to Make a Difference.”

Girl Power is a project initiated by the Junior League of Tyler to develop the leadership skills of sixth-grade girls in the community by promoting self-esteem and confidence, health and nutrition and a spirit of volunteerism.

The tea also provided them a chance to listen to motivational speakers who discussed topics ranging from manners to self-confidence and self-empowerment to style and grace. 

Throughout the experience, the young girls got to interact with others through team-building projects and educational demonstrations. 

“In the seventh grade, I came back and I got involved with the fashion show they held and we talked about posture and how the clothes they wear represent themselves,” Koziol said. “It’s just a really important experience.”

Rebecca Ballard, Meg Show and Rubyth Renteria were the event speakers.

“I hope they realize how important they are as a person,” Koziol said. “They can contribute so much to the world and I just hope they learn that, because that’s what it helped me learn.”