A local woman was honored in Bridgeport for helping young women achieve their potential.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal recognized Julia Moore for establishing a nonprofit whose mission is to help females, ages 14 to 21, to better themselves through education.

Young Ladies Taking Responsibility and Portraying Proper Educational Development (YLT) is a group that teaches everything from healthy-living life skills to peer mentoring through a college readiness program.

Moore says she is driven by the inspiration her own mom gave her to aim high, believe in herself and pay it forward.

"Julia Moore has been a champion of young women achieving their full potential, and she is touching countless lives,” says Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

Blumenthal calls Moore "a hero of the female empowerment movement."