Dressed in their finest and walking tall, young girls from Mini Poderosas hit the runway to celebrate the nonprofit's five-year anniversary with a community fashion show.

Mini Poderosas mentors and empowers girls ages 8 to 18 under the guidance of founder and Executive Director Azucena Bravo, connecting them with women leaders through events and an annual summer camp.

With Mini Poderosas, Bravo has created a space where girls from different socio-economic, academic and racial backgrounds can come to feel empowered and share their journey with their mentors.

The program has grown exponentially since its start, with Bravo looking to expand its reach to girls as young as three.

To celebrate the group's five-year anniversary, Bravo said she wanted to do something special to show the girls how much their community supports them.

With help from several local clothing boutiques and inspired by the upcoming sequel to "The Devil Wears Prada," Mini Ponderosas hosted a fashion show Feb. 21 at Second Sky on Tucson’s south side.

The warehouse was packed with attendees, decked out with a disco ball, purple carpet and a VIP lounge stocked with food and drinks.

At the photo station, girls in everything from casual wear to quinceañera dresses huddled together for group shots, with a DJ keeping the energy high throughout the night.

Bravo and local boutique owner Veronica Norzagaray emceed the event, introducing each participant as they walked the runway to a cheering crowd.

Attendees erupted in oohs and ahhs as the girls strutted and posed, some adding dance moves and hair flips along the way.

Norzagaray, who wore a slim black and gold dress of her own making, also had her boutique featured in the show. True Me Inspire had everything from resort wear to gowns on display.

"The minis and Madrinas walking together and just showing the little girls and their confidence was absolutely the best,” she said.

Madrinas, or mentors, donate each summer to send minis to camp.

True Me Inspire offers curated outfits, color analysis and private styling sessions. What began as a home-based business has grown into a full storefront dedicated to helping women embrace their individuality and confidence.

Mini Poderosas mentor McKinlay Jaret-Schachter wore TMI clothing in the show, saying she especially enjoyed getting ready with the girls backstage.

"They're all cute. None of them go to school together, and they only know each other through this," she said. "They all seem so fun and supportive of each other."

Jaret-Schachter said she would have loved to participate in a similar event at her age.

Even a pageant winner joined in: Miss U.S. Mexico Latina winner Esmeralda Sierra walked the runway alongside Mini Poderosas member Callie.

"It was beautiful, it was amazing," she said. "The girls were able to show their confidence and felt even better walking with their mentor."

Bravo said the event was designed to give the girls a space to build confidence and support one another.

Lily Cottam is a journalism major at the Universsity of Arizona and intern at Tucson Spotlight.

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