Concerned with women's issues at the early age of 14, Emily Malloy is now the youngest person on the Michigan Women's Commission.

Malloy, now a 20-year-old English senior, said the commission will deal with such issues as: affirmative action, domestic violence, substance abuse, gender equality in education, unintended pregnancies and infant mortality and women's economic issues.

Last summer, Malloy worked as an intern with the commission and soon after was appointed to it for a two-year term after executive director Judy Karandjeff encouraged her to apply.

"It's really fabulous," Malloy said. "I love to have the option to bring young women into the community to have a voice they haven't had before."

Malloy said that during her interview, she was asked what young women care about today.

"Really, the issues are the same," she said. "The perspective and approach young women might take is different. Between our combined effort we should be able to make a change."

Malloy's passion for women's rights started when she was in eighth grade and looking for writing opportunities. She stumbled upon Blue Jean Magazine, a compilation made for girls, by girls in order to provide smarter media for young women.

"The concept was that girls want more than boy bands and beauty advice," she said.

Malloy said it was working with the magazine that eventually determined her life goals. Soon after joining the magazine and weeks after graduating from eighth grade, she was sent to Seneca Falls in 1998 to represent the publication and report on the 150th anniversary of the First Women's Rights Convention.

"There were all kinds of women there," Malloy said. "There were women who didn't shave their armpits, there were lesbians and basically after seeing all that, how could I go back to west Michigan without a different perspective?"

Malloy said she was the perfect age to take in everything, but while it built her confidence, it made relating with girls at her high school difficult.

"I knew there was something different out there, a healthier perspective out there," she said.

Malloy wrote for the magazine for five years as a columnist and webmaster.

She later went on to be a part of the Michigan Women's Foundation, and was involved with Young Women for Change, a group of about 20 high school women who decided how to distribute funding to nonprofit organizations.

Malloy said young women who want to help in some way are her passion and she hopes to be able to get them involved in the future.

"There's so much potential in women that isn't recognized because there's not enough mentors and not enough support," she said.

The senior will graduate in three years to speed things up on her way to work more deeply on women's issues.

"I really know what I want to go out there and do, so why wait any longer than I have to?" she said.