Girls Inc. of Chattanooga announced that two long-time Girls Inc. girls, Jasmine Pulliam and Alexis Eaton, are scholarship winners in the competitive 2015 Girls Inc. National Scholars Program. Girls Inc. National Scholars represent outstanding young women selected for exemplifying the Girls Inc. mission of inspiring all girls to be "strong, smart, and bold." They are role models for other girls who demonstrate a commitment to achieving academically and serving their communities. This year, Girls Inc. National awarded 31 high school girls across the nation from a record-high number of applications.
Jasmine Pulliam was awarded a $20,000 scholarship. She has been a Girls Inc. girl since she was seven years old. Now a senior in high school, Ms. Pulliam has big goals to become a pediatric surgeon. She plans to attend either UTK or Spelman college beginning this fall. Ms. Pulliam is currently enrolled in Girls Inc. of Chattanooga's Women's History Project and is an active participant in Girls Inc.'s school-break camps for teens.
"I am so grateful to have been awarded this scholarship," says Ms. Pulliam. "My family and I all feel a sense of relief knowing that there is help with paying for college. I’m a firm believer that hard work pays off, and I now know for sure that I will be able to continue that belief in my undergraduate studies beginning this fall. I feel very excited and well-prepared for the journey ahead to becoming an accomplished, strong, smart and bold woman. I could not be happier or more appreciative of all the help and support I have received form the Girls Inc. organization as a whole."
Alexis Eaton, winner of a $5,000 award, has been involved in Girls Inc. programming since she was in sixth grade, participating in such programs as the Women's History Project, Emma Wheeler Health Careers Academy, and more. "I am very excited to receive the national scholarship," says Ms. Eaton. "I've been working really hard, and you always wonder when it's going to pay off. We'll, it's finally paid off. I want to major in political science, then go into law and maybe become an attonery first. But my main goal is to become president of the United States."
Since 1993, Girls Inc. National has awarded over $4.6 million in scholarships, making higher education a reality for hundreds of high school girls across the United States and Canada.