Thirty-One Gifts selected Alyssa Hibbs of Hixson for its fourth annual Cindy Monroe Values and Vision Scholarship. Hibbs, 17, is a senior at Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts,
Thirty-One Gifts established the scholarship in 2013 with a $31,000 endowment to give back to the community where Cindy Monroe founded the company in 2003. The annual college scholarship is a $12,400 award, available to one girl each year in 11th or 12th grade who attends school in Hamilton County, either in private or public schools. Hibbs will receive $3,100 a year over the course of four years.
The scholarship recognizes a girl who embodies core values of building relationships, leadership and community involvement. She also must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and plan to attend an accredited two- or four-year U.S. college or university full-time. Hibbs plans to study chemistry, biology and nutrition at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the fall.
Hibbs has a 4.0 GPA and participated in a leadership summit in Los Angeles, where she developed business solutions for a small cell phone repair company.
“My most meaningful leadership experience was going to Los Angeles for a week and participating in the leadership summit,” said Hibbs. “My group pitched our solution to a large group of about 250 people. I learned how to manage a group and keep everything organized in the process. I learned how to communicate with complete strangers and to be bold.”
Thirty-One Founder, President and CEO Cindy Monroe is a native of Chattanooga and graduate of Hixson High School and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She founded Thirty-One in Chattanooga, with a mission to celebrate, encourage and reward women, providing an opportunity for them to achieve financial freedom, find personal fulfillment, and realize dreams through becoming successful business owners. The scholarship is part of that mission, providing opportunities for girls to reach their full potential.
The selection committee for the scholarship award was comprised of five members, all with ties to Hamilton County. They include Julie Sutton, co-founder of Thirty-One Gifts; Pam Allert, sales director with Thirty-One Gifts; Janice Neal, youth services manager, College & Career Success Initiatives, Public Education Foundation; Kim Green, community volunteer; and Tina Wyatt, BSA officer, vice president at First Volunteer Bank.
Past scholarship recipients include Savannah Bennett (2013) of Ooltewah, Mallorie Meneley (2014) of Ooltewah, and Katherine Turner (2015) of Signal Mountain.
The scholarship is offered through Thirty-One Gifts’ philanthropic initiative, Thirty-One Gives, which has a mission to support nonprofit organizations that strengthen families and empower women and girls. Thirty-One Gives was founded in 2012 and to-date has donated more than $100 million in products and cash to nonprofit organizations that share the mission. This year, Thirty-One Gives will donate approximately 5 percent of net total sales in product and cash to support those partner organizations. Every Thirty-One purchase made throughout the year adds up to help impact the lives of girls, women and families.
Hibbs is the daughter of Cherith Edwards, a native of Hixson, and Shawn Hibbs, of Nashville.