Two longtime participants in Girls Inc. of Chattanooga have won academic scholarships in the organization’s 2015 National Scholars Program.
Jasmine Pulliam and Alexis Eaton, both high school seniors, were awarded scholarships that will help them pursue higher educations. Pulliam, a senior at the Center for Creative Arts, was awarded a $20,000 scholarship. A black belt in taekwondo, Pulliam is no stranger to hard work. She has been involved with Girls Inc. since age 7, and hopes to study biology at Spelman College with the eventual goal of becoming a pediatric surgeon. In a release from Girls Inc. of Chattanooga, Pulliam was overjoyed at receiving the award.
“I am so grateful to have been awarded this scholarship,” Pulliam said. “My family and I feel a sense of relief knowing that there is help paying for college. I’m a firm believer that hard work pays off, and I know for sure that I will be able to continue that belief in my undergraduate studies beginning this fall.”
Girls Inc. of Chattanooga President and CEO Bea Lurie said Pulliam’s award is the largest single award anyone from Girls Inc. of Chattanooga has ever received. She said the staff was “ecstatic” for both girls’ accomplishments.
“The National Scholars Program is incredibly competitive,” Lurie said. “It receives 140,000 applications, and the whole process is complicated.”