What’s Right With Our Schools: Girls Inspired at Brainerd High

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – Getting into the college is one thing. Graduating college is another. Some Brainerd High School students are developing a support system that should see  them all the way through. The women of tomorrow are getting help today through Girls Inspired.

Jucinta Rome is a sponsor for Girl’s Inspired.

She explains, “Girls Inspired was started in October of last year, 2021, and our goal is to foster and support the academic as well as the personal success of girls 14 through 19.”

Brainerd High Success Academy Coordinator Vivian Jackson chips in, “The girls are here from Brainerd.  We have them to complete an application, and we look at the applications, and we pick the girls from those applications, and they come in, and we do girl talk from a to z.”

Lashayla Poole is a senior at Brainerd.

She says, “What drew me to the program was that it’s actually helped to like help me become a better woman, and I feel like that’s a good, that’s a good type of thing I can take with me, while I’m there in college and to inspire other people to be just like how they taught me in this group.”

Tatyana Thomas is a freshman at Brainerd.

She adds, “It’s always good to never stop learning. So, because you’ll learn something new every day, especially at the group and learn something new every day.”

Bobbi Stock is another sponsor of Girls Inspired.

She says, “What we have seen here with our girls is they need a lot of support, a lot of love; encouragement. We just come alongside of them really to show them love and give them every opportunity to succeed.”

Vivian adds, “Conversation was today all about how to get into college, and how to stay in college, and when you get in college, if you feel you’re in trouble, you have some people to call on.”

Tiera Heron is a senior at Brainerd.

She says, “Higher education is very important, especially if you have like a set mind path on like what you want to do in life, and especially if you want to help people or have your own business. I think it’s very important.”

Lashandra Poole is also a senior at Brainerd.

She says, “A better education, they’ll look at you like different and stuff like, you can get those same opportunities as anybody else, and like, it can help you further on with your business.”

Mary Grant is another sponsor of Girls Inspired.

She concludes, “We’re showing them that there can be something else other than what they’re used to. They now build that trust and you know their communication appear to be becoming better. We really try to expose them to new experiences, and most importantly that they have a plan after high school.”