Girls Inc. at YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee and Chaput-Avery Family Foundation Announce $50,000 Scholarship Recipient

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 28, 2020) -  Kim Boih is an 18-year old Antioch High School senior on her way to achieving the American Dream. The aspiring graphic designer is the first recipient of the Chaput-Avery Family Foundation Scholarship. This $50,000 award will allow her to become the first member of her family to attend college. Kim is also a member of YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee’s Girls Inc. program and embodies its mantra of being strong, smart, and bold.“Kim has faced tremendous challenges throughout her young life, and she was selected for this scholarship because of her strong character, impressive work ethic, and commitment to excellence,” said longtime educator Dr. Nicole Chaput Guizani and board member of the Chaput-Avery Family Foundation. “She is exactly the type of young woman this scholarship was set up to support.”Kim and her family emigrated to the United States from Myanmar seven years ago. The family wanted a better life for their children, and this included attending high school and college for all five children. Kim immersed herself in her adopted homeland, learned a new language, and blossomed as a visual artist. Her teachers and Girls Inc. instructors describe Kim as a determined and dedicated student leader who has achieved artistic and academic success. Unfortunately, Kim’s father passed away from liver cancer during her senior year in high school.“Losing my father had definitely forced me to change and made me the strong woman that I am today,” said Kim. “Life consists of experience, challenges, and achievements, all of which are necessary to build character in people. Thanks to Girls Inc. and the Chaput-Avery Family Foundation, I have learned that changes in circumstances are unavoidable but can often be for the greater good.”After her father’s passing, Kim had planned to delay her college experience and care for her younger siblings and mother. However, the Chaput-Avery Family Foundation Scholarship is allowing her to pursue her dream - and her family’s dream - of achieving a college degree and better quality of life. Kim will receive a $12,500 scholarship annually for four years to help finance the cost of attending a four-year college. The grant can help cover a portion of the cost of tuition, textbooks, and/or transportation, in addition to other required fees or necessary costs.“This program is creating immediate and long-lasting change in our girls’ lives,” said Vanessa Helbig Johnson, Executive Director of Girls Inc. at YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee. “The Chaput-Avery Family Foundation Leadership Program is investing in and building the next generation of women leaders. It is inspiring to see the impact this program has on our girls.”The Chaput-Avery Scholars Program is based at Antioch High School and is open to junior and senior students enrolled in the YWCA’s Girls Inc. program there. The program served 17 youth this past school year through in-school programming, monthly leadership workshops, and a campus tour of Middle Tennessee State University."The Chaput-Avery Family Foundation’s goal of strengthening leadership skills in girls and young women is perfectly aligned with our mission of empowering women,” said YWCA president and CEO, Sharon K. Roberson. “We know that education is the great equalizer and girls who attend college experience long-term financial gain, career satisfaction, and success outside of the workplace.”About the Chaput-Avery Family FoundationThe mission of the Chaput-Avery Family Foundation is to assist young women in their pursuit of higher education, and improved health and well-being, thereby preparing them to play increasingly important roles as leaders. The Foundation was founded in 2018 by Bob and Mary Chaput and seeks out non-profit organizations with similar goals in order to help fund new or current programs.About Girls Inc. at YWCA Nashville & Middle TennesseeGirls Inc. at YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee was launched in early 2008 in response to the limited enrichment activities for at-risk middle school girls in the Nashville public school system. Today, Girls Inc. has expanded to 21 elementary, middle, and high schools in the Metro Nashville Public School district, and engages more than 500 girls annually through its in-school programming, spring break and summer camps. The key objective of Girls Inc. is to equip girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers and grow up healthy, educated, and independent. To achieve this objective, the Girls Inc. Experience consists of people, and environment, and programming that, together, empower girls to succeed. Learn more about Girls Inc. at YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee by visiting our website: www.ywcanashville.com/what-we-do/girlsinc/###