Girl Talk, a Knoxville-based nonprofit dedicated to mentoring and empowering middle and high school girls, continues to expand its reach thanks to a strategic partnership with SouthEast Bank. Through scholarships, lending support, and shared values, the bank is helping Girl Talk deepen its impact across East Tennessee, including students like Brianna Andrews.
SouthEast Bank has partnered with Girl Talk since 2015 and has most recently donated $125,000 toward programming and student scholarships, as well as an additional $500,000 toward the construction of the Girl Talk House, which will serve as the organization’s first permanent headquarters.
After being a long-time Girl Talk member, Brianna submitted a personal essay in 2024 about challenging perceptions and advocating for herself, earning her $5,000, the top tier of four annual scholarships offered by SouthEast Bank in partnership with Girl Talk. Brianna is currently a sophomore at the University of Tennessee studying biomedical engineering on a pre-med track.
“Girl Talk changed the trajectory of my life,” Brianna said. “The person I was when I joined is not the person I became when I graduated. I’ve always been smart and driven,” Brianna said. “But coming from a lower-income neighborhood, the question was never if I’d go to college – it was how I’d afford it.”\
Thanks to scholarships from SouthEast Bank, UT and other community organizations, Brianna is attending college debt-free.
Read more about this partnership here.
Your financial journey starts with SouthEast Bank.
Olivia Johnson is marketing strategist for Southeast Bank.
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