These girls have a mean pitch. A business pitch that is.
On March 23, 2023, two teams of Girls to Women students from Walnut Hills High School competed in the Square 1 NEXT Final Pitch Event & Dinner at Thomas More University.
Teams competed in both 30-second elevator pitches and two-minute pitches to local and global businesses for monetary prizes.
Student-led teams also competed in a Thomas More University Scholarship Level competition in which teams are given five minutes to pitch their ideas for a chance to earn a full-ride scholarship to the college.
The Walnut Hills teams pitched a travel app called “Zippies” in the two-minute category and took home the $300 first-place prize for each member.
The team in the scholarship-level category pitched an app for black hair care called “BLK Beauty,” which also won first place.
Walnut Hills was the only Cincinnati-based school featured in the competition and took home first place in both divisions. The school began training for the competition in January.
"It felt surreal and rewarding for all of our hard work to pay off," said Cydney Emery, President of Girls to Women at Walnut Hills High School. "We came up with an idea in hopes of helping other people of color to get their hair care needs and I'm glad other community leaders saw all the effort we put into this pitch."
The full-ride scholarships are guaranteed for four years of continuous undergraduate enrollment.
The event also acted as a networking opportunity for students, offering coaching, startup support and a chance to explore new pathways.
BLK Beauty Team:
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Cydney Emery
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Sidney Brown
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Jada Scott
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Hannah Ware
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Benedicta Gyan
Zippies Team:
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Alicia Boubrit
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Morgan Dyer
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Aniya Jenkins
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Anaya Jordan
