Meet Marquita Gipson | Founder and Executive Director of Girls That Glitter Inc.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marquita Gipson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marquita, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind the success and brand of Girls that Glitter Inc, is the relationships of supporters and the children and families we serve. When I look back on each event, encounter or opportunity given to impact our mission it connects back to the support and relationships we’ve built. This work is not an easy task and when I think about how we’ve managed to impact the lives of our mentees and the community, it is through the building of relationships that help to make us successful. People supporting our mission and programming matters. Our brand and programming is built from the 5 Pillars of mentoring. Those pillars are Empowerment, Self-Confidence, Leadership and relationship building, and community involvement.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

In my full-time career, a work as a Licensed Assistant Director of Clinical Serivces for a non-profit agency. My full-time career allows me to impact the lives of children and families.

Girls that Glitter Inc. was established in April of 2018. As mentioned before, this all started with one time event in mind. I had no idea what to do, how to do it and where to start. Girls that Glitter Inc. is a mentoring organization for girls ages 7-21. We have several types of programming to meet the needs of our mentees. We are originally based out of the city of Memphis; however, we have hybrid options for our mentees across the state and in other states outside of Tennessee. Starting out, I felt very confident. I’ve been a part of several organizations and experiences where being a leader or mentorship would not be difficult for me to do. Little did I know, I had no clue. LOL. I am most proud that we can continue to grow a little bit at a time. It was very challenging at first and there are some parts that are still challenging. How do I recruit? Where do I get funding? How do I balance my personal life and my full-time career? A few lessons I learned early on is that is enough for everyone to have a successful mentoring organization. I had to learn who could I trust and who I could do business with. Everyone does not have the same goal in mind. I had to stop comparing GTG to other larger organizations. I started to ask for help, of course from people who wanted the same success and the vision of GTG to come to life. I continued to build mentoring relationships for myself to ensure the organization would be on the right track. I’ve watched webinars, attended workshops and made myself committed to the advancement of the organization. I’ve learned that a little is a lot. Planning and organizing has been key to the success of GTG. No matter how successful or how great events have been, my team and I look for ways to improve and grow. Girls that Glitter Inc. will empower young ladies to create their own opportunities for success, though contributing to the community as young leaders guided by mentors, dedicated to expanding their horizons.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I absolutely love the city of Nashville. I enjoy spending and making new memories with some of my closest friend in the city of Nashville. One thing that I love most about the city is the many different types of restaurants. Some of my favorite restaurants are White Castle (Don’t judge me..haha), Sedona Tap House, Hattie B’s, the Pancake Pantry and Shugga Hi Bakery Cafe. Downtown Nashville is beautiful. There is always something fun to do and live music. I consider Nashville a place where you can enjoy a quick getaway. I really enjoy the different murals and photo ops throughout the city. There is always something to do with your good friends like, Painting, Candle Making, the African American Museum and multiple HBCU’s in the city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Oh, yaaasssss! I first have to give thanks to God for all of this. The gifts, the path and the vision he has given for this organization. I never imagined being a Founder of my own anything. I’ve just done what I’ve always done and that is serve. Girls that Glitter Inc. (GTG for short) was only supposed to be a onetime thing. I wanted to celebrate my 30th birthday by hosting a free workshop for 30 girls in the community. As I planned for the event, God spoke to me and told me to give young ladies what I had been given to me along my journey. I’ve wanted to quit many many times. I have to thank my mother. She showed me what hard work looks like. She taught me how to serve and give to others. Throughout my life I’ve had many mentors for different aspects of my life who has helped shape me and the success of GTG. Much of GTG success comes from the love and support for my Husband who pushes the mission and greatness of the organization. The love and encouragement from my closest friends and families have been a huge part of programming. My sisters with Beautiful Spirited Women have also been a great lifeline of support and mentorship along the way. It is important to have a group of positive people who can support you, won’t let you quit and hold you accountable. I most certainly and cannot leave out the parents who entrust their young ladies with our mentorship.

Website: www.GirlsthatGlitterInc.com

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