Since 2015, the Jill Melmed-Buzzeo Award has provided 19 Philadelphia “girls with grit” with scholarship funds, mentorship and an intergenerational community of supporters as they graduate from high school. Today we announce we’re officially changing our name from Jill Melmed-Buzzeo Award to Girls with Grit.
“We started off as honoring an individual, and now the person for whom we were named is taking the proper place in the hierarchy,” said Girls with Grit founder and board president Fran Melmed. “The girls are taking the lead.”
Named for Melmed’s mother after her death from lung cancer, the organization’s mission honors Jill Melmed-Buzzeo’s values: to equip ambitious, resilient female-identified students from Philadelphia with the tools and support to advance their professional dreams. In addition to $2,000 for educational expenses, a $300 travel stipend and regular care and toiletry packages, recipients are matched with a mentor who helps with the kinds of personal, academic and professional challenges she may encounter.
Another key component of the award is financial and professional preparation. Awardees receive career coaching and the opportunity to pursue roles and projects to develop their leadership skills. A financial empowerment program helps awardees think through paying for college, managing savings and spending, and job search skills. They also take part in solo and group sessions with a college financial fit coach and a resume and interview coach, among others.
“They taught me one can never have too many mentors, too big of a network, or too much support,” said 2016 recipient Nina McPhaul.
As the organization has grown, award recipients—who are expected to participate in group meetings, social events and other cohort activities—shared feedback with the board: the “girls with grit” tagline encapsulated how they saw themselves and their relationship with the program.
That tagline includes the intentional use of “girls” to mean any of Philadelphia’s female-identifying citizens and “grit” as the special quality that pushes awardees to hustle for themselves and their community despite their struggles.
“Girls with grit face obstacles but they push forward,” Melmed said.
The Jill Melmed-Buzzeo Award will continue to anchor the organization, which will announce five new girls with grit later this spring.
You can support Girls with Grit with a tax-deductible contribution. To become a mentor or to join our community, read more about our volunteer opportunities.