Meet Tiara Hunt Smith | Non-Profit Founder & Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tiara Hunt Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tiara, what inspires you?
I am inspired by us “WOMEN”! I am constantly amazed and motivated by our ability to overcome obstacles and create opportunities in spaces that are traditionally dominated by men. It is essential for all women, especially women of color to pave the way for other women who are thought leaders and strive for success, while break barriers. I have been fortunate to have very positive examples of strong, courageous leaders who are females in my life as I was coming up. I realized the impact it made on my confidence, goals, and aspirations. I also recognized that I too became an inspiration to younger females around me because of what was instilled in me as young woman. Having an opportunity to make a difference in a young girl’s life and help them become their best self is sometimes inspiring enough for me!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I envisioned Strengthening Her Evolution, Inc. back in 2014, created a plan, but never followed through. Because I was extremely unfamiliar with how non-profit organizations worked, I wasn’t confident I could start and build a non-profit from the ground up. I felt I was missing the resources and support from individuals who were already in the non-profit space. Don’t get me wrong, I am an entrepreneur, but this business was going to be very different from other for-profit businesses I had been a part of. The yearning to make a difference in female youth lives continued to be on mind and in my heart. I finally decided step out on faith and officially start the organization in January 2020. However, as soon as it was established, the pandemic happened. This became a huge barrier for me to make connections and discover my service area to include local schools, community, and faith-based organizations that I could partner with. Covid-19 really slowed down my progress, but I was able to slowly start making connections and doing work in the community in 2021. Of course, we had to be unique with how we connected with youth and worked with partners during this time, but this slow start truly gave me time to build on the fundamentals of our program. Presently, our organization is in full gear and working with schools in Cobb County Georgia. We are excited to have our first summer camp for girls ages 11 – 13 this year!

Strengthening Her Evolution, Inc. (SHE) was created to aid and empower our underserved, minority female youth in areas not covered in traditional schools. Our mission at SHE is to provide girls with the tools & resources needed to develop character, self-esteem and ensure the girls understand cultural awareness, and economic conditions in their society and globally. Our organization engages girls as well as their mothers through programs and workshops aiming to overcome at-risk conditions, breaking the cycle of poverty, crime, and low educational attainment. SHE focuses on underserved, high-risk neighborhoods as our core service areas. We acknowledge the probability of parents encountering significant problems related to employment, education, self-sufficiency, or a healthy lifestyle, which trickles down to the youth in these areas. SHE’s program serves ages 8 to 16, the interactive activities and projects will develop the skills needed to function and be successful in an everchanging society. SHE evaluates and builds vital developmental skills through our five SHE fundamentals: developing character, developing self-esteem, building effective communication, understanding cultural awareness, and understanding economic conditions.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take friends visiting the area to a few spots: The Battery because there are multiple restaurants and hangouts within walking distance as well as Ponce City Market. I would also go a little further away from the city to Chateau Elan and do wine tasting and dining. Some of my favorite brunch spots are Garden Parc, South City Kitchen, and Atlanta Breakfast Club just to name a few.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shout out to my mentor and my family particularly my mom, my sister, and my aunts (my mom’s sisters) who have been such a support system for me throughout the years. Not to mention, they have been my number 1 fans since I was a young girl. The love and encouragement as taken me a long way and I am forever grateful.

Website: www,s-h-e.us

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/s-h-e-inc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrengtheningHer

Image Credits
Ashley Gibbs Carmen Brown