#WCW: Michelle Blue

As a company founded by a female entrepreneur, we are so excited to feature Michelle Blue, a UGA grad from Lithonia, Georgia and Co-Founder and Owner of Bené (pictured on the right) as our Woman Crush Wednesday. Check out her journey to entrepreneurship:

"In 2011, during the summer of my sophomore year at the University of Georgia as a marketing and fashion merchandising major, I took a trip to Ghana for a study abroad program. During my trip, I visited various programs that take in girls and empower them through educational opportunities to equip them with the tools to live independently. I immediately fell in love with the girls that we met and was in awe of the girls’ spirit. Despite the material possessions they seemingly didn’t have, they had so much joy and love to give. Forever changed by my experience I shared my admiration of the girls with my best friend Sasha. Together, we marveled at the hope of the girls in Ghana. More importantly, we knew we had a part to play and decided to work together to make a positive and sustainable difference in the girls’ lives, the lives of their families and their country.

After graduation, we launched Bené, a collection of scarves, inspired by the culture where this all began and committed to providing an education to girls in Ghana by sponsoring tuition, books, supplies and the uniforms for the girls to continue their education and fulfill their dreams. Each scarf is named after one of the girls we support, upon purchase, you get to learn more about that girl and how you have helped make a difference in her life.

Our ultimate goal is to expand our support beyond Ghana and provide girls all around the world with access to a quality education. As a start-up we are constantly faced with new struggles but knowing that we are having an impact in these girls’ lives encourages us to work harder everyday.

Our S/S’15 Collection is now available at www.benescarves.com, shop the collection and learn more about the girls we support. Stay connected with us on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter at Bene Scarves."

Thanks for inspiring girls worldwide, Michelle!