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GHC alum grows Dallas boutique business

Georgia Highlands College alumna Avery Pope is following her dreams and applying what she has learned in the Entreprene­urship Pathway at

GHC to her business, Ginny Bird, which opened its new location in downtown Dallas earlier this year.

Described by Pope as “a youthful women’s clothing store with a confident and zestful vibe that has many cute pieces and gifts,” Ginny Bird is named after and inspired by her grandmothe­r, who was nicknamed Ginny Bird for her love for birds.

As one of the first graduates of the Entreprene­urship Pathway, Pope was able to plan her business as she completed her degree.

“One of the reasons I started the boutique business in college was because the program allowed me so many options and opportunit­ies for mentorship,” she said. “When you start the business while in the program, you can create it as you learn. I really feel like doing this provided the tools to propel Ginny Bird forward.”

Pope said Associate Professor of Business Administra­tion Shanika Turner provided guidance as she worked through the pathway, developing her business. She said she is thankful for the opportunit­ies

provided through the pathway and that her overall experience at GHC consisted of interactiv­e classes with a personal focus.

“In the classes, you are assigned case studies that provide opportunit­ies to dissect situations and cause you to think like the business owner in that situation, and now I’m able to apply what I’ve learned in class to situations I face daily,” Pope said. “One of the things that I am the most thankful for has been accounting, because where creativity in business tends to come naturally to me, accounting does not. If I had not taken accounting classes, I would have little to no idea what to do while organizing our numbers. The preparatio­n the

classes gave me was almost like having prior experience.”

Pope had advice for anyone considerin­g enrolling in the Entreprene­urship Pathway to help start a new business: “Absolutely go for it.”

“One of the things I was nervous about was that the pathway is only an associate pathway, and there’s so much pressure to get a bachelor’s degree,” Pope said. “But something that Georgia Highlands prepared me for and encouraged was the real-world experience. Get that associate degree, start your business, get out there and start doing it. I feel like because of that, I was prepared to go outside of my comfort zone and just get started.”