Four Farmer School students were among 13 members of the Miami University community who received grants from the M.I.A.M.I. WOMEN Giving Circle for projects that are close to their hearts after making their pitches at the Hawk Tank event earlier this month.

The grants of up to $20,000 are funded by donations from Giving Circle members. Those seeking grants must submit a video, then those chosen from among the applicants make their pitch to Giving Circle members, who then vote as to who will receive money.

Lily Thaler, a junior marketing and entrepreneurship student, received $10,000 for efforts to raise awareness of Women Entrepreneurship Week and expand events to affirm, equip and inspire more aspiring entrepreneurs.

Claire Miller, a junior supply chain and operations major, was granted $5,000 for MobilePack Miami, a philanthropic event that works with the nonprofit organization Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). FMSC uses the time and donations of volunteers to pack and send life-saving meals to more than 70 countries around the world.

Rachael Steed, a senior marketing major, received $10,000 for the Miami University Fashion & Design Experiential Learning Project, which is designed to fund fashion company visits, guest speaker events, NYC Retail J-Term Trip scholarships, scholarships to cover internship expenses, and fashion show designer stipends.

$10,000 was granted to senior finance and political science major Annika Fowler for the Textbooks on Reserve program, in which textbooks for Miami’s most popular classes are made available to students on two-hour reserve. Currently limited to all top 50 enrollment classes that share a common textbook, Fowler sought the funds to expand the program.

“I'm extremely grateful to the M.I.A.M.I. WOMEN Giving Circle for investing in the Textbooks on Reserve program, and I'm excited to see the large-scale impact come to fruition to benefit all students,” Fowler said. “Fast pitching is a critical professional skill, and I'm lucky to have had the opportunity to practice and secure funding while meeting so many great Miami women throughout the process.”

"Being a part of the Hawk Tank pitch competition was an amazing experience, as I was able to learn so much about how to successfully pitch an idea to a large audience. This is something I had never done before, and I was able to learn so much from the entire process," Miller noted. "I am so thankful to the M.I.A.M.I. Women's Giving Circle, as they have made MobilePack Miami possible. It will be because of this grant money that we will be able to affectively promote this event and pack lifesaving meals for children around the world."