Investing in our partners
Rock City Awards $5,000 Scholarship Honoring Martha Bell Miller
September 22, 2025
Rock City Enterprises has awarded Carson Thatcher this year’s Martha Bell Miller Memorial Scholarship. Carson, a barista at Starbucks on Lookout Mountain, was presented with a check for $5,000 by Rock City owner and CEO Doug Chapin along with Rock City Enterprises senior leadership at a recent reception at the Grandview wedding and event venue next to the gardens.
“I'm very appreciative,” Carson said. “It's a huge honor to have invested time here into my personal and professional growth. I'm kind of beyond words.”
Carson’s tenacious work ethic and passion for helping others shines at Starbucks, where she’s worked the last three years as a barista, barista trainer and a team lead. She graduated from Berry College in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is pursuing a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Dance Movement Therapy at Lesley University.
Carson appreciates Rock City’s investment in her future as she aspires to become a licensed professional counselor in Tennessee to help children and adults through dance and movement. She currently splits her time between Starbucks, her graduate studies and helping others through therapy. Carson provides dance movement therapy at local memory care centers and at treatment centers for patients with eating disorders and who are recovering from substance abuse.
Renewable for up to four years, Rock City’s memorial scholarship honors the memory of Martha Bell Miller, a lifelong educator who portrayed Mrs. Claus and Mother Goose at Rock City for many years. One of Rock City’s first visitors on opening day in 1932, Miller would later return to Rock City, promoting character and integrity to children at Rock City and schools around the region from 1983 until her retirement in 2005. Miller passed away in 2016.
The Martha Bell Memorial Scholarship, established in 2009, is awarded annually to Rock City Enterprises partners (employees) like Carson who demonstrate exceptional dedication to both their education and their work within the organization.
“I know Carson on a personal level, and I think she's absolutely amazing,” said Tori Mize, Starbucks manager, noting how grateful she is of Carson’s dedication to balancing her studies with Starbucks over the years. “It’s been amazing to work with her and to see her grow not only at Starbucks, but also in school. She's always been really career driven and dance has always been a passion for her.”
Learning is one of Rock City Enterprises’ core values alongside innovation, communication, appreciation, accountability and proactivity. As a hospitality company with a diverse family of brands, Rock City Enterprises is committed to creating environments where partners can grow both personally and professionally throughout their career.
Each year, Rock City Enterprises awards two scholarships to team members who embody this commitment to learning. These opportunities, including the Martha Bell Miller Memorial Scholarship, are designed to support partners like Carson as they pursue higher education while continuing to contribute meaningfully to their roles.
Though she juggles a busy schedule, Carson doesn’t let jam-packed weeks keep her from serving customers with a smile. Be sure to say hello—and congratulations—the next time you swing by Starbucks on your way to Rock City.
Well deserved, Carson! The entire Rock City Enterprises family is proud to have you on our team and looks forward to investing in your bright future.