Girls scout for service
Everyone knows about Girl Scouts, whether it be from their cookies or service. They have worked hard and long to foster a welcoming and healthy environment for young girls across the nation.
Katelyn Truong, junior, has been in Girl Scouts since first grade. As one of the older troops, Truong’s troop often plans camp events for the younger scouts. “One camp is called Wildwood, and it’s for juniors and under. Within the people who are there, they break off into smaller groups where we plan activities. Sometimes there’s a science activity, there’s a cooking activity and an outdoors activity,” Truong said.
Truong recalls the moments in which she has been able to recreate an experience similar to hers for the younger scouts. “When I was little I went to Wildwood one time and my favorite activity was called the councilor hunt where all the older Girl Scouts who plan the event would go hide around the campsite at night and then the younger girls would bring the flashlights and try to find them. Now that I’m an older Girl Scout, I really like hiding because I can give the same experience that I had when I was little,” Truong said.
As Girl Scout cookie season comes around, boxes of cookies are always seen carried around on campus. For Girl Scouts, selling these cookies is an important fundraiser and also develops their “go getter” spirit. “Most of the time the proceeds go to funding the camps, but also we get I think we get around $1 for each box that we sell. So this year, I’m using my proceeds specifically to go to my Girl Scouts world project, kind of like the Eagle Scout award,” Truong said.
Due to Girl Scouts, Edyn Stepler, sophomore, has grown as a leader and as an individual. “Girl Scouts is an incredible organization that has influenced my life in so many ways… I have grown into an incredible leader, filled with amazing experiences that have influenced how I live my life. It has especially helped me with my confidence, as now I’m proud of my capabilities and achievements,” Stepler said.
These scouts do not get time off during the summer, as they still keep going strong on helping out the community. “Every year I look forward to the summer camps, like Sequoia Day Camp and Camp Conejo. At those camps, I help the younger Girl Scouts learn and experience new things while developing their leadership and character qualities,” Stepler said. “These camps also give me the opportunity to see the next generation of girls learn about the world around them and about their incredible capabilities.”
Katie Wu, junior, has also taken part in leading one of the camps held during the summer. “I’ve led a group of about eight to twelve energetic elementary school girls with my friends and participated in lots of fun activities with them, from making bracelets or playing games to singing a bunch of silly Girl Scout songs,” Wu said.
Wu has been in Girl Scouts for as long as she can remember. “I’ve been in the same troop for all 12 years and I’ve been with all my troop members since third grade,” Wu said.
“Girl Scouts is a very broad organization where you really make it your own experience. You can be casual and work on a couple of badges and go to camps, or you can be extremely involved and do everything Girl Scouts offer,” Stepler said.
