This Is Me

Your opportunity to create, define and be yourself happens on June 12 at Texas State University. Register now and tell the world "this is me."

New Biz Hours for GSCTX

Beginning May 3, GSCTX will have new business hours. They are as follows

Program Center Hours for all centers

Closed Saturday through Monday

Tuesday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Shop Hours

Kodosky Program Center Shop:
Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
*Closed last Saturday of each month

Bluebonnet, El Camino & Heart of Texas Program Center Shops:
Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Bryan Program Center Shop:
Tuesday & Thursday, 4:30 to 6:30p.m.
Saturday, 10a.m. to 3p.m.
*Closed last Saturday of each month

Killeen Program Center Shop:
Tuesday & Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

These new hours allow our council to lower the overhead expenses for five of our facilities and better enable us to provide the best outcomes-based leadership opportunities to 21,000 Girl Scouts in Central Texas.

Please come visit us at the program centers during our new business hours. We have many resources, such as program kits and registration forms, available in the program centers to make your Girl Scout experience the best it can be. We look forward to seeing you soon!

-Etta Moore

GSCTX Hearts Volunteers

Girl Scout volunteers are the cat's pajamas. The bee's knees. The greatest thing since sliced bread. What can we say? They really rock our world. So all you volunteers out there, give yourselves a big pat on the back!

Do you know why we love you? Aside of course from your obvious awesomeness. Well straight from the dedicated Volunteer Services team, here's EXACTLY why you are the greatest.

• What I love the most about Girl Scout volunteers is how knowledgeable they are. They bring so many talents and skills to the table. In addition, they are always so willing to help and to give of themselves. -Faith Brown, COO
• Dedication and Enthusiasm are the first words that come to mind for me! The volunteers that I have an opportunity to interact with really care about the girls that they are working with. They are in this for more than the cookies and crafts and are genuinely interested in seeing the girls gain leadership skills and life skills and character from the activities they do together! The volunteers are dedicated to the girls, to the vision of the movement and to the end result. They are enthusiastic about making a difference in the lives of the girls they serve! -Heather Givens, Volunteer Services Manager 
• I love to watch the interaction with the girls. Patience, understanding and encouragement are all wrapped up in one package – the Girl Scout leader. -Lana Webb, Volunteer Services Specialist

We hope you've enjoyed Volunteer Appreciation Week and if you are in the Austin area, can join us at Pluckers tomorrow night.

From all of us at GSCTX...

THANK  YOU!

Photo: Awesome Girl Scout volunteers at the San Angelo area Women of Distinction Luncheon.

Girls' Respect Conference: Registration Special

World travel, social media, health, music, self-respect, college admissions, dating - that's what real high school girls are talking about.

Girl Scouts of Central Texas is proud to announce that on June 12, we're going to talk about all that and more with hundreds of the state's high school girls.

Planned by a committee of high school girls, the Girls' Respect Conference is especially for teenage girls in Texas. It is all about the things they care about, are interested in and need to talk about.

In hands-on workshops, girls will live out the conference's theme of "create, define, be yourself." Each girl will pick her workshops that day, giving her an experience that is as unique as she is. With dozens of options, the conference can be molded to the interests of any and every girl. Parents are also invited to attend and will have a special adult track. Please note, to give everyone the best and most tailored experience, girls and parents will not participate in workshops together.

This week, as an added bonus, the first 100 girls who register will receive a free conference t-shirt. Register now.

Connect with the Girls' Respect Conference

• Check out who else is coming by visiting the Facebook event.
• Follow updates about the conference on Twitter using the tag #GRC10
• Scope out Texas State University as part of your conference experience by staying in the university's dorms on Friday night. Sign up to stay overnight.

-Cheryl Black
GRC Staff Committee

Free t-shirts are limited to the first 100 girls to register during the week of April 19-24.

Camp-out Tips

From Nora, troop leader for Junior Troop 756, here are tips for your next camp-out.

• In case of rain, I always pack an activity box (don't need to get it out of the car if the weather is great). Paper, markers, puzzles, board games, dominos, crafts, several do it yourself "try-its" or badges.
• We love to do the "Jungle breakfast:" One leader gets up early (can't be done the night before due to critters) and hides sandwich-sized ziplocks full of cereal, hides apples, oranges, juice boxes, and a breakfast bar/granola for each girl. in the trees/bushes and picnic area around your campsite. NO one can eat till all girls have all breakfast items: cereal, juice, fruit, breakfast bar (sometimes donuts)....a hide and go seek breakfast game, but it's great as we never cook the first morning, easy clean up, get on with the activities at campout.
• We also have "quiet time" late in the afternoon before dinner as they never sleep well the first night.
• I found Girl Scout and camp songs on the 'net, and made fanny-packed sized song books for most girls. Our girls love to sing everywhere we go at camp....lots of walking, the singing builds the team, the songs are goofy...etc. See songs here: http://scoutingweb.com/scoutingweb/Traditions/Songs.htm
• I usually purchase a bandana for every girl attending. (Every Girl Scouts know how useful bandanas are!) This small, inexpensive gift instantly links the girls once they adorn themselves in a creative ways.

-Nora, Troop 756 Leader

From Video Games to IT Wizard

Hanson is the council's IT Support Specialist and reigning king of technology. You can use his experience to jump-start a career in technology.
 

Q. What exactly do you do at the council and in general, why does it rock?
I am the council's Information Technologies Support Specialist. I basically help everyone in the council fix computer hardware, software, printer, network, internet and e-mail problems. My job rocks because I enjoy solving problems and enjoy helping people. I'm one of very few council employees who gets to work with EVERYONE regardless of department or location. Working with and talking to everyone in the council is definitely the best part of my job.

Q. What education did you need to have your awesome career?
Oddly, I didn't need a specialized education to start my career. I majored in history and have minors in economics and political science...definitely NOT the background that most I/T professionals have. One of my friends owns web design company in New York City and his degree is in architecture. Earning a specialized degree in information technologies would give you even better opportunities than either my friend or I have had.

The bulk of my professional expertise comes from working on my own computers and on the job training. While working for three different technology companies, I had the opportunity to take numerous certification classes - hardware (installation, diagnostics and repair certification) and software (database administration, HTML coding and Microsoft applications). The combination of hands-on experience and certification provide me with the background I need to maintain our network properly.

Q. Other than your job, what jobs in your field are super interesting and cool?
Super interesting and cool jobs related to I/T support are Web development (Web site design, programming and maintenance), network administration (the more advanced version of what I do) and social media / e-mail communications / blogging.

Q. If a high school student wants to be like you when they grow up, what can they do now to get started?
If a high school student would like to begin an I/T career path, learning how to maintain your own computer is a great start. Take as many computer classes that your school offers too. The combination will provide you with a solid foundation for college I/T classes (and a degree!) and/or make you a very valuable asset in the workplace.

Q. Is there anything else about your career and how you got there that you want to share with our readers?
No matter what your interests are, try to find something you truly enjoy doing and turn that into your job. For me configuring computers so I could play video games turned into a career.

-Hanson Ling

College Applications: Straight from the Mouth of a UT Student

The idea of college lingers in the minds of most young people, especially high school students. Your parents want you to attend a good college and your school counselors and teachers are constantly giving speech and speech on what forms to fill out and what scholarships to apply for (see Girl Scout scholarship opportunities). Many young people are desperate to break away from the clutter of information and still end up at the university of their choice. Here’s how to do just that.

Applying to college is a process and its one that should start from the time you walk through the doors of your high school freshman year. Helpful Hint #1: Start keeping a notebook or excel sheet documenting everything you have done starting the day you enter high school. I am talking about every extracurricular, volunteer activity, title you held while serving those groups and awards you won. Anything that makes you stand out from the rest is something you will want to write down. You need to maintain this list as you go because when it comes time to fill out the application your senior year, you do not want to be stuck trying to remember everything you did the past four years. Remember to include your Girl Scout Gold Award, CIT experiences, Program Aid experiences, etc!

Most of us dread the essay portion of the application. Having a college base your writing capabilities off two essays is nerve-racking. This is definitely something you should not wait to do at the last minute. Helpful Hint #2: As soon as the essays on the application are released, start drafting an outline. You might go through several outlines. It might even help to take these to a teacher so they can guide you through the process or at least help get you started. In my experiences, teachers have always been happy to help especially if you have made a previous effort to build a friendly relationship with them. You could even go to a former teacher if the one you have now is too busy.

Some students set their sights high when it comes to applying to the major of their choice. Being an admirable quality, it helps to evaluate your options before deciding on your desired major. Helpful Hint #3: If you want to apply to a competitive college like the UT McCombs Business School, make sure your application and grades are top-notch or take a different route. Apply to a less competitive college or choose undeclared for your first year. This will give you a chance to improve your grades and resume freshman year and give you a better chance at getting in the following year.

Lastly, the most important of them all is DEADLINES. Helpful Hint #4: Every college has a different set of deadlines and most of this information is listed on the college’s Web site. Write down all the deadlines for the universities you are applying to on a special calendar so you know when every form, transcript, etc. is due for that particular college. You also want to check when housing applications need to be in. You don’t want to spend your first year at college without a place to live! Review it at the start of each week so you ensure things get turned in on time!

And those are my tips straight from my experiences applying to UT. If you have any other questions, comments or concerns feel free to leave a comment!

-Kristine Rheinboldt, Communications Intern

Photo: Gold Award recipient and GSCTX Board Chair, Linda Pelton, at 2009 Statewide Gold Award Ceremony.

Troop 2141 Gives to Haiti

Girl Scouts of Central Texas has had the first troop report back their donation to relief efforts in Haiti! We're very proud of these girls and their charitable contribution. Below is a short interview with their leader, Lourdes, about their experience.

Q. Tell us about your troop.

A. We are Troop 2141 with 5 active Girl Scout Cadettes. They love getting together and spending time together since they hardly get to see each other now that they are in middle school. They love camping and doing community service.

Q. How much did they raise and how did they do it?
A. They raised $57.94. They had a sign at their booth that read "Haiti Donations" and people liked that the money was going towards a good cause and would donate their change. We had one man donate $20.

Q. Which organization is the troop giving to? How did they select that organization?
A. The organization they picked was World Vision because they help children.

Q. What do you, as the leader, feel they learned from this experience?
A. They learned to see how blessed they are to have their family and friends, and how valuable our every day resources are like water, bed, food, etc.

-Lourdes, Troop 2141 Leader

Learn more about making charitable gifts to relief efforts in Haiti.