I would not be who or where I am today if I had not joined Girl Scouts in the first grade and not stuck with it through my senior year in high school. I am currently a senior at Baylor University looking forward to graduating in the spring and starting a job in the real world. Remaining an active Girl Scout for 12 years is one of the reasons why I am here - Girl Scouts teaches the value of being in a team and gives girls relevant opportunities to lead. Troop 1086 and I achieved much in our time together because we came together as strong individuals for the group in order to plan events for younger scouts, organize campouts and plan our travels around London. Each of us used our skill sets to contribute to the common goal of the troop. My favorite troop activity was camping, so I often planned the portions and shopped for our traditional menu of spaghetti surprise and peach cobbler for dinner. Exploring Texas’s wilderness and state parks with my fellow Girl Scouts created a strong love for the outdoors that remains with me to this day.
My pursuance of leadership in student organizations at Baylor also emerged from positive experiences leading in Girl Scouts. My favorite memory of being an older Girl Scout is when our troop organized and led workshops for Brownies to earn badges. Teaching a room full of first graders how to construct a mask out of construction paper under a time constraint was out of my comfort zone and challenging. However, due to the support of my fellow troop members and leader, we were able to hold a successful workshop and the experience was just as impactful for the Brownies as it was for me.
These are just small examples of what I’ve learned from my experience as a Girl Scout. Ultimately, I enjoyed being a part of a community with values that challenge me because these qualities are still important to me today and will continue to be in the future.
- Jenny Smiley
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