Julia Brose
“I am fortunate to have had diverse
and challenging leadership roles
because Girl Scout Leadership
Experience opportunities occur
at every scouting level. As a
Brownie, I learned team-building
and negotiating skills in my troop of 23 Girl Scouts by
taking turns role-taking, collecting dues and leading a
flag ceremony. As a Junior, I helped younger children
with crafts at community events such as the Junior
League of St. Louis Arti Gras in Brentwood. As a Cadette,
I worked with younger scouts at camp and later with
District 12 programs like Dandy Daisies. My Silver
Award was designed to encourage younger scouts to
learn about the history of Girl Scouting. I developed and
organized a program for Brownies to earn a Try-It from
Savannah’s First Council. I am now an Ambassador, and
while I enjoy having fun with my troop, I find that most
of my scouting activities revolve around volunteering
to work and providing service to my community. Working
with younger girls is probably one of the most rewarding
experiences you can have in Girl Scouting because
you’re impacting other girls’ lives. Getting to work with
younger girls makes my life richer and I think it makes
their lives richer too. To me, leadership means having
fun learning skills that will enable me to be an effective
leader not only in scouting, but also in everything I do.
I am proud of my success when I help a Daisy learn
something and see the enthusiasm for scouting in her
eyes. And, I feel rewarded when her mother tells her,
‘Someday, you’ll be wearing a vest like hers and get
to help Daisies too.’ I know I am a leader.”
Melissa LaChance
“Since I joined Girl Scouts in
kindergarten, I have been learning
skills to help me become a leader.
Over the years, I have participated
in workshops, events, activities
and Journeys, all geared to teach
me the leadership skills I need to succeed in life. When
I was a Daisy and Brownie doing skits and singing songs,
I was building self-confidence, which is a crucial skill
in leadership. I learned as a Brownie and Junior how
to work with others and express myself. As a Cadette
and Senior, I completed my Silver Award using the
planning, presenting and public speaking skills that
I developed. I have learned from older girls while
completing my bridging requirements, and in turn, this
has taught me how to teach and lead others. I am a
member of Girl Congress, and I am working toward my
Gold Award. Both of these activities require me to use
planning, goal setting, communication and problemsolving
skills. I now understand how the Girl Scout
program has helped me become a person of courage,
confidence and character. I have the courage to
voice my ideas, the confidence to set goals and form
committees and the character to listen and share
leadership positions with others. Without Girl Scouts,
I would not have chosen Civil Engineering as my career
path. Girl Scouts showed me the exciting, fun and
intriguing world of science, technology, engineering
and math. STEM has become a large part of my life,
and I am working to encourage younger kids to explore
the world of STEM. Girl Scouting is not a club I belong
to; it is part of who I am.”