How Girl Scouts Changed Me by Emma

How Girl Scouts Changed Me by Emma - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

I have been blessed to never worry if there was going to be enough food on the table, a safe, warm place to sleep or if my parents would love and support me unconditionally. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many people around the world or in our local community. This need has inspired me to find ways to help, whether by volunteering at a food bank packing boxes, reading to kids in Preschool, or cleaning books and shelves at the local library. These are some of the small, but meaningful ways I have been able to give back to my community and the lessons I have learned..

As a Girl Scout, I was given the opportunity to lead my troop in service projects and completed my Bronze and Silver Awards. My Bronze Award was centered around helping veterans attending a local community college. I organized a food drive and created a food pantry on campus so the college veteran students would have access to hot meals and groceries. This project was especially meaningful to me because my Grandpa was a veteran. The college veteran students were having a hard time balancing school and work after being discharged, so finding a way to help the people who served and protected our country was important to me.

I have always enjoyed helping children and earned my Silver Award working with a fellow Girl Scout creating a sustainable teaching tool to be used in preschool classrooms. We collected fabric scraps from neighbors to create colorful textured alphabet books that we donated to preschools in low-income areas. Being able to personally present the books to the kids was an experience I will never forget. Although this was only a small gift, the kids were overjoyed getting the books. This was meaningful to me because I learned that no matter how small the gesture, going out of your way to help someone else has the potential to brighten their day.

Volunteering through Girl Scouts has helped me grow exponentially as a person. I have seen how choosing volunteer projects that I am passionate about, provides me with a sense of pride and accomplishment knowing I have made a difference. Experiencing the joy and seeing the benefits of volunteering firsthand, reassures me that dedicating my time to helping others is an extremely meaningful experience and therefore a priority in my life!