Dreamers. Go-getters. Believers. Here at Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana (GCNWI), girls bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better, and brighter, world. They discover areas of interest, pursue their passions, and create lifelong friendships within and outside of their troop. Girl Scouts prepares girls to think about their futures and provides them with opportunities and tools to turn their dreams into reality.
Last summer, GCNWI launched a new internship program where five college students participated in and experienced what happens behind the scenes at our council. From learning how we develop and cultivate relationships with outside organizations to assisting with creating content for our social media platforms, our interns worked with each department and gained a better understanding of our organization. They assisted on projects that directly impacted the work we do to support our girls while exploring potential career paths available post college.
For interns Evelyn and Faith, this internship was a full circle moment as both women were now interning for an organization they once participated in as girls and young adults. While both women had different Girl Scout journeys and experiences, they shared common benefits of their Girl Scout experience that helped shape their lives and potential career paths.
When Evelyn moved into Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood in the early 2000s, both Evelyn and her mother noticed there wasn’t a sense of community within their residential area. Evelyn’s mother decided to start a Girl Scout troop not only as a way to bring the neighborhood girls together, but to also encourage Evelyn to make friends outside of her school classroom. Starting her Girl Scout journey as a Daisy, Evelyn gained more confidence and stepped outside of her comfort zone year after year until her final year as a Cadette. She even credits Girl Scout for her love of nature as it provided her with opportunities to go horseback riding and hiking!
Like many younger siblings, Faith’s Girl Scout journey began as she would often tag along and join her older sister’s extracurricular activities. While attending her sister’s Girl Scout events, Faith noticed how refreshing it was to see a female led group of girls explore the world. Over time, Faith decided to join Girl Scouts and flourished year after year until she graduated high school as a Girl Scout Ambassador. Being surrounded by a group of supportive women encouraged Faith to come out of her shell and be her most authentic self. During her time as a Girl Scout, Faith built relationships with girls in and outside of her troop (including meeting her best friend), explored the world through nature and travel opportunities, and earned her Gold Award, the highest Girl Scout award available to Seniors and Ambassadors. Similar to Evelyn, Faith credits Girl Scouts for turning her into a ‘nature girly’.
While Evelyn and Faith’s Girl Scout journeys were different, they share similarities as Girl Scouts provided both women with the resources and space to discover some of their life passions, which have influenced both of their potential career paths.
Girl Scouts provided Evelyn with ample programs to explore her creative side while also developing her theatre skills. As an aspiring actor, Evelyn shared if it wasn’t for Girl Scouts, she doesn’t know if she would have had the confidence to audition for different theatre programs over the last few years. Because Girl Scouts provided Evelyn with the space to try new things, even if it meant failing at times, she gained confidence in herself and her acting abilities that she taps into today while chasing her dreams. Girl Scouts empowered Evelyn to not worry about what others think and to always believe in herself, life lessons she continues to carry with her today.
Surrounded by family members with careers in medical and STEM professions, Faith dreamed of pursuing a different career trajectory that would encourage her to tap into her creative side. A troop volunteer outing to PAWS Chicago gave Faith a glimpse of what goes into news reporting and story writing, which inspired her to pursue a career in journalism. Girl Scouts not only provided Faith with a space to develop her self-confidence, but also showed her she can achieve anything she puts her mind to. As Faith puts it, Girl Scouts provided her with a supportive environment where she was able to break out of her shell and allowed her to develop skills that will help her be the girl boss she knows she is.
Summer intern Faith volunteering at PAWS Chicago.
The beautiful and unique part of Girl Scouts is that no girl’s journey or experience is the same. Each girl is provided with a safe space where they can try new activities, regardless of the outcome, and discover what their passions are. If you’d like to continue the Girl Scout journey you and or your daughter have embarked on, renew your membership today and join us for more adventure, fun, and growth! Or to learn more about the ways you and your girl can participate in Girl Scouts, visit us at www.girlscoutsgcwni.org/join.
Check out these videos to hear more from Evelyn and Faith!