Girl Scout Gains Leadership and Earns Faith Awards
Girl Scouts is all about building young leaders who are confident in their ability to make the world a better place. Accepting a position on GSCCC’s Board of Directors as a youth member opens doors to endless opportunities to become your best self and try new things. As an important part of the Board team, these Girl Scouts serve as representatives for their peers, youth members across our council. They attend board meetings where they speak their mind, share their ideas, and provide their perspective on a variety of topics. Each year, Girl Scouts ages 14 and up can apply to serve ex officio on the Board of Directors.
Meet Martha-Ann W., our newest youth member on the Board! She is a freshman attending Warwick High School in Newport News and has been a Girl Scout for nine years, starting as a Girl Scout Daisy. In addition to earning both her Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards, each age level’s Summit Award, several faith awards, and her community service bars, she has served at GSCCC’s Legislative Day and at CommuniTEA United Way events.
Martha-Ann brings strong leadership, excellent communication and problem-solving skills, and creativity to her troop and council experiences. Outside of Girl Scouts, she serves as the parliamentarian for her National Junior Honor Society chapter, volunteers at the Virginia Living Museum, and competed in the regional science fair — placing first. Martha-Ann is passionate about inclusion and facing challenges with respect to the current youth mental health crisis.
In addition, Martha-Ann has earned several religious pins and patches over her time as a Girl Scout. “Most recently, I completed the ‘I Live My Faith’ program,” she said in a recent interview. “This program allowed me to reflect and grow in my understanding of Catholic beliefs and sacraments. I especially enjoyed the freedom the award offered. I was able to be artistic, creative, and relate the information into my everyday life. ‘I Live My Faith’ actually prompted me to begin advocacy in Girl Scouts.”
During the program, Martha-Ann wrote a letter to her Congress member about gun violence and how it relates to her faith. “This letter helped me become interested in advocacy and I started to explore political advocacy. Now, I serve on the GSCCC Advocacy committee and on the GSCCC Board of Directors. Branching out and earning the religious awards assisted me in finding one of my passions.”
