GSWPA Annual Report 2017-18 | Page 4

ng i t u o c S l ir G n i e A new experienc can change everything! “The moment my life changed—that inflection point—was one day when I was lucky enough to be a Girl Scout. I had just finished eating s’mores around a campsite and was looking at the stars. I had looked at the stars many times, and I just saw them as bright twinkly lights. My troop leader sat beside me and showed me there were constellations and patterns. And, that moment ignited my imagination for science.” Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of GSUSA, shows off her own special, science-focused patch during her keynote speech at the annual Awards of Distinction in Pittsburgh. Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA and previous rocket scientist at NASA, shared her Girl Scout story with local business leaders, Girl Scouts, volunteers, and supporters at GSWPA’s annual Awards of Distinction in Pittsburgh last May. Her keynote speech was charged with the purpose and mission of Girl Scouts with a particular focus on technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, and robotics. “We want to make sure that Girl Scouts are not just the users of technology, but that they’re the creators, they’re the inventors, they’re the designers of our future,” said Acevedo. “We know how to inspire and enlighten their interests and get girls excited about technology.” GSUSA’s commitment to providing more STEM programming for girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade resulted in the release of 18 new cybersecurity badges in July 2018, and Acevedo promises that there are more coming. National initiative turned to local project Girl Scouts across western Pennsylvania are putting Acevedo’s national initiatives into practice as they learn the basics of coding, cybersecurity, and engineering. Brownie Girl Scouts of Marion Center Troop 40829 of Indiana County focused on completing their Think Like an Engineer Journey last year. These five Girl Scouts chose to put their new engineering skills to work by building a bench for the Marion Center Cemetery. “We decided that we wanted to give parents and grandparents a place to sit when visiting their loved ones,” said Lyla Eiselman, 8, of Home, PA. From left to right, Deanna Brewer, Jaiden Wolfe, Victoria Fairman, Lyla Eiselman, and Keirra Jasper of Marion Center Troop 40829 build a bench to complete their Think Like an Engineer Journey. The bench will be placed in the Marion Center Cemetery. 4 Troop 40829 Girl Scouts Jaiden Wolfe, 8, of Indiana, and Victoria Fairman, 8, of Home, were part of the group working on the bench and learned about what it means to think like an engineer. “It’s a lot of organization and hard work,” said Wolfe. “To see the girls’ enthusiasm and the light on their faces when their project worked and to listen to them talk about how they could make it better—as a leader, that’s worth everything,” said Jennifer Smith, a leader of Troop 40829. Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania 2017-2018 Annual Report