Girl Scouts get a taste of college life
Kyla Smith/ For The South End
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: News
It was almost as if pop superstars were lecturing the young girls, who seemed to hang on to every word with excitement.
This was the scene Sept. 22 at the second annual career shadowing day for Girl Scouts at Wayne State University. Several members and graduates of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) teamed up with the Girl Scouts to educate them and give the girls, ages 11 to 17, a taste of college life.
Former Girl Scouts living in metro Detroit gave up their Saturday to help the engineering society put on a successful program.
"Each year we have at least 50 girl scouts come to the WSU campus in which we talk about the importance of setting goals and doing well in college while being able to enjoy various college activities," said Ann Leen, coordinator of the shadowing day.
The day started off with an icebreaker so the scouts could learn about each other. By the end of the activity, each Girl Scout made at least one new friend.
Next, Linda Morrell, a Girl Scout volunteer recruiter and trainer, spoke to the girls. Morrell emphasized that it was important to get good grades in school so that they could obtain scholarships for college and save money in paying tuition. Morrell gave the students other tips on how to be successful in school and in college.
"The key to a successful college career is definitely time management," Morrell said.
The Girl Scouts also had an opportunity to have a question and answer session with the volunteers from the Society of Women Engineers.
The questions touched on a range of topics from "How is the food?" to "Is it possible to work, study and party at the same time, and still get good grades?" The question that drew the most response before it was answered was "Is college life really hard?"
Volunteers assured the girls that college was not as hard as it seemed as long as studying hard and staying focused on goals were priorities.
"This is my second time and I couldn't wait to come back. I am having a lot of fun," said La'sherimie Bell, an eighth-grader and Girl Scout for five years.
After the question and answer session, the scouts had lunch and had a tour of the university.
Yara Alame, a secretary of WSU's chapter of the Society of Women Engineers said, "This is my first year with the Girl Scouts shadowing day and I'm so excited to see the girls really interested and enjoying the program."
Rebecca Whalen, SWE chapter president, said she loves coming to this program every year because it's rewarding to see girls as young as 11 years old interested in engineering and preparing for their future.
This was the scene Sept. 22 at the second annual career shadowing day for Girl Scouts at Wayne State University. Several members and graduates of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) teamed up with the Girl Scouts to educate them and give the girls, ages 11 to 17, a taste of college life.
Former Girl Scouts living in metro Detroit gave up their Saturday to help the engineering society put on a successful program.
"Each year we have at least 50 girl scouts come to the WSU campus in which we talk about the importance of setting goals and doing well in college while being able to enjoy various college activities," said Ann Leen, coordinator of the shadowing day.
The day started off with an icebreaker so the scouts could learn about each other. By the end of the activity, each Girl Scout made at least one new friend.
Next, Linda Morrell, a Girl Scout volunteer recruiter and trainer, spoke to the girls. Morrell emphasized that it was important to get good grades in school so that they could obtain scholarships for college and save money in paying tuition. Morrell gave the students other tips on how to be successful in school and in college.
"The key to a successful college career is definitely time management," Morrell said.
The Girl Scouts also had an opportunity to have a question and answer session with the volunteers from the Society of Women Engineers.
The questions touched on a range of topics from "How is the food?" to "Is it possible to work, study and party at the same time, and still get good grades?" The question that drew the most response before it was answered was "Is college life really hard?"
Volunteers assured the girls that college was not as hard as it seemed as long as studying hard and staying focused on goals were priorities.
"This is my second time and I couldn't wait to come back. I am having a lot of fun," said La'sherimie Bell, an eighth-grader and Girl Scout for five years.
After the question and answer session, the scouts had lunch and had a tour of the university.
Yara Alame, a secretary of WSU's chapter of the Society of Women Engineers said, "This is my first year with the Girl Scouts shadowing day and I'm so excited to see the girls really interested and enjoying the program."
Rebecca Whalen, SWE chapter president, said she loves coming to this program every year because it's rewarding to see girls as young as 11 years old interested in engineering and preparing for their future.
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