From January through April, Girl Scout season is in full swing, and each member works hard to achieve her charitable goals before the school year ends. These goals can consist of conserving nature, learning a new language, fundraising for nonprofit organizations, mentoring younger scouts and—of course—selling cookies.
This season means something extra special for Girl Scouts seniors Amanda Mauzy and Sophia Rubel. Not only is it their final semester of high school, but it is their final year as Girl Scouts. While Girl Scouts can start as young as five years old, not many stick with the program until ages 17 and 18, progressing to the Senior or Ambassador scout levels, the highest possible.
Rubel began her Girl Scout journey in kindergarten and has continued to build and expand her community over the past 12 years.
“I was drawn to the program originally because I liked how fun it seemed to do such good work for the community,” Rubel said. “I’ve stayed throughout the years because I’m able to meet people throughout Marin and Northern California who I would have never met otherwise.”
Every Girl Scout season, the craze for Girl Scout cookies booms all around the country. Mauzy, a senior at Tamalpais High School, has been doing her part to distribute the beloved cookies since elementary school.
“I remember being seven years old and going with my friends to the booths outside of Safeway, Goodman’s and Mill Valley Market, yelling our hearts out at the people just trying to run their errands. It was so satisfying to get someone who appeared to be in a rush to buy a box or two of cookies,” Mauzy said. “I love Tagalongs! Although now they are called Peanut Butter Patties, they are forever Tagalongs to me. I just love the mix of peanut butter and chocolate.”
Mauzy reflects on the importance of selling Girl Scout cookies beyond just sharing their tasty flavors.
“I like selling Girl Scout cookies because of how many people love them, but [my troop and] I can also use the money to organize events for younger Girl Scouts. We’re hosting an outdoor skills day in late March, and a lot of the money we’ve used is from cookie sales,” Mauzy said. “Additionally, I want to use [the] cookie profits to help out the Human Services Learning Center and other troops I’m a part of so that we have enough [money] to organize fun and engaging events.”
With its unique demands and goals, Girl Scouts has offered Rubel special experiences that have supplemented her growth as a scout and as a person.
“One of the most challenging projects I have done in Girl Scouts was earning my bronze award,” Rubel said. “I created, with the help of two friends, a website centered around body positivity. For this, I found graphics, interviewed women and created awareness pages on the issue.”
Although a difficult initiative, Girl Scouts equipped Rubel with the community and communication needed to overcome obstacles.
“The biggest challenge I had with this project was just [the] sheer amount of work that went into it,” Rubel said. “[However], I was able to overcome this with my friends and sticking to a schedule so we were able to complete everything on time.”
The Girl Scouts’ workload is not to be taken lightly, especially with Mauzy and Rubel’s loaded schedules. Mauzy, a busy senior with an optimistic mindset, is able to manage her workload.
“Balancing extracurriculars can get really tricky with sports, theater, Girl Scouts and homework, but I manage,” Mauzy said. “I think it’s because I have a positive work attitude and I’m a night owl, so I never feel too overwhelmed. It also helps because I enjoy all of the things I do outside of school, so that gives me more motivation to keep up with all of it.”
Additionally, Rubel finds that planning ahead and careful scheduling allow her to work to the best of her abilities.
“I find that using a planner is incredibly helpful when I am more heavily involved,” Rubel said. “As a service unit delegate, I prioritized gathering all the necessary background information before [troop] meetings so I could participate effectively. These time management skills have carried over into my other activities, helping me stay on top of my responsibilities.”
The Girl Scout program continues to improve the community and produce young women with valuable life skills, such as communication, time management and hard work.
