Past Adventures

Alum Spotlight: Gabrielle Roman

Once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout. With a network of over 50 million women, Girl Scout alum are building their legacies and creating a better, brighter future for all.

In fact, the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) conducted a national study with 1,000 Girl Scout alums, 800 women who were never Girl Scouts, and 922 Gold Award Girl Scout alums. This research shows that participating in Girl Scouts is a powerful factor for developing courage, confidence, and character, which in turn builds a foundation for success in education and careers, enables a lifetime of leadership and provides high levels of life satisfaction. Alums say being Girl Scouts set them on a path for achievement, connected them to something bigger than themselves, and helped them develop their passions and interests.

GSACPC Alum Gabrielle Roman is a testament to that research! She was a GSACPC Girl Scout for 13 years and is most proud of earning her Gold Award and helping make a difference in her local community. See how Girl Scouts made an impact in her life in this short Q & A .

As a recent GS Alum, what are you doing now?

I am currently a first-year student at Yale University and, though I’m not positive what I will major in yet, I’m interested in biology, sustainability, and visual arts. I’m involved in the university’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, Science, Technology, and Research Scholars (STARS) Program, Yale Women’s Club Volleyball team, Yale Community Kitchen, Alpha Phi sorority, a few of our cultural centers on campus, and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

Wow, you’re really involved on campus. How did Girl Scouts prepare you for this stage in life?

Girl Scouts gave me tools that have helped me in school like planning projects for classes and pitching ideas to officials. Girl Scouts also taught me to practice kindness everywhere I go, to empower women around me, and leave any place I’m at or group of people I’m with better than I found it/them. Lastly, Girl Scouts grew my confidence in my ability to succeed.

You truly are a leader! You mention you actively like to empower the women around you, where does that come from?

Girl Scouts revealed that I can help others and make an impact regardless of my age. It empowered me to take a lead in my community and gave me the confidence to reach for the stars in high school and now in college. Part of that stems from my time with Girl Scouts and how the program illustrated to me that anything is feasible.

What is one of your favorite Girl Scout memories?

One of my proudest memories was definitely completing my Gold Award project and earning the award. A large part of this was a drive for the Navajo Nation that I led my community in during the first wave of the pandemic. We collected over 3,000 units of supplies and provided for nearly 200 families on the reservation.

Thank you for sharing your alum story, Gabrielle! We look forward to learning and celebrating your future achievements.

Are you an alum that has a story to share? Connect with us by completing the alum interest form at girlscoutsaz.org/alum. Stay in the loop! Connect with other alum and supporters by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank You To Camp Funders!

Our philanthropic supporters understand the importance of providing opportunities for girls to unplug, spend time in nature, and explore new interests through summer camp. Thank you to our donors who made Girl Scout Summer Camp 2022 a memorable experience for girls!

APS

Burns & McDonnell

Camp Colley Foundation

Holbrook Pyle Fund

Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust

Summer Youth Program Fund

Support Sky Harbor

Creating Memories at Girl Scout Summer Camp

Laughter, cheers, and campfire songs were all heard this summer as girls across our jurisdiction attended one of our Girl Scout Summer Camp properties: Parsons Leadership Center in Phoenix, Shadow Rim Ranch in Payson, and Camp Maripai. With a variety of session types and rockstar staff serving as guides, campers confidently stepped into a summer of adventures. Participating in summer camp is beneficial not only to girls’ mental and physical health, but it is a space for them to be creative, inquisitive, courageous, and social – all qualities that will shape them to be strong women of our future.

We want to celebrate all our Girl Scouts who found themselves exploring new heights with our climbing tower, gliding atop of a lake in a canoe, mastering our mountain biking program, and creating crafts alongside their new friends! All these experiences and more were made available to girls with the intention of giving them a summer that would unlock their inner leader and inspire them to continue to be risk-takers all while including the most fundamental piece of camp – fun!

Campers at Parsons Leadership Center reaching new heights at our newly opened climbing tower! Additionally, our gratitude is never-ending to all our camp staff and volunteers who created a safe environment for girls. Because of you, campers felt free to be their true selves, and even more, feel accepted when doing so.

We invite you to reserve our properties for family camp, outdoor programming, encampments, and more.

Woohooo! Girls at Maripai mastering horseback riding!

Campers taking in the sun and enjoying the lake at Shadow Rim Ranch!

Get Outdoors Challenge was a Hit

From Mar. 1 – May 31, we invited girls and their families to the Get Outdoors Challenge, and they outdid themselves!

In this friendly competition, individual girls, troops, and families completed outdoor and outdoor-inspired activities to score points and earn patches. Activities including hiking, learning about nature and wildlife, spending time in the pool, cleaning local community parks, riding horses, and more!

We had over 430 girls participate with over 130 adults with them in the action! Together, challengers

participated in over 3,700 activities, earning nearly 92,000 activity

points – WOW! Just check out some of the photo submissions for yourself and see! We look forward to next year’s challenge, are you up for it?

The Baron Family, including Girl Scouts Isabella and Sienna explored outdoors by hiking in the desert mountains and the northern Arizona ones too!

Above: A member of Troop 3990 connected with nature through a gorgeous mountain hike!

Left: Troop 897 spent a lot of time outdoors – in the lake kayaking, rock climbing, and doing archery just to name a few.

Girl Scouts Across the Navajo Nation Attend STEM Camp

By: Alycia Elfstrom

New and familiar faces gathered for a weekend of STEM exploration at the third Navajo Nation Girl Scouts STEM Camp in June.

After a two-year hiatus, over 50 girls from 20 communities across the Navajo Nation experienced a weekend full of interactive learning centered on STEM in the outdoors. Thanks to our partners at Navajo Transitional Energy Company and Dine College, who hosted the event on their campus in Tsaile, Arizona, with support from their Land Grant Office.

Camp opened Friday night with visits from Navajo Nation First Lady Mrs. Phefelia Nez and Miss Navajo Niagara A. C. Rockbridge. Both women encouraged the girls to spend time reflecting on their Navajo traditions and upbringing—empowering their identity as Navajo women— and pressed the importance of education. Afterwards, girls had an opportunity to get creative by designing their own bookmarks and exploring literacy kits provided by the Literary Society of the Southwest. Kits included books on outdoor adventure and survival—perfectly aligning with the weekend’s theme.

On Saturday, girls spent the day learning about the planisphere, solar energy, UV light, and astronomy with Northern Arizona University’s AIMER (American Indian Mobile Educational Resources) which included looking through telescopes at the day and nighttime sky. They discovered soil science with the Dine College Land Grant Office and ¡Explora! Science and Children’s Museum. Later in the day they were also given the chance to learn even more about planetary science and astronomy by creating constellations and planetary maps. And a camp experience wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the archery range and s’mores over a campfire.

Sunday morning girls attended closing circle, singing Make New Friends, after making their own maps and going for a nature hike. Other notable visits from Navajo women included time with astronomer Devon Gorman who shared about the night sky using traditional Navajo storytelling and Wahaila Begaye from Navajo Nation Behavioral Health who shared about the importance of internet safety and self-care. By the end of the weekend the girls had earned 11 patches and started their Outdoor Adventure series badgework.

This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our donors and partners including: Navajo Transitional Energy Company, APS Foundation, Cook Native American Ministries, Dine College and their Land Grant Office, AIMER, and ¡Explora! Not to mention the countless Girl Scout volunteers and community leaders who gave of their time.

Jumping into Adventure: Girl Scouts Travel the World

Girl Scouting not only gives girls the tools and resources they need to create positive change in the world but also creates opportunities to explore it. This past summer, our Arizona Cactus-Pine Council Girl Scouts embarked on global adventures to Costa Rica and Iceland, opening the door to new cultural experiences and unlimited personal growth.

In Costa Rica, girls went rafting, rode on a zipline through the rainforest, toured a pineapple farm, and went on a crocodile river tour. Iceland was full of hot springs and girls visited the Lava Center where they learned all about volcanic and seismic activity and saw gorgeous waterfalls. These are just a few examples of the incredible agenda our explorers experienced daily. Although these two destinations are distinctly different, there are similarities in how each can shape a person, especially someone traveling internationally for the first time. Arriving in a foreign country can be intimidating, especially when presented with a language barrier, unfamiliar foods, and culture shock. Although some view these as obstacles, Girl Scouts see them as opportunities. Learning a new language, even if it is only the essential words and phrases can develop new areas of the mind and help both thinking and memory abilities. Trying new cuisine can lead to a new favorite dish, and culture shock is temporary and from it lessons in adaptability and selfawareness are created.

Traveling can expand perspective; spark a paradigm shift through unique experiences that can ultimately empower girls. We hope to see more of our Girl Scouts embark on trips that will help them grow personally. Keep an eye on the Activities Calendar for upcoming travel informational sessions at girlscoutsaz.org/activities.

Girl Scout Destinations

Did you know that Girl Scouts can participate in travel programs outside of GSACPC?

Girl Scouts of the USA offers national and international trips through their Destinations Program, some of which are tied to niche interests like equitrekking, theatre, and cyber technologies! Additionally, local Girl Scouts who apply for any of these programs can qualify to have a percentage of their travel fees covered (amazing, we know!). Visit forgirls.girlscouts.org/travel to start planning your next adventure!

Riding the waves in Costa Rica. Girl Scouts ready for their hike on Soljeimjokull Glacier!

These Icelandic waterfalls are breathtaking! Girl Scouts in Costa Rica taking a tram ride after their crocodile tour!