The Girl Scout Difference

Their smiles give them away.

That’s the most obvious thing Elise Russ and her oldest daughter, Laurie, have in common when you see them together—or when you see almost identical photos of them from their childhoods. In each, both proudly pose in their bright blue Daisy tunics, decades apart but still connected through a tradition—Girl Scouts—that turns 111 in March.

Time will tell if Laurie follows in her mother’s footsteps to be a business owner, but through being a member of Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, she is learning the type of skills to help her reach that or any goal she sets her mind to achieving.

Elise being both a business owner – pastry chef and owner with her husband, John, of acclaimed San Antonio restaurant Clementine – and a Girl Scout alum is no surprise. Research from “The Girl Scout Alum Difference,” a 2021 study by the Girl Scout Research Institute, shows that participating in Girl Scouts is a powerful factor for developing positive life outcomes, which in turn build a foundation for success in education and careers, enable a lifetime of leadership, and provide 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.

Entrepreneurship is one of Girl Scouts’ four key programming pillars, along with life skills, the outdoors, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). The Girl Scout Cookie Program— the world’s largest entrepreneurial program for girls—is just one of the ways Girl Scouts learn about entrepreneurship and other leadership skills, from money management to decision making to business ethics. Elise had her turn selling cookies, and Laurie participated in the program this winter.

Fostering an entrepreneurial mindset for girls prepares them for a successful education, a career of their choosing, and the skills needed to tackle challenges they’re most passionate about. In short, it balances the scales and readies them for today’s society.

Along with her fond memories of her time in Girl Scouts, Elise credits her experiences in the program with helping her develop various skills, from getting out of her comfort zone to learning about safety issues.

She grew up in Maui, Hawaii, and Snellville, Georgia, and studied baking and pastry arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. She and John have been married for seven years and have three children. They opened Clementine in 2018, and John, as head chef, has been named a semifinalist of the prestigious James Beard Award in 2022 and 2023.

Elise also is a member of the San Antonio chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a group for women in the hospitality industry who work together to help empower other women in the industry through scholarships, aspiration grants, charity work, and mentorship.

Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas (GSSWT): Describe your journey to becoming a pastry chef. Did you always know you wanted to work with food or in the industry?

Elise Russ (ER): I have always loved baking. My mom always encouraged me from a young age to bake at home. I didn’t consider it for a career because I was afraid that if it was something that I did all the time, I would get sick of it. When I was in high school, I did an internship through my school at a local bakery, and I fell in love. I knew this was a career that I could do every day of my life and never get bored. Every day is something new and it is always exciting.

GSSWT: What’s your favorite part about being a pastry chef?

ER: I love everything about desserts—making them, eating them, seeing how much other people love to eat them. It is so fun that I get to work with a medium to express my creativity that tastes so good.

GSSWT: Did you always have a desire to own your own business?

ER: Yes, although my dream business changed over the years as I continued to grow in my career.

GSSWT: You were a Girl Scout (as were your sisters), and now your daughter is in Girl Scouts. What’s it like seeing her involved in the program?

ER: I love it! I tell her all the time that it makes my heart so happy. I love that I drop her off and she has this independent time away from me and her siblings where she gets to choose her own adventure. The troop she belongs to really empowers the girls to make their own choices and decisions about the activities that they participate in. I feel like as a five-year-old, she gets very little of this kind of freedom in her daily life, and I think this is my favorite part of the entire experience.

GSSWT: What are some of the things she has most enjoyed while being in Girl Scouts?

ER: When we first started going, she was very hesitant and shy about joining the group. Not long after, the troop had a badge day where they spent five hours working on different projects to earn badges that the girls had selected. They did all sorts of activities—cooking, painting, lots of art, science experiments—and that was the day she really fell in love with being a Girl Scout.

GSSWT: She participated in the Girl Scout Cookie Program this year. What skills would you say your daughter is learning by selling cookies? What is she learning through Girl Scouts in general?

ER: Laurie can be very shy, and I think the most important thing she is learning from the cookie sales is how to talk to grown-ups that are not close friends or family. I also love the video we had to watch about internet safety before we could start using the online cookie-selling platform. Not all of it pertained to her, but it was a really great way to open the door to the conversation about being safe online so that one day, when she does have access to a computer or a phone, it will be a concept that she is already familiar with.

What she is learning from Girl Scouts is independence and having some freedom to make decisions on her own about what she wants to do. I love how the Girl Scouts have such a high standard of ethics and expectations for the girls and a wonderful commitment to being an active part of the community through age-appropriate charity work.

GSSWT: What are some of your favorite memories from your time in Girl Scouts?

ER: I lost my first tooth eating a piece of angel food cake at one of my Daisy meetings. This was one of my mom’s favorite stories to tell. As I got older, my favorite part was the camping trips that we would go on with our troop.

“What she is learning from Girl Scouts is independence and having some freedom to make decisions on her own about what she wants to do. I love how the Girl Scouts have such a high standard of ethics and expectations for the girls and a wonderful commitment to being an active part of the community through age-appropriate charity work.”

GSSWT: How did Girl Scouts help prepare you for your life experience?

ER: I was very shy as a child, and I remember dreading having to go door to door selling cookies. I would go with my sisters and try to sell in our neighborhood. Once we got home, I remember feeling very accomplished and proud of myself. I think that is what prepared me most for the adult world—being forced to step outside of my comfort zone, whether it was selling cookies or cooking all our meals over a campfire. There was not another activity I did as a child that gave me the same sense of empowerment and accomplishment.

GSSWT: If you could share a message with current Girl Scouts, what would it be?

ER: Enjoy this time you have with other strong young women to accomplish goals—whether it be a new badge, working together to set up a campsite, or working toward a Girl Scout Highest Award. These are skills that will serve you well once you are in the workforce. Being able to not only be a good team member but to also empower other women is a very valuable skill and one of the most important things I took away from my experience.

Girl Entrepreneurs By the Numbers

Girls today possess many of the traits linked to entrepreneurial success. In fact, six in 10 girls have an entrepreneurial mindset—a set of skills or qualities, such as curiosity and confidence, that are linked to entrepreneurial success.

When it comes to future careers, girls are actively exploring their entrepreneurial interests.

78: Percent of girls interested in becoming an entrepreneur in the future.

76: Percent of girls interested in starting their own company.

84: Percent of girls who want to lead a cause or campaign in something they believe in.

Girl Scouts are more likely than other girls to have an entrepreneurial mindset. And they’re more likely to want to be an entrepreneur in the future.

79: Percent of Girl Scouts who have an entrepreneurial mindset compared to 52 percent of non-Girl Scouts.

91: Percent of Girl Scouts interested in becoming an entrepreneur compared to 71 percent of non-Girl Scouts.

Source: “Today’s Girls, Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs,” Girl Scout Research Institute, 2019