Every three years, when the Girl Scout National Council Session/National Convention is held, girls are given the opportunity to apply and be elected for the position of Girl Delegate. This roll is filled by Girl Scouts age 14 and up from each of the over 100 councils in the country who attend and participate in business sessions held by the National Council. They are given the chance to vote on important matters that concern Girl Scouts on a national and local level.
This year, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts is proud to have six dedicated and intelligent young women representing us at the National Convention. With a collective sixty-six years of Girl Scouting between them, we know Taylor Bennett, Elizabeth “Betsey” Goldberg, Catherine “Cat” Neville, Mollie O’Connor, Makayla Selden, and Tessa Senders will continue to make the world a better place and be a sister to every Girl Scout.
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| The stage at the 2011 National Convention |
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| Girl Scouts on stage at the 2011 National Convention |
Taylor Bennett
Town: Billerica
Current level in Girl Scouts: Senior
Favorite cookie: Lemonades
Taylor of Billerica is ready to tackle the problems she sees in the world with skillfully executed solutions. This Senior Girl Scout is looking forward to interacting with other Girl Scouts at Convention and learning how other troops around the country reach out to their communities in exciting ways. In turn, she hopes to bring these new ideas back to GSEM, adding unique programs in order to keep girls interested as well as recruit new Girl Scouts. Taylor understands how well Girl Scouts prepares girls for the future and hopes to share this with other Girl Scouts, young and old. Her goals for Convention include increasing her public speaking and communication skills to make sure her ideas for change are heard.
Elizabeth “Betsey” Goldberg
Town: Marlborough
Current level in Girl Scouts: Senior
Betsey is ready to put her strategic thinking to the test and make a change this Convention. Known as a leader in her community through her enthusiasm for Girl Scouting, she will use her decision-making skills to figure out which projects will more positively affect her sister Girl Scouts. Her main goal is to keep membership rates high, especially among older girls. This Marlborough native is ready to infuse Girl Scouts with relevant and exciting programs that will keep girls and volunteers signing up each year.
Catherine “Cat” Neville
Town: Hull
Current level in Girl Scouts: Ambassador
Favorite cookie: Carmel DeLites and Lemonades
Cat wants to make a difference. Her participation in the destination program (she visited Europe and Central America!) allowed her to experience some of the most exciting programs Girl Scouts has to offer and she hopes to inspire other girls to do the same. In her own community, this Ambassador Girl Scout from Hull created workshops for younger girls. This is an excellent showcase of her ability to both plan and follow through with a project. Bringing these skills to convention will help her make decisions that positively impact the national Girl Scout community.
Mollie O’Connor
Town: Winchester
Current level in Girl Scouts: Ambassador
Mollie has had experience in the inner workings of Girl Scouts through her work as a member of the Girl Scout CEO Advisory Committee. Using this knowledge, she is ready to make a change in her community. In 2012, she went on a destination to Kansas City, MO, where she and her Girl Scout sisters from around the country worked with girls with special needs at Camp Juliette Low. Here Mollie learned leadership and teamwork skills that she was able to bring back to her town of Winchester. Earning her Bronze and Silver Awards taught this Ambassador communication and decision-making skills that will help her make her mark at Convention. A big believer in community involvement, she intends to share policy information and gauge reaction with others before implementing any major change in her future
Makayla Selden
Town: Malden
Current level in Girl Scouts: Ambassador
Favorite cookie: “If they made a cookie of a Caramel Delight mixed with a Thin Mint, the best cookie in the world would be born.”
Makayla is excited to experience Convention. Already an expert on outdoor Girl Scouting activities like hiking, camping and canoeing, she’s ready to get involved in a big way on the national level. Learning how to be a better leader and being able to bring these skills back to her troop is what this Ambassador from Malden, is most looking forward to. She’s interested in finding out how Girl Scouting approaches technology and social media to make sure programs and the overall message of Girl Scouts stay relevant in the lives of girls today.
Tessa Senders
Town: Reading
Current level in Girl Scouts: Senior
Favorite cookie: Shortbread
Tessa has used her time as a Girl Scout to implement change in her community. An avid participator in service activities, she earned her Silver Award by focusing on the conservation efforts of a public space in her town of Reading. Her project so impressed a local Dunkin Donuts that they donated funds to supply the newly renovated area with a picnic bench. Girl Scouts has given this Senior the confidence to achieve goals she never thought possible, a feeling she wishes to inspire in other girls. She feels Girl Scouts needs to be less associated with “cookies and crafts” and more with “strong women who lead in their communities.” With Tessa and her five other Girl Scout sisters as our 2014 Girl Delegates, we’re sure anything is possible.
Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts | Blog 