Tessa presenting her Silver Award project on invasive species

Tessa, an Ambassador Girl Scout from Reading, joined Girl Scouts in kindergarten after receiving a flyer in her school mailbox. She immediately loved it, and stayed involved because she enjoyed earning badges and completing Take Action projects. She most recently earned the Silver Award for her project to remove invasive species in a local conservation area.

Tessa and troop members at the teen dating violence event

Tessa has many fond memories from her time in Girl Scouts, but one of her favorites was when her troop organized an event on teen dating violence. Mr. Malcolm Astley spoke about his daughter’s death as a result of teen dating violence. Hearing from such a powerful speaker really affected Tessa and other Girl Scouts in attendance.

Later, Tessa played a significant role in the creation of the GSEM Leadership Committee. She is currently the head of advocacy, and in this role, leads the group in planning community service events for the council. Together, the committee members planned the All About the Animals Advocacy Event, through which they collected donations for local animal shelters.

GSEM national delegates at the National Convention in 2014

Tessa, who is also a GSEM national delegate, attended the 2014 National Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. There she spoke with other girls passionate about Girl Scouts and leadership from across the country and heard from inspirational speakers.

She recounts her voting experience: “Our council proposed an amendment to a proposal regarding membership, which passed. I remember all of us jumping up and down in excitement; we were so proud of ourselves.”

In the fall, Tessa will attend the University of Michigan as a part of the honors program. She hopes to become a biostatistician and will be studying both statistics and biology.

To learn more about the Leadership Committee and hear from more of the members, check out this interview!