After sharing a story about how Juliette got the idea to create the Girl Scouts and blazed the trail that millions would follow, our Girl Scouts headed into the Hall dressed in uniforms from our fashion trunk dating back to the 1970s. They were tasked to find a woman in the Hall who inspired them and report this to the group. Here, we learned more about Mae Jemison, Amelia Earhart and Harriet Tubman to name a few.
During lunch, we were joined by two special guests, Dr. Antonia Novello and Jill Tietjen. I am not sure any of us knew what to expect when hearing from these Girl Scout alums. But wow, so much wisdom and life experiences were shared! Their overriding message was to never stop learning, stay curious and ask questions!
Dr. Novello was the first woman and Hispanic to be named Surgeon General of the United States! As a pediatrician, she has used her position to alleviate suffering worldwide, especially for women and children. Over and over, she said Girl Scouts built her foundation of learning, trying new things and accomplishments that would help set her up later in life.
Ms. Tietjen, a lifetime Girl Scout and Woman of Distinction honoree who lived in Colorado, talked about how learning new things and helping the next generation of women leaders is a passion. Being in her presence, you could feel that! Ms. Tietjen is an author, international speaker and electrical engineer. She shared with us that some of today’s challenges are future opportunities, like AI.
Everyone appreciated their sharing session. We were so engrossed in conversation that our time together was quickly ending. So, we sang “Happy Birthday” to the Girl Scouts and shared a sweet treat.
As a mom of an eight-year-old Girl Scout Brownie, this was a particularly special afternoon for me. Hearing Ms. Tietjen talk about electrical engineering sparked a light in my daughter’s eyes that I had never seen before. The ripple of that shared moment is a powerful testament to how formidable we are together and an amazing way to celebrate International Women’s Day!
