11 Years with Girl Scouts of Western Washington

This week, I celebrated 11 years working for Girl Scouts of Western Washington. I feel very fortunate to have found a job that I love, working for an organization that has done so much for me over the years. In celebration of my 11 years, I thought it’d be fun to share 11 highlights from my Girl Scout story.

I joined Girl Scouts in 1988 as a first grade Brownie Girl Scout and part of the Tejas Girl Scout Council (now called Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas). My mom was my troop leader and we held our troop meetings at my house. I always LOVED troop meeting days because I got to wear my uniform to school. Check out those sock tassles!

2. One summer, early in my Girl Scout life, I attended summer camp with my best friend, Amanda. We were both so incredibly homesick that we wrote letters to our moms begging them to pick us up, which of course they did not. As the week went on, things got better thanks to an amazing counselor, whose camp name was Oreo. As I got older, I attribute much of my desire to work for Girl Scouts one day to her and the impact she had on me at a young age. (These pictures are not of Amanda and me at Girl Scout camp, but we went on many camping adventures together, so these pics are from one of those!)

3. As I got older, I attended and then served as a counselor-in-training (CIT) at my local day camp. As I’m sure you’re not surprised to learn – I loved this role! I had the chance to plan activities for my unit, create decorations for the unit, and teach the younger girls – so many of my favorite things. Pictured below: Scouting roots run deep in the Wendell family!

4. In high school, I earned my Girl Scout Gold Award, Girl Scouts highest award, by completing a project promoting the importance of family camping. I provided resources to families and held a seminar at a local library for families to learn about how accessible going camping can be. Pictured below: me before heading to an awards ceremony – I was recognized as Girl Scout of the Year by the local Rotary for my Gold Award project. And, my Family Camping display at the library.

5. In college, I had the privilege of joining Kappa Delta Sorority, and I was so thrilled by this opportunity because Girl Scouts is one of Kappa Delta’s national philanthropies. When I served as chapter president, I started a Girl Scout Cookie Drive-thru at the chapter house that still exists today! During my senior year of college, I served as a troop leader for a 2nd grade brownie troop. My favorite thing we did was a spa night at the Kappa Delta house. It was a night filled with face masks, delicious snacks, and Disney movies. Check out this snazzy scrapbook page of that event. I loved scrapbooking so much back in the day!

6. In graduate school, my master’s project was titled “The Importance of Outdoor Education for Girls.” As part of my research, I got a job as the Art and Drama Director at a Girl Scout camp in Alaska, and spent my summer there. My favorite memory of that summer was helping the girls develop their ideas for the theme nights each session, complete with decorations, costumes, skits, and food. The pictures below are of the lake at camp, the Arts Lodge, and me making brownies in the camp kitchen.

7. In 2008, twenty years after joining Girl Scouts, I moved to Seattle and applied for a job as the Girl Scouts in the School Day Coordinator. I was LATE to my interview because I was new to the city and so incredibly lost trying to find the building. I was on Valley Way and the office was on Valley Street. Well thanks to a little connection called Kappa Delta, and hopefully some of my skills, I was still offered the job!

As the Girl Scouts in the School Day (GSSD) Coordinator, I ran Girl Scout troops in school classrooms and as part of after-school programs. My favorite experience was teaching a Girl Scouts/Life Skills class at a local middle school. I taught two classes every day, and we covered a variety of topics – relationships, financial literacy, career exploration, college readiness, and leadership, to name a few. It was one of the most rewarding years, and I hope the girls learned as much from me as I did from them. The pictures below are of me on my first day of teaching (gotta love a good argyle vest!) and of some of my classroom displays.

8. After two years as the GSSD coordinator, I was hired to be an Area Manager, which meant that I supported troops in a certain area of the council. I loved this opportunity to work closely with volunteers and run recruitment events to promote Girl Scouts to new families. I served in this role for two years. The pictures below are of one of the display boards I created for a volunteer recruitment event and many of the awesome friends I made in the early years of my career (plus my mom!).

9. Just shy of my four year anniversary, I was hired to be a Program Manager managing events and grants. This position provided me the opportunity to travel to London for a grant training, which introduced me to so many new Girl Scout friends. Pictured below is my first night in London on that trip and a picture of my troop years later when I got to take them back to London to explore. I LOVE that city – one of my most favorite places.

10. In August of 2015, I was promoted to Girl Experience Director, a position that I’ve held since and love every day. Just like any job, there are hard days, but I find something to appreciate about my role and the impact I’m having on Girl Scouts in our community every day. I continue to manage our Global Action program, which gives me the opportunity to work directly with teens and volunteers, which I love. Pictured below is my Global Action Volunteer, Kathi, and the 2019 Global Action Team.

11. Since being in Seattle, I’ve had the pleasure of being a volunteer troop leader for two troops. My first troop graduated in 2018, and early this year, I started the next generation of Troop 41161. This weekend, the new troop is going camping at Camp River Ranch and I can’t wait! Pictured below is the OG Troop 41161 during their senior photo shoot, and the next generation of Troop 41161 at a UW basketball game.

I really can’t believe it’s been eleven years, and I’m so thankful for all the opportunities this job has afforded me and all the wonderful friends I’ve met along the way. I was so fortunate to be surrounded by so many of them at my wedding.