Alumnae Story
What I Learned From Girl Scouting

By Rennie Dudek
Sierra Madre, Calif.

So many things! I learned crafts. I remember our leader, Mrs. McKinney, having us meet on her patio to do art projects, like batik or something else I never knew existed. I learned to sew. I learned how to tie nautical knots. I learned how to make campfires, how to cook food on the campfires and how to dispose of our garbage.   

I learned how to swim and row and canoe and sail. I learned how and why to respect the land and the creatures and plants that are living in the desert and the mountains and the oceans. We went on camping trips, day trips and picnics and walks. While on walks, I learned the names of the different trees and plants and bushes and animals. I sang lots and lots of songs and often very loud. It didn’t seem to matter that I wasn't the greatest singer.

I remember that I always felt safe, safe enough to misbehave sometimes and get scolded, and eventually learn a lesson. I loved going to Girl Scout Camp in the summer, even though I usually cried the first week due to being homesick, but the people there helped me. Later I was a camp counselor and helped a few campers who were homesick myself. I enjoyed being the one who was teaching. I learned confidence and that I had value and skills and that you didn’t have to look like a cheerleader to be liked and accepted, enjoy lots of kinds of people, and have good friends — friends that I still have!