Latino Leadership Honored during Hispanic Heritage Month

September 17, 2004

From Celia Cruz's music to Loretta and Linda Sanchez's influence in congress, there's a long list of accomplished Latinos to celebrate during National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is held annually from September 15 to October 15. This year, Girl Scouts are proud to honor Latino leaders who make a difference in Girl Scouting and in their communities across the country.

Young latinas, board members, and volunteers make Girl Scouts a diverse organization with a proud heritage. Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with our highlights of Latinos who are making a real difference all year long.

Girl Scout Earns Top Honor

Excerpts of "Girl Scout Earns Top Honor" are reprinted with permission from LATINA Style Magazine, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2004. www.LATINAStyle.com.

	Analucia gets top honors at the Girl Scout Young Women of Distinction celebration in Washington, D.C.
	Nibia takes extra time with a student at her Danza Libre community service project.

Girl Scouts recognized Analucia for her leadership and dedication to community service as a Girl Scout Gold Award Young Woman of Distinction, the highest award in Girl Scouting.

When applying to colleges, the 18-year-old latina was frustrated with the lack of bilingual resources for Spanish-speaking families. She took action, translating application documents into Spanish to help make higher education accessible to fellow Latinos in her area. Girl Scouts rewarded her service with an all-expense paid week-long trip to Washington, D.C., during which she had the opportunity to meet with members of congress during Girl Scout Congressional Advocacy Day and to network with prominent Washington, D.C., area women.

Doing a Good Turn

Nibia, a skilled dancer from Puerto Rico, was recognized for her work with inner-city girls. A Girl Scout since the age of six, Nibia used her leadership skills to form a dance troupe called Danza Libre. She thought that if other girls shared her love of dance, they would be less vulnerable to low self-esteem and peer pressure.

Read more about how Nibia's efforts positively affected her community and brought inspiration to so many.

Inspiration Every Day

While Hispanic Heritage is a month-long celebration, Girl Scouts are inspired by the power of Latinas every day of the year. The organization's new Spanish-language Web site and Spanish resources make Girl Scouting available to all girls everywhere and, by sponsoring a free bilingual CD-ROM for Hispanic students with Ember Media called TheKey2: An Interactive Guide to the Top Colleges and Universities for Hispanics, Girl Scouts of the USA is enables students to explore diverse career choices and learn how to develop the skills needed to enter into various professions. Learn about what Girl Scouts means to the Hispanic community in the fact sheet Girl Scouts of the USA: ¿Quiénes Somos? (PDF, 126KB).