Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Spotlight: Gwendolyn J. Wong, National Board Member

Born in Chicago, raised in Hawaii, and a fourth-generation Chinese American, Gwendolyn J. Wong is the perfect example of how Girl Scouts can play a vital role in the lives of all girls, no matter what corner of the globe they may call home. A proud Asian Pacific American, Wong encompasses the courage, confidence and character that Girl Scouts builds on to create tomorrow's leaders.

In this interview, Wong explains how her Chinese heritage and Girl Scouting helped her find a balance in her life, and facilitated her notable success in the finance and banking industries. 

Tell us about how you got into the Girl Scouts.

My mother was a Girl Scout leader on the mainland. When I came to Hawaii, it was natural for all of us to be involved in the Girl Scouts. There are a lot of Asians there [Hawaii] and I was involved in a fairly large troop. I went all the way to the top, to First Class, which is equivalent to the Gold Award today. It was a very positive experience and I found it extremely rewarding. When I had my daughter on the mainland, I wanted her to have the Girl Scout experience, too. The Girl Scout experience has opportunities and activities which I have not been able to find replicated anywhere else. So my daughter was a Girl Scout here in California and I was troop leader. I used to race home from work, conduct the troop meeting, and then make sure they all got home and got their homework done!

What has it been like for you being Asian American and a Girl Scout?

I believe in Girl Scouting so much because the values that they teach and uphold are ones that help girls be successful in this society. Girl Scouts helps you share your cultural differences and sensitivities, and teaches you to be more outspoken. As Asian girls, we were brought up to be quiet, not to be so much of an extrovert, to be careful of what you say. And I was brought up with those stereotypes, too: Keep your eyes down, your head down. Study hard. Do good and you’ll be recognized. So as an Asian girl, you stay quiet. In the Girl Scouts, you have to learn how to speak up; you learn ways to speak up without being disrespectful.

I was also raised to aim for the “A” in everything—you had to be perfect. Girl Scouts creates an environment to make mistakes and learn from them. And [it teaches] that it's OK to try something that you don't know or haven't had all the lessons in. We learn by making mistakes. What it enabled my daughter to do is to find that balance between respecting the culture in which you were brought in to, but acclimate it to a Western culture that is comfortable and acceptable.

What do you think of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides across the world?

Global Scouting is the world! I first began to realize the opportunities and challenges when I went to the NGO forum in Beijing in 1995, and I made a point to go to some of the Girl Guide sessions and listen to what some of the issues were. In one of the sessions, they talked about this peace project and rescuing refugee girls who were escaping a country in turmoil and distress. As they traveled through unimaginable conditions to get to safety, and to find a better life, Girl Guides were helping them through various survival packets. It takes Girl Scouting to a whole different level.

How do you envision Girl Scouts and Girl Guides of the future
—20 to 30 years from now?

In a nutshell, we rule! There are core, simple concepts in our Promise and our Law, and if you practice those values, how can you go wrong?

Read Gwendolyn J. Wong's bio