Eleven-year-old
Mahlia Schneck from Girl Scouts of Connecticut,
a double
amputee and all-around science guru, wins
“Reach for the
Stars” national rocket competition, proving
that even the sky is no longer a limit for
Girl Scouts
 |
| Photo by Kathy Colpas |
Mahlia will tell you herself: her favorite school subject is
science.
“We just finished up a section on phases of the moon and the
effects they have on us. I think it is really interesting how everything
affects something else. It is like a big puzzle.”
But Mahlia’s intergalactic wisdom and knowledge go far beyond
the classroom and her time with Girl Scouts of Connecticut.
And the winner is…
On October 5, 2013, Mahlia traveled to Florida’s Kennedy
Space Center to be recognized as a first-place winner in “Reach for the Stars,”
a two-day national rocketry competition co-directed by husband-and-wife team
Jack and Kathy Colpas.
Mahlia won first place when her rocket, which had to be
built on-site during the competition, landed closest to the intended target.
“The whole competition was exciting!” Mahlia exclaimed. “Rockets
kept going off and then up, up, up! It was a ‘blast,’” she said, using trusty
air quotes with a smile.
Mahlia competed against 1200 other participants, all of whom
had to build, prepare, and launch their own solid fuel-powered rocket and
recover it by parachute.
Focus on the ability, not the disability.
Mahlia’s hard-earned honor stands alone as an accomplishment
worthy of the highest accolades.
But she is probably too busy being a humble, confident Girl
Scout to tell you why her accomplishment is attracting so much attention (she’s
extra busy recently: she and her friends in Troop 37145 just painted and
donated a set of benches for their local community center).
Mahlia is a double-amputee.
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| Photo by Kathy Colpas |
But Mahlia won’t for a minute let you think that a physical
disability can hold back a true Girl Scout.
“The people who know me do not think of me as the girl with
prosthetic feet—they think of me as Mahlia.”
As an infant, Mahlia was involved in an accident she doesn’t
remember. But she regards her feet with humor and grace, advising other kids
who may have a disability to be themselves and just follow what makes them
happy.
“Sometimes I tell people [my feet] got bit off by a shark.
They didn’t, but it makes me laugh.”
Shooting for the Stars with STEM.
Mahlia’s interest in science was no shark accident; it was
written in the stars.
She was inspired to follow her interest in science after
meeting Girl-Scout-turned-astronaut Cady Coleman at a Girl Scouts of
Connecticut event devoted to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).
Girl Scouts’ STEM initiatives show girls the fun of these subjects in an
all-girl setting and inspire them to explore STEM-related fields in which women
have historically been vastly underrepresented.
“Meeting Cady Coleman was really fun!” Mahlia explains.
“After talking to her, she showed me the flute that she took into space. I told
her I also play the flute, and she let me play hers. Also, as if that wasn’t
cool enough…she gave me a mission patch from her mission to the space station!”
A natural-born leader who thrives in Girl Scouting, Mahlia
aspires to join the ranks of other female astronauts (all but one of whom just
so happen to be Girl Scouts) and travel into space herself one day.
“When I grow up, I would like to be an astronaut because it
would be very exciting to explore a new planet or work at mission control and
be the person in charge of launching a rocket.”
A girl of courage, confidence, and character, who makes the world a
better place.
Girl Scouts of Connecticut CEO Mary Barneby admires Mahlia’s
passion and perseverance.
“We are so proud of Mahlia Schneck,” Ms. Barneby said. “She
is an inspiration to us all and a role model for all girls.”
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| Photo by Kathy Colpas |
Mahlia’s parents, Kevin and Erienne, credit Girl Scouts’
volunteer opportunities for refining Mahlia’s natural self-confidence and
self-esteem.
“We are very proud of Mahlia and love to watch her interact
with the public on projects like Cookies for Heroes, where the girls virtually
sell cookies to send overseas to US soliders, or when the girls collect
supplies for our local animal shelter.”
Kevin and Erienne’s advice to other parents of children with
disabilities is to simply breathe.
“Do not focus on the disability, focus on the ability,” they
explain. “As parents, sometimes we focus more on the issue than the kids do.
You have to let them guide you and follow their lead. A good shark joke once in
a while never hurts, either!”
For more information on how your Girl Scout can 'reach for the stars' and become interested in STEM subjects, visit www.therocketman.net. Deadline for local competitions is July 31.
For more information on Girl Scouts of Connecticut, please visit www.gsofct.org
For more information on joining Girl Scouts, please visit www.girlscouts.org/join.
For press inquiries, please contact Girl Scouts of the USA Press Room at media@girlscouts.org