Girl Scouts Bring Gold to the White House

Guest Post from Girl Scout Ambassador Sashini Passela

On March 10th I had the wonderful opportunity to meet First Lady Michelle Obama and Mrs. Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau during an event celebrating the White House’s Let Girls Learn initiative. It was a dream come true, hearing both of them passionately speak about the 62 million girls worldwide who are not in school today.

I also got the chance to speak to the audience about my Girl Scout Gold Award project—implementing a fully equipped science lab at a poverty-stricken school in Sri Lanka. As the daughter of two Sri Lankan immigrants, I was inspired to complete this project so that I could give students back in Sri Lanka the same opportunities I have to learn. I’m passionate about science, but I was startled to hear that less than 20 percent of students in Sri Lanka pursue higher education in STEM fields because they don’t have access to the right resources. It made me proud to hear that just months after finishing my project, many young girls at the school told their principal they couldn’t wait to be doctors, and scientists, and astronauts!

As I was walking off the stage after presenting on my project, the First Lady mouthed, "Wow, you're impressive," which is the most surreal thing I've ever experienced. 

Throughout my Girl Scout career I've gotten to do so many incredible  things, but this definitely makes the top of the list. Being a Girl Scout makes me realize that I have the ability to impact this world.