[00:00:00] Walter: The hearts of gold podcast is brought to you by the grow and share network produced by off the Walter media productions.
[00:00:13] Sheryl: Welcome to hearts of gold today. We have Shannon with us. Hi Shannon.
[00:00:18] Shannon: Hi.
[00:00:19] Sheryl: Can you tell us about your girl scout gold award project?
[00:00:23] Shannon: It was in 2012, which is crazy it was 10 years ago now but my project sort of the tagline of it was a century of trees. So I grew up in Riverside, Illinois, which is a really beautiful Southwest suburb of Chicago.
[00:00:40] It was designed by Frederick lawsted who is like a landscape architect and he actually made central park. So you can kind of imagine the vibes and it’s beautiful and were known for having like a lot of landscaping, a lot of trees. So. A lot. It’s I think the tagline is like a village in a forest.
[00:00:58] So around the time that I was doing my project, it was the hundredth year of girl scouting . So I wanted to tie that in somehow with my project. And also we had had a lot of trees lost in Riverside from, I think it was Dutch Elm, and then the Emerald ashbor and so I. Partnered with our local with the villages Forester, Mike Collins, and then also With the Olmstead society.
[00:01:26] And what I did is the goal was to plant a hundred trees to like replace the ones that had been lost. And that’s what we did. It was more of an undertaking than I was expecting at the, the beginning, but we did end up planting, I think like a little bit over a hundred trees. Can’t remember off the top of my head.
[00:01:45] But it was a really fun experience. And then obviously did the whole interview process and everything and got my cold war from it.
[00:01:52] Sheryl: A hundred trees is a lot. What kind of organizational skills did you have to use during your project?
[00:01:58] Shannon: I think there was a lot of logistics involved. And one thing that I was thinking about in terms of like giving people advice for their project is like, don’t be afraid to do something big, but if you do wanna do something on like a larger scale, like a hundred trees, you should plan.
[00:02:17] Like for, to use a lot of time. So I think it probably took me like almost a year from the point of like, when I started planning it to actually having, we had sort of like a, an event where people could come and purchase trees. So like they put their name in a sign up and then we brought the trees to them.
[00:02:34] Like a year later. So I think I started planning it in like June of like 2011 and then the event was like September of 2012 or something. So it was a long time. So I think the other thing that the other sort of organizational skills I would. Say that you wanna develop a budget and you really wanna get good at like cold emailing people and reaching out for sponsorships and things like that yeah.
[00:03:01] Sheryl: Do you remember what your biggest challenge was during your project and how you overcame it?
[00:03:05] Shannon: It was the logistical element of it. So to replace the trees, I worked really closely with the Forester and the way we did it was we actually were replacing trees in, in the parkways of people’s homes.
[00:03:17] So, you know, in Riverside it was like, you have your lawn and then there’s like a sidewalk. And then there’s like a little green space Parkway area. And so that’s where the trees ended up going. And then we had, so we had to figure out. What types of trees that the town needed to replace. So like Elm Ash, there was a few others just to kind of keep the ecosystem, this like the same as it had been and not to bring in any trees that wouldn’t like fit into the ecosystem of Riverside.
[00:03:45] So that was a little bit difficult. We had to kind of get in the weeds of like what trees were best plant and also the figuring out like the cost and what size tree we wanted. And then the village ended up helping us plant them, which was great. So the, I was trying to figure out how we were gonna plant them.
[00:04:02] Like if we were gonna have an event going around people’s houses, but it just like logistically wouldn’t work. So the town actually donated like a truck and some funds to have Landscapers come and plant them, which was a huge hell.
[00:04:16] Sheryl: Having those partners that really understand how to plant the tree and have the equipment to plant the tree.
[00:04:22] It like can you imagine if you had to dig all of those holes?
[00:04:26] Shannon: We were like, okay. A hundred trees. Like how long is that gonna take? And we were like, oh, that’s gonna be like 12 hours to get them all planted. So there was no way. So. We are. I’m very lucky that they were willing to like partner with me on that.
[00:04:41] Cause it would’ve been kind of a nightmare to do.
[00:04:43] Sheryl: So during high school, what other girl scout adventures did you have?
[00:04:47] Shannon: So I think I’m very lucky. My troops stayed together like through high school. So and that a lot of that has to do with my mom who you’ve met, who is on the board of the girl Scouts of U I G S USA.
[00:05:00] And she was my troop leader back then. and And she, and then Kathy Lahan and Deborah Gardner were my other two troop leaders. We had three they both, both moms of other girls. And so we all went to different high schools. We stayed together though through a lot because of our leaders, which was great.
[00:05:17] And so one of the ways they did that was when we were probably brownies, maybe just becoming girl Scouts, we set up a fund. That we really, we funneled like some cookie money into to go to one of the world centers. So we ended up going, I. Freshman year of high school. It’s hard to remember now, but we went to hacks lodge in London, and then we also went to to Paris.
[00:05:43] So it was an amazing trip that was like probably the highlight of sort of my high school time, a little bit older in girl Scouts, but then I loved camping when we were younger but.
[00:05:53] Sheryl: I also understand after graduation that you then volunteered for wags.
[00:05:58] Shannon: Yeah so I actually went back to PAX lodge. I when I graduated from my master’s program.
[00:06:04] So I got a master’s in physiology and biophysics from Georgetown the plan was then to apply to med school. And so there’s like some interim of time while you wait for your application to get processed. So I was like, what do I can I do during this time? That’s like important to me. And My mom and I were kind of talking about different short term jobs I could do, or like volunteering and the idea of volunteering for WAGS I thought it could be like really fun.
[00:06:30] And they also are really stepping up their like women and, or girls and young women in stem programming, which is very important to me. So it was a lot of fun to get to do that. So, yeah.
[00:06:41] Sheryl: When you were volunteering for packs, what exactly did you do in your role?
[00:06:46] Shannon: It’s connected to like the, the wags headquarters, which is cool, but it’s basically like a youth hotel type situation.
[00:06:53] So the idea is for and there’s programming where they take you around London. I think I forget sort of the name of it, but it was like Explorer, London tour you could do. And so it’s geared towards like girl scout from around the world to come visit, meet each other. Cultural sharing and that sort of stuff.
[00:07:10] So the most fun things where we got to like, sort of lead those exploring the city. So I probably went on the London eye like 10 times it was beautiful every time, but I did go on it a lot of times. So that was funny, but, and then also there was like maintenance of kind of like hostile aspects. So we helped.
[00:07:30] We did like all the dishes, like one of those industrial wash dishwashers and set up everything for like breakfast and dinner and helped like clean the room. So there was, you know, that element to it, but I think it it’s, it was good to kind of like learn those skills and it was definitely a fun experience overall. Yeah.
[00:07:49] Sheryl: What was most surprising to you about London? What did you learn about when you were living in London that you didn’t know?
[00:07:55] Shannon: British slang for things that I did not know, like, so they call the the sidewalk, the pavement, and I think the parking lot, like the car park and stuff like that I think a bandaid is a plaster.
[00:08:07] So I definitely learned the lingo. I think one of the best things about being there was I I met a troop from. Japan. And so they actually didn’t speak a lot of English, but we did do like campfire songs and we say we all sang Eidel Wise together, which was super fun. So a lot of it was just getting to meet people from around the world at London is very international and the whole point of blacks, I think we met a troop from Malta, which was really cool.
[00:08:34] Yeah, so like that culture share sharing element was probably my favorite part of being there.
[00:08:39] Sheryl: Over the last decade how has what you did in girl Scouts as a girl impacted decisions that you’ve made and your life path?
[00:08:49] Shannon: A lot of the process of like applying to medical school includes a lot of like reflection.
[00:08:54] You have to write a personal statement about sort of like how you got, where you are. And actually my personal statement, I, I spoke about girl scouting and sort of the values of girl scouting, making the world a better place. Like those things that I learned as a girl stuck with me and sort of were foundational for the values that I have now.
[00:09:14] So like when I wanted to decide a career. I was thinking about, you know, where is something that I can give back and also pursue what I’m interested in, which is the sciences. So, and actually when I had my interview for medical school, so I. Just starting. I’m an N1 at university of Illinois college of medicine.
[00:09:34] I’m at the Rockford campus. If you’re, if anyone’s wondering, there’s like three campuses. But in my interview, actually with U IIC, the interviewer asked me about girl Scouts and we sort of talked about my experience and I actually had like a box of thin mins next to me. And I was like, she’s like, I love the cookies.
[00:09:51] And I was like, I literally have some next to me that I’m going to eat after this, like stress eat after this. So that was a good bonding experience. But it really stays with you. And I think Like I’m, I was still talking about it then.
[00:10:03] Sheryl: I am sure that you have filled out a lot of applications for college, perhaps even jobs and done scholarship essays.
[00:10:13] How do you take your girl scout experiences and translate in them into stories that you use in those different formats?
[00:10:22] Shannon: So girl scouting, I think exposes you to a lot of activities, volunteering experiences. You can talk about like a specific volunteer experiences that moved you. So I spoke a little bit about my time at packs lodge and getting to like meet people from basically all over the world.
[00:10:40] And also I think like some of the, the core values, like volunteering that you get to do, you can speak about that things that have moved you. Or, you know, if you do a gold award project especially for like college missions, even med school, they asked me if I had a gold award or an Eagle or for if you’re a, if you were a boy scout, that would be like the Eagle scout, but they did ask about that.
[00:11:03] So it, it, it shows like someone who has really made a commitment to their community and like who. Values. Yeah. Those types of things like community service giving back. And I think it’s, it’s a great thing to highlight in like an application.
[00:11:19] Sheryl: You mentioned that your mom was your girl scout troop leader and that you and the group of girls did stay together yet went to different schools.
[00:11:29] Do you think the fact that you went to different schools helped your troop experience or do you think it was because you had that trio of strong adults that were leading you, that helped?
[00:11:40] Shannon: One has to do with the, the fact that our leaders were very good about letting us be in charge of our own like true destiny.
[00:11:47] So for example, we sort of talked about creating that like fund to go to one of the world centers. That world center, that idea was kind of chosen by our troop. I don’t know if we, at the time knew like how, what an undertaking it would be, but it was very fun. Other things like we, you know, we decided if we wanted to go camping or go to a museum or like what camp we would go to, things like that.
[00:12:13] So having that sort of like Empowering leadership from our troop leaders, I think was, was important for us sticking together. I think it was hard to have us at different high schools, but I think we had formed a bond that made it worth it to us to sort of schedule around when we would have our troop meetings and things like that.
[00:12:35] So, Yeah, I think, you know, in the be- keeping us together, forming that bond is like a lot of what our troop leaders did. But then later on, I think we were all motivated to stay together and quite a few of us wanted to do our gold award or silver award, things like that. So we did stay together, but I know that, you know, there’s a lot of Juliets out there who do their gold award, do all those things.
[00:12:58] So you don’t have to be. Associated with the troop. I think I’m very lucky that I was able to stay with mine for that long.
[00:13:06] Sheryl: Another adult girl scout experience you have is that you serve on a council board. Can you tell us about that role and how that’s impacted you?
[00:13:15] Shannon: Obviously, I did the volunteering at impact lodge when I came back and started working.
[00:13:20] I wanted to see like, if there are ways that I could volunteer without necessarily being a troop leader. Knowing that I was gonna continue with grad school. I didn’t wanna commit to being a troop leader and then have the girls have a transition like shortly after. So that was sort of the reasoning behind looking into being on an associate board.
[00:13:40] My mom, who had had board experience kind of talked to me about what that would be like. And so I ended up applying and, and now I’m on the associate board for Chicago and north of Indiana. Council it has been a lot of fun. It’s been really great to meet everyone and sort of like learn about other adults who are very passionate about girl scouting, learn from them.
[00:14:03] And then I’ve been helping out with the fundraising committee and our smart cookies event, which is sort of the capstone event fundraising event for the associate board. We have not got to see each other in person a lot. We’ve had to do a lot of zoom as per. Everyone because of COVID. But we did get to have smart cookies in person, which was a lot of fun.
[00:14:25] And the one coming up in September is also in person. I was trying to plug it so if someone’s interested in that, you can find it on the the co our council’s website. But it’s looking to be a lot of fun.
[00:14:38] Sheryl: When you look back on your girl experience what would you like to tell girls that are actually in girl scouting about how the adult volunteers work, whether they’re troop leaders or in other volunteer pathways so that they understand the work that is going in to support them?
[00:14:56] Shannon: Number one, I want them to know that we care a lot about their. Experiences in scouting and like what they wanna see moving forward, like what kind of programs they’ve enjoyed, what programs they haven’t enjoyed what things, you know, have been frustrating to them or what things like have kept their troop together.
[00:15:19] So there are opportunities for girls to get involved in the councils and see what’s going on, which I think like being an ambassador, which I think is great if you’re, if they’re interested in that. Yeah. There’s a lot of like adults who are kind of devoted to the movement and, and want to help them have the best experience possible.
[00:15:34] So like, if you’re doing a gold award or you’re doing a silver award or bronze ward and you need. Assistance you need to do raise funds or whatever it is, I would reach out to your council and, and talk to them and I’m sure they will love to support you. And yeah, there’s like a big net, a big network of adults support behind them.
[00:15:55] So that’s probably what I would want them to know. Yeah.
[00:15:59] Sheryl: As you mentioned, you’re just starting medical school. Can you tell us about the pathway that you’re planning on and why you chose that pathway?
[00:16:07] Shannon: It’s hard to say now what my specialty would be. So when you’re in medical school, the first two years are sort of like more didactic.
[00:16:14] So like kind of learning the content. And then the last two years you get to do a lot of like clinical rotations. So that’ll probably be the time when I narrow down exactly what the specialty I want to do. But I’m very interested in surgical specialties. I’m not sure which, and a lot of that has to do with sort of like the creative element of surgery.
[00:16:32] So I. Obviously love the sciences and learning about, you know, physiology and the human body. But I also am really interested in like being on my feet, using my hands. And that’s an element that surgery has that like some of the other specialties don’t, which appeals to me. So that’s what we’ll have to see.
[00:16:49] I don’t know. I could come back later and tell you that it’s something else.
[00:16:52] Sheryl: My understanding is that until you get into it, you really don’t know!
[00:16:55] Shannon: There’s yeah, there are like, definitely. You know, the day to day that you don’t really know until you’re in it like shadowing or doing rotations. So I’ll have to see.
[00:17:05] Sheryl: Is there a pivotal point that you remember that piqued your interest in stem and started you on this path?
[00:17:11] Shannon: I think there was a lot of like little experiences and, and, and teachers and classes that sort of put me in that direction. I would say girl scouting when I was really young. I dunno if we had like a ton of stem programming, but it definitely increased as. Got older. And I think now, I mean, there’s been a huge focus the last five, 10 years on, in improving it, which is great.
[00:17:32] I love that. so I’m from Chicago, the Chicago suburbs, and we have the field museum, which is like the natural history museum downtown. And we went there quite a few times and I think that was like, sort of my initial spark of interest in like the national sciences and ecology. And you can kind of see if my gold award project like.
[00:17:56] The fact that I knew at like 16 about the Emerald Ashfor and what it was, has a lot to do with that. And I’m, and I, I was really happy that my project could be about the lo local ecology and that sort of thing. So a lot of little moments and then medicine, particularly, I was able to volunteer at a children’s hospital when I was an undergrad.
[00:18:18] And I think that really. Showed me that, that all the volunteering that I had liked to do I could sort of, and, and what I kind of learned to do from girl Scouts, I could have like, in the medical field and opportunity to do that, as well as like, look at the interesting you know, scientific innovations and things like that.
[00:18:37] So , I would recommend if you’re interested in medicine, volunteer, maybe do it with your troop. That’s a great way to like, see if you like the field.
[00:18:49] Sheryl: And there are so many different opportunities in medicine too. Is there anything I haven’t asked you you’d like to share with the audience?
[00:18:55] Shannon: I would just wanna encourage girls and young women to look into stem.
[00:19:01] Don’t be intimidated if it is like a more male dominated field, we want more women in medicine. We want more women of color in medicine, especially if that’s something that interests you, I would encourage you to pursue it. There’s a lot of women, doctors, nurses. Women in other scientific fields that are behind you.
[00:19:23] So that’s what I would just encourage girls who are listening.
[00:19:27] Sheryl: How do you make your s’mores?
[00:19:28] Shannon: Okay. This is interesting. Cause I saw that you kind of like I saw that question. I was thinking like, I don’t know if my smores are that special but I will. The one thing I will say is that like I’m very much like perfect. Marshmallow connoisseur. Like I gotta get it like the perfect golden brown. So you have to like the advice that I got many years ago at camp wild rose is that you have to put your smore near the coals not the sort of like top of the flame and that’s where you get the good caramelization.
[00:19:58] Sheryl: The good caramelization and it puffs up really, really big too.
[00:20:02] Shannon: yeah, exactly. That’s like, that’s my advice, but I wouldn’t say anything around big breaking about my smores.
[00:20:08] Sheryl: Well thanks for joining us today.
[00:20:10] Shannon: Thank you it was great getting to talk to you.
[00:20:13] Sheryl: Make sure to click, follow or subscribe. So you always know when new episodes are released.
[00:20:18] And don’t forget to power your passion and conquer your challenges.
[00:20:26] Walter: The hearts of gold podcast is brought to you by the grow and share network produced by off the Walter media production. Thank you for listening and spreading the word on what we do. If you want to share your story of how you earned your goal award, reach out and send an email to growandshare@outlook.com.
[00:20:44] Be sure to listen to the newest episodes on your favorite podcast app, as well as view the full video episodes on youtube.com/SherylMRobinson. That’s youtube.com/sheryl, the letter M, Robinson. Take care and we’ll see you next time.