It’s roses for DB Girl Scout
December 13, 2017
After ten years of dedication to Girl Scouts and serving her community, Diamond Bar High School senior Meghan Shen will be making her mark on national television.
On Jan. 1, Shen and the other chosen Girl and Boy Scouts will be marching in the Rose Parade as representatives for the national organization.
After finishing her Gold Award project in October, Shen applied to the organization to be a part of the Tournament of Roses Troop. The troop consists of around 50 Eagle Scouts and 50 Gold Awardees between grades 10 and 12 from the Los Angeles area.
“It’s pretty incredible because it’s been a childhood dream,” Shen said. “It’s nice to be able to represent Diamond Bar.”
After Shen submitted her application and interviewed on-the-spot over the phone, she was soon notified of her acceptance. She, along with others chosen, attended two mandatory practices to learn formation.
Before achieving her dream of becoming a part of the tournament troop, Shen completed her Gold Award project by teaching art to children at a local elementary school.
“Since I really like art, I wanted to combat the lack of emphasis in art, especially fine arts in elementary level,” she said.
For three days a week, over a span of eight weeks, Shen visited Quail Summit Elementary School to teach children about color theory, sculpting basics and drawing techniques.
Leading hands-on art projects, she had to plan ahead to create engaging activities, as well as to gather volunteers and art supplies. One unique project she led was “Create-A-Book,” in which the children each illustrated a scene from a short story they wrote together.
“Working with the kids was really fun because I would come from a long day of school, and they would always brighten my day,” she said.
Since elementary school, Shen completed a number of troop projects including hosting a car wash fundraiser for victims of the Japan earthquake and a self-defense workshop to educate girls on safety against domestic violence. In addition, she and Girl Scouts troop member, senior Emily Ong, planted a garden at a local packing house called Isaiah’s Rock to provide the cooks there with freshly grown herbs to season the foods.
Although she originally joined Girl Scouts as a light-hearted activity in elementary school, Shen stated that she has learned to appreciate the skills she’s developed as part of the team.
“Back then, it was more of a fun thing for me, but as I got older, I’ve gotten to do more projects where I’m actually making a difference,” she said. “It’s more meaningful to me now, and it allows me to take on more different types of leadership roles.”
Shen stated that being part of Girl Scouts taught her to manage her time, plan in advance and deal with people of all ages. Currently, Shen is also secretary and commissioner of academics in USB, president of Key Club and a team member of Mock Trial.
Although her high school years in Girl Scouts comes to a close, she hopes to continue to be involved with Girl Scouts as a young adult.
“I spent a lot more time with Girl Scouts as I get older because there’s a lot more to plan and learn about the world, especially as a young woman,” she said. “I definitely still want to stay in Girl Scouts and possibly when I get older, lead a troop.”
