Through the hours I spent working with middle school, then high school girls, I continued to develop my passion for working with and empowering young people. Contrary to other Girl Scout leaders, I never turned away a girl who was wanted to be part of our troop. As a result, we were one of the most diverse and inclusive troops in our community. A typical Troop 9 event had representatives of five different religions, polar opposite political orientations, a wide range of the socioeconomic spectrum, and a variety of LGBT statuses. We had a class valedictorian and a high school dropout. Our diagnoses included Asperger’s, ADD (both with and without hyperactivity), Anxiety, Bipolar NOS, a peanut allergy, and, of course, residual brain damage. I refused to allow any of those variables to stop us from achieving accomplishments in everything from ocean-side camping to spending a weekend with on our adopted Navajo grandma’s land, painting the small kitchen attached to her hogan. The successful fundraisers I organized were instrumental to the girls’ ability to function with complete financial independence. …show more content…
My salient abilities, including my ability to develop creative solutions to challenging circumstances, my skill in helping a person dissect and get to the root of a personal problem, my determination to not equate disability to handicap, my refusal to judge others based on pigmentation, socioeconomic status, sexual/gender preference, religion, politics, or choices of tattoos and piercings, and my personal determination to live based on genuineness, gratitude, and creatively bending societal norms, give me a large and solid foundation upon which to build myself into an authentic and effective