Scouting out Mount Mary

Girl Scouts spend an evening with professors (and pizza)

A group of 150 Girl Scouts came to Mount Mary campus last Friday night to explore campus. And explore they did.

They ventured about campus, in lecture halls, offices, a chemistry lab, and of course, the dining room. One group also ventured on a nighttime tour of the campus grounds and woods.

The College Campus Explorers Night is a tradition for Mount Mary and the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Wisconsin (GSWISE). Scout troops and their leaders attend badge-earning sessions taught by Mount Mary faculty and student volunteers.

For many, it was their first time on Mount Mary’s campus and for some, it was their first time on a college campus – let alone witness a college professor in action.

“So much of the Girl Scout mission is finding out who you are,” said Holli Clark, program specialist for GSWISE. “And being on a college campus means it’s never too young to start thinking about college.”

The faculty members shared their expertise with these young students by making the concepts relevant to the girls’ experience. For example, Kristin Roche, who teaches business administration in the School of Business, discussed entrepreneurship and professionalism using meaningful examples to the girls.

They discussed setting rates for babysitting, conducted mock interviews for jobs like salesclerks and baristas and worked together to define what professionalism looks like for girls of this age.

“It’s easier to start now than it is to learn it later,” Roche said.

The evening ended with a pizza party and large group discussion on leadership moderated by Tanya Keenan of Mount Mary’s English Department, who was recently named one of the University’s two outstanding instructors for 2016-17.

“You’ll always be reaching and growing,” Keenan told the girls. “Establishing your sense of self is a lifelong adventure.”

And a night out with the girls is something special, no matter what age.

“Girl Scouts made me have better friends,” said Brittney Tran of Mukwonago, who came to the event with her troop from Park View Middle School. Being among strong girls has built her confidence. “They help me to do what’s right,” she said.