Pictured here (l. to r.) at the event are Jennifer Long, Gabrielle Begos, Jessica Brown, Emma Galipeau-Eldridge of Otisfield, Senator Angus King, Bailee Kinney of Poland, Emily Cain, Mairead Murphy, Meredith Strang Burgess, Sierra Cummins of Monmouth, and Girl Scouts of Maine CEO Joanne Crepeau.

Three local students were among the six high school senior Girl Scouts selected by Girl Scouts of Maine recently to receive Future Leaders Scholarships.

Sierra Cummins of Monmouth, Emma Galipeau-Eldridge of Otisfield, and Bailee Kinney of Poland received the award recently at Girl Scouts of Maine’s inaugural Passion to Action event at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. 

“Girl Scouts of Maine is dedicated to preparing girls for a lifetime of leadership – in their own life and in the world,” said Joanne Crepeau, CEO of Girl Scouts of Maine. “These young women demonstrated that Girl Scouts is a place where a girl’s choices are not ignored, her voice is heard, and she learns leadership skills to carry her into her adult life. We are very proud to award each of them with the council’s very first Future Leaders Scholarship.”

Sierra Cummins graduated from Monmouth Academy and will attend Bridgewater State University, where she plans to major in Special Education. She believes the biggest problem facing girls today is the lack of encouragement they need to pursue their dreams. She says she wants to support other girls in their interests, just like the Girl Scouts did for her. 

Emma Galipeau-Eldridge graduated from Poland Regional High School and plans to attend St. Lawrence University. She believes if we were to teach all young girls to be involved and work together – like she learned in Girl Scouts – girls and women would know their value and have the confidence to step forward to do whatever it is they choose to do. 

Bailee Kinney graduated from Poland Regional High School and will attend Clark University, where she plans to double major in Psychology and Women’s Studies. She says the biggest challenge girls and women face today is the culturally embedded belief that women and girls are not meant to be leaders. She feels that Girl Scouts has given her many leadership opportunities to use her voice to stand for issues she believes in. She wants to be an advocate for self-confidence and inner strength and plans to become a counselor to work with people who struggle with mental illness.

The other three recipients were Gabrielle Begos of Westbrook, Jessica Brown of Portland, and Mairead Murphy of York.

Passion to Action, a civic engagement event, encouraged participants to take a passionate stand for positive change and mobilize it to civic action. The featured speakers included U.S. Senator Angus King; Emily Cain, Executive Director of EMILY’S List; and Meredith Strang Burgess, President and Chief Executive Officer of Burgess Advertising.

Moderated by Jennifer Long of WGME Channel 13, the event was open to the public. Attendees included representatives from the League of Women Voters, Husson University, Maine Women Magazine, Junior Achievement of Maine, and Girl Scouts, their families, and Girl Scout volunteers.For more information, or to join Girl Scouts of Maine, call 888-922-4763 or see www.girlscoutsofmaine.org.