7 NOTABLE GIRL SCOUTS THROUGHOUT HISTORY
7 Notable Girl Scouts – Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts in 1912. In 1917 Low met Lou Hoover, who became a National Commissioner for the Girl Scouts. She eventually became Vice President and then President of the organization. Lou Hoover also founded two Girl Scout troops, one in Washington D.C. and the other in Palo Alto, CA. The troop in Washington D.C. included both white and African American girls, extremely rare in the 1920s. Even as First Lady, Lou Hoover was involved with the Girl Scouts. She became the first to accept the title of honorary president of the Girls Scouts of America. Every First Lady since has been given the same title.
Thanks to women like Juliette Gordon Low and First Lady Lou Hoover, the Girl Scouts has had a strong presence in this country. The Girl Scouts organization has provided a way for millions of girls to attain strong leadership skills. This includes these 7 Notable Girl Scouts throughout history.
1. Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II was born in 1926 in London, England. In 1937, a very young Princess, Elizabeth, and her younger sister, Margaret, became Girl Guides, the British version of Girl Scouts. (The Girl Guide Association had been founded in the UK in 1910.) In 1953 at the age of 27, Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen Elizabeth II.
2. Sandra Day O’Connor
Sandra Day O’Connor was born in 1930 in El Paso, Texas. She grew up on a large cattle ranch in Arizona, where she did not have running water or electricity until she was 7. At the age of 16, she enrolled at Stanford University. She attained her law degree from Stanford Law School in 1952. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed her to the Supreme Court, where she served for 24 years.
3. Sally Ride
Sally Ride was born in Los Angeles in 1951. In 1978, she earned a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford. Ride joined NASA that same year. In 1983, she became the first American woman in space. Along with her career as an astronaut, she founded a non-profit that encouraged students, especially girls, to enroll in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses. She also co-founded a mentorship program for high school girls called Camp CEO.
4. Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza “Condi” Rice was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1954. This was a time when the South was still racially segregated. She attended school at the University of Denver and the University of Notre Dame. She also pursued an academic fellowship at Stanford University. In 2000 she became President George Bush’s National Security Advisor. During Bush’s second term, she became the second female secretary of state.
5. Star Jones
Number 5 on our list of 7 Notable Girl Scouts is Star Jones, born in Badin, NC, in 1962 but grew up in Trenton, NJ. Jones was a graduate of Notre Dame High School. She went on to earn a Doctor of Law degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1986. Jones worked as a prosecutor until she was recruited as a commentator for Court TV in 1991. Today she is best known for being an original co-host of the popular television show, The View. Jones is also involved with Girls Inc., a nonprofit organization that encourages girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
6. Venus Williams
Venus Williams was born in Lynwood, California, in 1980. In 2002, she was the first African American woman to be ranked number one by the Women’s Tennis Association. In 2010, she and her sister, Serena, were ranked number one in doubles. Besides winning several national and international tennis titles, she has also won four Olympic gold medals in the sport.
7. Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift was born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1989. At the age of 15, she moved to Nashville to pursue a country music career. Just one year later, she released her debut album. In 2012, Swift crossed over from country to pop and never looked back. She has become one of the best-selling music artists ever. Swift has also won several music awards. This includes 23 Billboard Music Awards, which are the most wins by a female artist. In 2010, 2015, and 2019, Time magazine included her on its list of 100 most influential people globally.
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