Teen Speaks at Leadership Luncheon

Gold Award recipient Jessica Hopfensperger spoke to a large crowd at the Peninsula Leadership Luncheon in May. Her inspiring speech is reprinted below.  Thank you, Jessica!

First of all, I would just like to say thank you to my mother for starting me in Girl Scouts at a young age. I would also like to thank my Grandma for that little push I needed to get my Gold Award Project started. If you’re a parent, you may already know that it takes a lot to get a teenager to do anything nowadays.

I owe who I am today to the experiences that I have encountered in Girl Scouts. For example, I first learned how to rock climb, ice skate, roller blade, ride a horse, scuba dive, and go white water rafting in Girl Scouts. We learned about job shadowing. I learned about different career choices for my future.

I never would have been able to travel the world, or experience the joy of cruising (which I can honestly say is the best thing ever created). During my travels, I have made some wonderful friends and great memories.  I have tried new things that I never would have before, like snorkeling through the Mayan cave in Belize, scrubbing the deck of a pirate ship in the Cayman Islands, explore the ruins of Pompeii, walking up the steps in the Leaning Tower of Piza, taking a horse carriage ride through the streets of Rome, and throwing a coin over my shoulder into the Trevi Fountain, to list a few.

It was because of Girl Scouts that I learned about different foods and cultures from around the world that I didn’t even know existed. It was because of Girl Scouts that I learned that everybody is beautiful for who they are, and it doesn’t matter what the color of your skin is, or what ethnicity you may be. We are all connected in different ways.

It’s because of Girl Scouts that I have decided to become an engineer and further my education, and make a future for myself. It was because of Girl Scouts that I was able to feel the joy that comes from helping those in need.

That brings me to my Gold Award project. For my project, I decided to continue my work with Turning Point, an emergency shelter for battered women and children. I contacted Turning Point to ask them what their greatest need was, what most needed to be addressed. When the women and children leave whatever situation they may be in, they are sometimes unable to take any belongings with them when they go.

While waiting for approval for my Gold Award project, I made 28 baby quilts to go along with the rest of the project. After I was given approval to start, I collected over 200 suitcases filled with hygiene kits, stuffed animals, journals and books so that the women and children would have something more for themselves than just the clothes on their backs. Turning Point has more than 1,200 people come through their shelter every month. And because I realize that this is such a big need in our community I plan to continue this project for as long as possible because I love to see their smiling faces, which is thanks enough for me.

So all in all, Girl Scouts has had a major impact on my life. I felt honored to be able to make a difference in my community. Thank you!