My name is Mariah Jennings, and I am part of troop 127001 of San Jacinto Girl Scouts. And I have been apart of my Girl Scout troop for about 7-8 years now. Over the years, we’ve worked on several projects, from making dog toys, to taking photos for those who are unable to live alone so they could have their own photoshoot for my bronze award, and working at the local food bank. I have also completed my silver award, where I helped to organize a local charity’s gifts and prize closet, which had grown messy and over crowded from years of simply throwing items into the room for later use. And currently, I’m hoping to work on my gold award, for which I plan to create an educational game for teachers to use as a way to prepare their students for STAAR. Over the course of the years that I have spent in Girl Scouts I’ve learned many things. However, the things that have stuck with me are lessons that have changed my perspective on a lot of things. One of these lessons came from my bronze award, when we were taking photos of the residents of the Brookwood community. The Brookwood community is a residential community for those who are unable to live alone due to disability or age. As we were taking photos of the residents, I met some truly wonderful individuals who loved to talk and enjoy life. They told us about their hobbies, their likes and dislikes, and things about them. One lady living there showed us her room, where she kept her projects and the hobbies she enjoyed in her free time. I enjoyed my time there much more than I anticipated, and I learned two valuable lessons. One, was to not take things for granted. So many times throughout the years I’ve found myself zoning out and ignoring the little things around me that made life so great. Something as simple as the summer rain cooling down a hot day could make such a difference to my mood if I allowed it to, and this moment with the residents of Brookwood lives with me to keep me aware. The second lesson I learned was to not judge someone by appearance how or where they lived. When I first arrived at Brookwood as a junior Girl Scout, I didn’t know what to expect, and as a young child, I was hesitant to talk to anyone. Everything around me was strange and unfamiliar, and honestly uncomfortable for me. But the people living there were kind, and a sharp contrast to what I had expected entirely. I was more comfortable by the end of the trip, talking with the residents and interacting with them, and it taught me a lesson in how appearances doesn’t mean personality. And they taught me to not judge those around me, to instead build my opinion on a person based on their character, and not their appearance. Overall, I truly believe that girl scouts has prepared me for my future by teaching me these lessons and more, making me a better, and more thoughtful person going forward.