The Girl Scouts’ mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.
One young Haddonfield resident is setting an amazing example of what a girl can accomplish by being a Juliette Girl Scout and achieving great things. Shayne Ventura, 12, has been a top seller of cookies, candy and nuts in central and southern New Jersey for multiple years and got the opportunity to make her mark by travelling to amazing destinations this summer for all of her hard work.
“I really enjoy Girl Scouts. It’s something I’m good at, something that is fun, and it’s something that I like to do,” Shayne said.
“I think the more you get out there and do these things independently, the more you become grounded in your own identity,” Shayne’s mother Krista said. “(Girl Scouts) helps you overcome a lot of things that you never would’ve done on your own and help others do the same thing, but on a much more worldly scale.”
Shayne has been a Girl Scout for six years, this being her first year as a cadette. She really enjoyed the experience as a Girl Scout, but her troop was disbanded last year, as not enough girls were participating.
But that didn’t stop Shayne from continuing with her journey as a Girl Scout. With the help of her parents, Shayne found out about becoming a Juliette Girl Scout. Juliettes are registered members who are not affiliated with a group, but are willing to complete Girl Scout activities with the guidance of an adult. As a Juliette, Shayne is able to participate in Girl Scouts in a way that fits her schedule, attending events and participating in activities that meet her needs and interests.
“There is a lot more freedom (as a Juliette),” Shayne said.
In her first year as a cadette, Shayne has earned 12 badges and more than 20 fun patches. She has also earned her Bronze Award for creating a book swap cart at her school, Haddonfield Friends School. Filled with popular books, students are able to bring in a book and exchange it with one on the cart. According to Shayne, students are more apt to get books off the cart, as they are popular titles.
Before Shayne became a Juliette, she was named the top seller once for cookies and twice for candy and nuts in the central and southern New Jersey region. After becoming a Juliette, despite not being allowed to sell at a booth without another Girl Scout and parent, she was still able to sell 1,044 boxes of cookies to earn the title of top seller once again, this time selling door to door. As she was named a top seller, Shayne and Krista were able to speak to the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey to make a change in the rules, allowing for booth sales for Juliettes and their parents.
Shayne’s accomplishments do not stop there, as this summer she was accepted to attend four trips for Girl Scouts: North Country Rock-N-Wilderness in Minnesota and Canada; Space Academy in Alabama; Cross Country Culinary Challenge from Austin, Texas, to New York; and Surfs Up on the Space Coast in Florida. However, Shayne could only go on two trips this year, so she went to the first two she was accepted into, North Country Rock-N-Wilderness and Space Academy.
From June 26 to July 1, Shayne spent her time learning about space, doing astronaut training and making friends. At Space Camp, she saw the Discovery Space Shuttle, built rockets, worked in zero gravity, took a ride on the Multi-Axis Trainer Chair and Space Shot ride, and met famous astronauts such as Jerry L. Ross, a record holder for most spaceflights. Much of the time, Shayne worked in a team and, in the end, earned a certificate for graduating Space Camp.
“We were pretty lucky. In Utah, they were testing a space launch to Mars, and we got to watch the test run (on a live stream). It was successful,” Shayne said.
Shayne got a short break after her return, taking the opportunity to walk in the Fourth of July parade in Haddonfield as a Girl Scout. But then, she was off again on her next trip.
This time, Shayne kayaked and canoed her way up and down the waterways of Minnesota and Canada from July 5 to July 16. She, a group of girls and two chaperones used their brains and brawn to get to each of their destinations. Shayne said it was really windy when she went up, which made it hard, but she was able to get through it.
From her experiences, Shayne said she gained new friends from all over the world and learned more with teamwork and leadership. Her biggest takeaways were to keep going even when things get hard and not be afraid to try new things.
“I learned if something gets hard, keep going, otherwise we never would’ve gotten back (with that wind),” Shayne said about her time canoeing. “(At Space Camp) I learned to try new things, even if they are crazy. I never would’ve done the MAT chair (or ridden Space Shot), but I did both and it was great.”
In the future, Shayne has a lot she wants to accomplish. She wants to go on more trips, keep working her way through Girl Scouts and eventually become a troop leader.
The Venturas recommend that young women look at all of the things the Girl Scouts can do and the organization offers, because there is so much people don’t even realize is available through Girl Scouts. To learn more, visit www.gscsnj.org.
