My troopmate Carmela Sanchez and I are in our Girl Scout vests at my sweet 16. She was my only dama, who, similar to a bridesmaid, supported me throughout the celebration. Each pin, patch and badge represents a journey we earned and memories we share. One of our most memorable pins on our vest is the “500 Club” pin, signifying that we sold a minimum of 500 boxes during cookie season, which allows us to attend an annual event at Hurricane Harbor solely for Girl Scouts. Photo credits to Daniella Ruiz.

When people think of Girl Scouts, they usually think of cookies, badges and camping. But Girl Scouts is so much more than that. According to Girl Scouts of the USA, the program is designed to help girls develop leadership, confidence, and life skills through hands-on experiences in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), the outdoors, entrepreneurship, and building relationships with other girls in the community. After nine years in the program, now a first-year Ambassador (the highest level for high school Girl Scouts) heading into my 10th and final year, the real heart of Girl Scouts isn’t any of the activities. It’s the sisterhood. It’s the way a group of girls you once barely knew can consistently become the people who help shape you.

I’ve been with my current troop, a group of Girl Scouts who meet regularly with adult volunteers, for almost six years, but I’ve known them since second grade. Over time, through twice-a-month meetings, camping trips, service projects and social events, we grew together from girls into young women. What amazes me the most is how we’ve all become family, not because we’re related, but because of the consistent support, teamwork, and trust built through Girl Scout experiences.

The inside jokes, the late-night talks and our shared burnout from school all add to the unspoken comfort of being surrounded by people who truly know you. That bond doesn’t just happen naturally, it’s strengthened by Girl Scout traditions like earning badges together, working side by side on service projects and planning troop activities. Those moments become a part of you. 

According to the Girl Scout Impact Study, this kind of connection isn’t uncommon. Girl Scouts are significantly more likely than non-Girl Scouts to report having supportive adults and peers who make them feel seen and valued. That support shows up in everything from outdoor adventures to STEM challenges, where girls learn to rely on one another in many ways.

This sense of long-term connection isn’t just my experience. Fellow first year Ambassador and junior Aaliyah Crosby, who has been with her troop since kindergarten, describes the community that mirrors my own.

“We’ve all grown up with each other. A lot of us went to the same middle school, and now we’re obviously all going to the same high school together. So it’s really like a sisterhood in that because we’re always together,” Crosby said.

And then there’s my sophomore troopmmate Carmela Sanchez. She wasn’t just a fellow troop member who became my friend; she became someone whose presence feels stitched into my life. She and her family alike all welcomed me in ways that made me feel chosen, not just included. For example, we both attended each other’s quinceañeras.

Some of our most important moments together weren’t just big milestones, though. They were the nights at surf camp when we stayed up talking until 3 a.m. with some of our former troop members, Sophia Rodriguez and Emma Torres, switching between chaotic laughter and deep conversations about our crushes and families alike. Those moments didn’t stand out at the time, but now I see they mattered because Girl Scouts gave us the space to be ourselves – unfiltered, honest and genuinely present. 

Now, I realize that’s exactly why they mattered; sisterhood isn’t built on blood or perfection, it’s built on presence. Research from the Girl Scout Impact Story shows that Girl Scouts remain steady in cooperative, girl-led and hands-on learning experiences as they get older, a consistency that strengthens connections like these. 

In July, my troop and I went to Savannah, Georgia, for four days to learn more about the birthplace and city of Juliette Gordon Low, Girl Scouts founder. We sweated through the kind of humid heat that felt like it was literally raining hot water, we toured the city on foot, and even got to go on a ghost tour at night. We did a Labubu unboxing that ended up being a Lafufu, and we laughed about it endlessly.

There was something surreal about standing in Low’s city surrounded by the people who had walked beside me through almost every chapter of my childhood. In some way, it felt like our story, in some small way, became a part of hers. Trips like this are part of the Girl Scout experience – blending history, culture, and bonding – and they become memories I cherish the most. 

The feeling of support and closeness isn’t unique to my experiences. For Crosby and I, the definition of sisterhood is clear.

“Sisterhood means having a support system…knowing that you always have somebody that’s gonna have your back because it’s more than one person in a troop. You know you’re not by yourself, and you know you’re always gonna have somebody to talk to,” Crosby said. 

However, sisterhood isn’t just about fun. It’s what held me together when balancing Girl Scouts with AP classes, endless homework, expectations and burnout felt impossible. There were weeks, even months, when I felt so stretched thin I didn’t recognize myself. Yet every time I dragged myself to a meeting, I felt like I could relax. Not because my responsibilities disappeared, but because I didn’t feel alone in them anymore. That’s something I didn’t learn through my other extracurriculars because Girl Scouts gives such a bigger space to connect with the whole community of girls to rely on and get support from rather than a select group of people. 

That’s why sisterhood matters, not just for memories, but for the shared survival and emotional safety net that so many girls may not get anywhere else. The Girl Scout Impact Study also shows how participating in Girl Scouts actually provides a buffer against negative influences girls face starting in middle school, helping maintain confidence and a sense of self while non-Girl Scouts experience sharp declines. 

Growing up is overwhelming. Being a teenage girl is exhausting, emotionally and physically, in ways people don’t always see or understand. The pressure to be perfect, to do everything all at once and to never fall apart follows us everywhere. But in my troop, I learned you don’t have to be perfect and have everything together to be loved. You don’t have to be strong all the time, and you don’t have to handle everything alone.

Before Girl Scouts, I was unsure of my place. But because of this sisterhood, I’ve grown into someone confident, developed business skills through cookie and nut sales and learned to balance independence with teamwork. Girls grow differently when they grow in community, in spaces where they feel seen and understood. It shapes girls into women who know their worth, identity and their power in this world. Research shows that 82% of Girl Scouts participate in healthy activities, 79% in STEM, and 76% in outdoor activities, all linked in the study to higher leadership outcomes, confidence and future readiness. 

As I enter my 10th and final year, I see now that each uniform I grew out of and each patch I earned were temporary, but the impact of these women who taught us and the girls who grew with me isn’t. These women, the memories and the love are all what turned me into who I am and who I will always be. Girl Scouts has given me endless opportunities, but sisterhood has given me a family who loves endlessly. Long after my vest is packed away and the meetings end, our love and connection will always remain the badge of highest honor I could ever earn.