Mars Imagined—a model of a medical center on Mars. Girls pictured from right to left: Lauren, Stephanie, Olivia, and Catie.

Girls Go Tech Leadership Institute
Xtreme Science Careers

They did it! 24 Girl Scouts from all across the country solved crimes, imagined life on Mars, and consulted a female CIA operative on the science of secret agents—and that was just the beginning…

Who: 24 14–17 year old Girl Scouts
What: Xtreme Science Careers Program
When: July 15-19, 2004
Where: Briarcliff Manor, New York
Why: Explored careers in science and math

"We are pleased to inform you…"

I think that every letter should start with the words "We are pleased to inform you…" These were the first words of the acceptance letter I received from the Girls Go Tech Leadership Institute. Next thing I knew, I was getting off a plane in New York City. The event was designed to expose us to careers in science. It was held 45 miles north of New York City. This trip was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. In the span of five culture-filled days, I flew for the first time, saw big cities like Chicago, Pittsburgh, and New York, and met some wonderful people from all over the United States. The knowledge I gained at this event has given me many fun career choices. Each girl that attended this event needed to take the skills and knowledge they learned and submit an action plan to carry out in their own community. I would encourage any girl to take advantage of any (similar) opportunity that comes their way.

Small Town Girl, Big Apple

I've been back from New York for about a week and I'm still reeling from all the things I learned, experiences I had, and amazing people I met. When I discovered that I was chosen to go to New York I was ecstatic. I was going to be flying to New York all by myself! The trip was better than I could have possibly imagined. Twenty-four girls from all over the country met with only two things in common: a love for math and science and a love for Girl Scouting. We were introduced to so many possibilities in science and everyone there made us feel that we could do anything: we could work at NASA or the CIA, be biomedical engineers, or even become TV producers.

We worked hard in teams developing our leadership skills and began to understand each other better. Never have I ever met so many diverse girls with so many interests in common. This conference was about more than scientific facts and making friends; I gained more confidence in myself and it solidified my dreams for the future. I cherish the friendships I made in New York and all the experiences I had and hope that I will meet these girls and our adult leaders again. I feel honored to have been given this opportunity and I can't wait to share my newfound knowledge with other Girl Scouts.

"Whodunnit" and "Whydunit"
One of the highlights of the Leadership Institute was touring the Westchester County Medical Crime Lab on a Saturday morning. We were able to do many hands-on activities to see how investigators actually solve the 'whodunit' crimes! Can you tell the difference between cocaine and other plants? Can you figure out what two chemicals combine to form an exact shade of magenta? These are some of the activities we actually did. We were able to use different wavelengths of light to recognize glow-in-the dark fibers and stains on clothing. We got to ask as many gruesome questions as we wanted to the very knowledgeable staff at the Crime Lab.

My favorite part of the whole trip came that afternoon when we got to form groups to participate in a mock crime scene. We were briefed on the situation and sent into "the scene" to try to figure out "whodunit" and "whydunit." There were bullet casings, papers, fake blood, and powders all around the scene. We started by trying to decide what weapons were used, when it happened, and what actually occurred at the scene. We measured angles of bullet holes, we patted down "dead bodies" to find knife sheaths, we traced lines (or drops) of blood through the area, and we even crawled under tables to find loaded coke packets. All of this was just one of the many valuable experiences during a day of the Girls Go Tech Leadership Institute 2004, and I would gladly re-do any day of this program!

A New Way of Thinking

I would bet all of the girls who went on the Girls Go Tech Leadership Institute 2004: Extreme Science Careers program enjoyed it. While some liked building a house, others enjoyed going to a forensic lab more. Building mechanical arms and figuring out different ways to ring a bell forced us to think in a new light. And that's what girls need to do for the future, think differently than everyone else. Dare to dream what others don't. That was the real thing we learned. Thinking differently as we learned to do is a skill that, if we hone and sharpen it, can lead us to great places in our lives. And the most wonderful thing is there are no wrong answers. And sometimes the wildest thought, the one people may laugh at or you almost write off yourself, is the best.

I could go on about eating at Mars 2112, seeing the Blue Man Group (they were awesome!) or even seeing 5th Avenue from the inside of a bus on a rainy day, but it's really what we learned that is the most important thing. This idea of thinking differently, of not being content with what is here, and of wanting to know more and change what we don't like in our world, will lead us to something great. I'll be on the watch for my New York girls in the paper and on the news, waiting for one of us to change the world.