When sophomore Mya Tollefson joined Girl Scouts nine years ago, she didn’t think she’d be receiving one of the highest awards obtainable, but she did.
Recently, Girl Scout Troop 1041 members celebrated with Tollefson when she earned the Girl Scout Silver Award for her journey project.
Troop leader Kris Sherwin said Girl Scouts earn badges by completing certain tasks to obtain them.
Tollefson said she attends camps and earns various badges for theater, music, wildlife and ice skating. However, that doesn’t begin to touch all that she’s accomplished. Her vest is almost completely filled with badges.
“I have about 30 I haven’t put on yet,” she said.
For a girl who joined Girl Scouts because “Everyone in first grade was trying to do it,” she quickly learned she made the right decision.
“It’s tons of fun,” Tollefson said.
Sherwin has helped guide Tollefson to obtain badges and the silver award, which is designated to be a leadership training, was no exception. For the silver award, Tollefson needed to identify a need in her community, make a plan to meet the need and then accomplish her plan.
“It took a while to figure out what I wanted to do,” Tollefson said.
At first, she wanted to help homeless people in Salt Lake City, but decided that a local project might be better.
After talking with younger children, Tollefson decided they needed to learn about 911, first aid and hypothermia.
“Sometimes that’s the hardest — narrowing down what you’re going to do,” Sherwin said.
She worked with community leaders in the police department and the parks and recreation department to present a hands-on learning program at the Green River After School Program.
This required Tollefson to talk to people about what she wanted to do and come up with a plan on how she wanted to do it.
For Tollefson, she not only wanted kids to learn about how to call 911, but what to do to treat hypothermia.
She then realized a first-aid kit would be something she’d want to include in the program. This led to seeking donations for first-aid kits.
When all was ready, Tollefson hosted a program about calling 911 in an emergency and the students received a first-aid kit.
Tollefson just didn’t hand out the kits, but showed students how to use the items in the kit.
She also gave a presentation on the signs and symptoms of hypothermia. Each student received a space blanket and had the opportunity to practice treating hypothermia by wrapping another student in the blanket.
“I learned that kids do have fun learning,” Tollefson said.
She said the hands-on portion really got the kids interested in what she was saying.
Sherwin said Tollefson’s preparation and organization skills led to a successful program. The supplies for the first-aid kit were mostly donated, however some items needed to be purchased with money from the troop’s cookie sales.
“It didn’t take a lot of supplies or money to do it,” Sherwin said.
Although any Girl Scout in middle school is eligible to earn the silver award, only a small amount of the girls actually pursue it, Sherwin said, usually about 25 to 30 percent, which is equivalent to 10 girls in her troop. The silver award is the highest award a cadette scout can obtain.
“The silver award is the highest award you can get in that level,” Sherwin explained.
The silver award is no small accomplishment. She said there are certain scholarships only available for silver and gold award winners. Also, for Girl Scouts who go on to received a gold award and decide to join the military are automatically advanced a rank when they join.
Sherwin said the award is also a great addition to any resume and it’s something employers recognize.
“It represents the work that you did,” Sherwin said.
Tollefson received a certificate and a silver medal for all of her hard work, which she found room on her vest to proudly display.
But it’s not just about the award, it’s about the skills Tollefson has developed obtaining it. Sherwin said if she ever needs someone to take care of a younger troop, she knows she can count on Tollefson to do it.
“Her leadership skills have blossomed,” Sherwin said. “I know she can take care of those girls and do good work.”
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