For 13 years, Girl Scouts has been a part of my life. As I enter my final year of high school, I’ve been thinking about what those years have given me. I could tell you about the places I’ve traveled, the skills I’ve learned or the amount of cookies I’ve sold. But what I’m most grateful for is something harder to measure: Girl Scouts helped me find my voice and the confidence to use it.

Some of my favorite memories happened at Girl Scout camps in Utah. Going to Trefoil Ranch and Camp Cloud Rim was always the highlight of my summer. I tried things I never would have imagined doing on my own, from horseback riding, river rafting, archery and hatchet throwing to mastering the high ropes course.

Girl Scouts introduced me to career options. At Camp Fury, a program that introduces girls to firefighting and emergency response careers, I learned from an all-female group of fire fighters. We practiced self-defense, learned how to use fire hoses, forensics, tried night vision googles — I even rappelled down a six-story building.

Those experiences taught me that being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared. It means you can be scared and still take the next step.

As much as I loved camps, some of my most important lessons came from something much more ordinary: selling Girl Scout cookies.

At first, the cookie program seemed pretty straightforward. Set a goal. Sell cookies. Calculate costs. Earn rewards. But after seven years as one of the top sellers in Utah, I’ve learned that the real value of the program has very little to do with the cookies themselves.

Standing at a booth and approaching a customer teaches you how to communicate clearly. It teaches you how to make a connection with someone you’ve never met. It teaches you to handle criticism professionally, keep your cool when things get complicated and take responsibility for your commitments.

Most importantly, it taught me to believe that my voice matters.

That confidence has followed me far beyond cookie season. Selling cookies gave me the courage to apply to represent Girl Scouts of Utah as a National Delegate to the Girl Scout National Convention in Washington, D.C. A younger version of me might have wondered whether I was qualified or whether someone else would be better suited for the opportunity. The Girl Scout in me now knows that sometimes you have to raise your hand and say, “I can do this.”

Girl Scouts has also taught me that leadership isn’t just about standing in front of a room and telling people what to do. It is about trying something difficult, learning from it and working with other people.

That is why the experiences I’ve had through Girl Scouts have meant so much to me. Because when our troop sold cookies, we earned trips to Jackson Hole, Moab and Capitol Reef. In Catalina Island, we swam with sharks and, after saving for more than four years, our troop traveled to Europe.

These trips gave me memories, but they also gave me perspective. They taught me to be curious about the world and willing to try things outside my comfort zone.

That is why Girl Scouts is so important for girls today. Girls need opportunities to practice leadership in places where they can try, fail and try again. We need more than being told we can succeed. We need opportunities to actually build that confidence ourselves.

Girl Scouts gives girls that space.

For some girls, that might mean standing on a stage. For others, it’s climbing a rock wall, learning first aid, building a robot, backpacking in the woods or simply walking up to a stranger and making a sale. There is no single way to be a Girl Scout, just as there is no single way to be a leader.

After 13 years, Girl Scouts gave me experiences that challenged me and friendships that supported me, but most of all, it helped me find my voice.

And I hope other Utah girls get the chance to find theirs, too.

This back-to-school season is when many girls begin their Girl Scout journey. If you’re a girl wondering whether you’re ready to try something new, I would tell you what Girl Scouts has taught me: You don’t have to know exactly who you are yet. You just have to be willing to take the first step.

I took that step 13 years ago. I’m so glad I did.

Scarlett Ferrara is a high school senior and Girl Scout of 13 years. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, reading books, playing games and doing her best to make an impact in her community.

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