The Girls Scouts of Central California South hosted an awards dinner and talk at the Petroleum Club of Bakersfield on, Oct. 11. This dinner honored three female leaders, including Jennifer Jensen, Deanna Salyards, and Lynnette Zelezny. They shared stories of success, overcoming hardships, and chasing dreams along with other women in the Kern County area.

Starting off the event was vice president, Gal Racebower, of Girl Scouts South California with an opening on what the event was about and what they do for their community.

“Our event is to recognize our young and older women leaders and how they achieved the place they are now,” Racebower said. Racebower said that this program isn’t just about meeting new people and making friends from different areas, but also learning how to become a leader to others and earn different top badges.

In the past, girls had a chance to earn the Golden Eagle badge, Curved Bar badge, First Class badge and including the Girl Scouts Gold Award which is still being earned by many. But only five percent of Girl Scouts can earn the gold award.

Bakersfield High School senior, Callie MCcakley, was one of the many to earn her Girl Scouts Gold Award and talks about how earning this award helped her in many ways. “The biggest thing that this program and award helped me with was how to use my voice to tackle problems. It helped me settle goals in order for me to achieve the award I would love to have,” MCcakley said.

Shortly following after was Jensen, Salyards, and Zelezny on how using the hardships given to them helped them to go farther. Zelezny started with how being a female representative for California State University Bakersfield is difficult. Zelezny said being a female representative is not only hard because people are looking for your downfall, but also that you have to prove to others and yourself that you can do this, and that you are able to make decisions and not hesitate on it, without being brought down by others.

Girls Scouts is not a program to help with just making friends, but to all girls to achieve their goals and find where they want to be in life. To be able to others before their needs before others, to help their communities, and learn to dream bigger to achieve their goals they have set.