We all know that in Girl Scouts, ordinary girls do extraordinary things. But what happens when they are all grown up? When there are no more troop meetings, no more investiture ceremonies, and no more cookie sales – what is a Girl Scout to do? The answer is quite simple really; they use the skills and lessons they learned and they continue to change the world in even bigger ways.

20-year-old Keirstin, Girl Scout Alumna and current nursing student at Stevenson University is living proof of this as she is about to embark on the journey of a lifetime to help those in need. Keirstin will be participating in a summer internship working in Tanzania, Africa at a Government Regional Hospital in a pediatric ward.

Keirstin attributes much of her success in school and in nursing to her experience as a Girl Scout. “My connection to Girl Scouts starts with me being a Brownie in first grade,” said Keirstin. Once she began Girl Scouts, Keirstin loved it; she continued Girl Scouting throughout her childhood and later went on to receive her Girl Scout Gold Award.

Throughout her time as a Girl Scout Keirstin learned many things that she continues to apply in her life today. “The lessons I have learned from being a Girl Scout are invaluable…Girl Scouts has taught me how to be a responsible leader, how to manage time, how to adapt to my environment, how to set goals and reach them, and how to help those in need.”

The goal setting that was instilled in Keristen while completing her Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards, has taught her to dream big, and she has done just that. A goal that she has set for herself is to become a pediatric nurse practitioner and eventually open a clinic for underprivileged children so they can acquire the proper healthcare that they need. “In order to achieve this goal I want to learn as much as possible, and I recently found a way to do so,” Keirstin said.

This is where her summer internship comes in. During the internship Keirstin will have the opportunity to apply all of the skills that she learned from Girl Scouts and will gain the advanced experience she needs to reach her goals.

The internship, which has been coordinated through an organization called Work the World, involves traveling to Tanzania, Africa for five weeks at the end of May. “A summer spent on a project like this can be invaluable. Few other environments can top this in developing critical nursing skills, leadership skills, and learning about the culture, while having the wonderful opportunity of helping the less fortunate,” said Keirstin.

In addition to working in a hospital, Keirstin will be participating in the village health care experience which will give her the opportunity to live with a family of the Maasai tribe for the last week of the internship. “I am going to, fully submerse myself  in that culture and in my free time during this internship I will have the opportunity to learn Swahili.”

Wow, what an exciting experience! We wish you the best of luck in your travels and in your work Keirstin! We know that you will achieve all of your goals and we can’t wait to catch up with you when you return!

Follow Keirstin’s journey at myjourney2tanzania.blogspot.com