EDWARDSVILLE - Local Girl Scouts recently enjoyed a presentation from an astronaut.
On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois hosted “Women in Space: A Trailblazing Astronaut’s Insight featuring Guest Speaker Linda Godwin.” Godwin spoke about her 30-year career with NASA and her four trips into space. Roughly 40 local Girl Scouts were present and over 70 Girl Scouts from across the country watched the presentation via Zoom.
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“It’s just a great experience for the girls, getting to connect with somebody that has that experience for science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Elizabeth Clutts, Program Engagement Manager for STEM. “They can get her personal experiences of what she went through, what was her educational background, what experiences she had. They can connect with her to understand that those opportunities are available for girls and then they can take those and hopefully pursue STEM careers for them in the future.”
Godwin spoke about her time in space and her experiences growing up in Missouri. She shared that she always had a love for math, science and reading, and her twin sister encouraged her to work hard in school and fight for her place at NASA.
While Godwin said she didn’t have a “magic answer” for how to be successful in STEM or prepare for a career in STEM, she encouraged the Girl Scouts to focus on math and science if they are interested in these fields.
“You just have to use your time wisely. Having a friend to support you and maybe have a little friendly competition with can really spur you on,” she explained. “Part of it is setting your goals to where you want to be. Eat well and exercise and get enough sleep and staying healthy helps you get all of this done.”
Clutts explained that Godwin’s visit corresponded with the Girl Scouts’ STEM camp at Camp Torqua in Edwardsville. They cover a variety of topics throughout the week of camp, but this year’s camp is particularly focused on crime scene investigation. The Scouts will learn about spatter patterns, invisible ink, Morse code and more.
Clutts noted that these hands-on experiences “create curiosity” and encourage the Scouts to expand their STEM knowledge. The organization hopes to foster this interest and support women who decide to go into STEM fields.
“We have many great opportunities for girls to grow,” Clutts said. “We just have a variety of different opportunities for girls to learn and expand and ultimately build that confidence and character. We’re able to build girls’ courage, confidence and character to make the world a better place, and those are opportunities that we’d love to give all the Girl Scouts.”
Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois CEO Loretta Graham echoed Clutts’s comments and added that watching Godwin speak was a powerful experience for the Girl Scouts. She hopes Godwin’s presentation inspires more girls to go into STEM fields, and she highlighted the importance of having women role models.
“The world is dominated, in these kinds of fields, with males, so it is important for [the Scouts] to see themselves,” Graham said. “This is not just a male field. This is a female field. And when females get involved in things, the world changes. It changes for the better. So that’s why it’s important. It’s important for them to see themselves through another female and not a male saying, ‘This is a field that you should go into.’ No. Instead, here’s a female that’s saying, ‘I’ve been there and you can come, too.’”
Learn more about the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois at their official website at GSofSI.org.
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