Girl Scout earns Gold Award by educating peers about politics

Wanting to increase political awareness and participation among young adults, a Girl Scout earned her Gold Award by starting a non-partisan club at Rancho Bernardo High School.

Ambassador Girl Scout Mattea Hernandez said she founded the Political Awareness club to get more teenagers involved in politics. “Through this project students will be able to influence their future by making informed decisions regarding who is in charge in politics,” she said.

While the majority of club membership tended to lean left politically, Hernandez said she tried to keep it as non-partisan as possible and hopes next year there is a more even split so the members “can more easily talk about both sides.

“I want the club to be a place for everyone who wants to join, not just one side or the other and a place for people to be able to speak freely without fear of judgement, but also respecting others’ opinions without hate,” she said.

As for why she selected founding a club as her project to earn Girl Scouting’s highest honor, Hernandez said, “I chose this project because it’s important for everyone, but especially teenagers, to be involved in politics. Many students are uneducated about politics. Many students in high school do not even know many of the issues they will vote on in elections. They will graduate high school and continue to college still uninvolved in politics.”

She added, “Teenagers do not have an interest in politics because they feel as though they have no say or they cannot make a difference and through my project they learned that everyone’s vote matters.”

Through the information members gained, she said when they vote, they “will know how to find the information and know what they are voting on. They will have the ability to make their own choices and not vote how anyone tells them to.”

The Carmel Mountain Ranch resident is the daughter of Theresa Hernandez and Ernie Hernandez. The recent Rancho Bernardo High graduate said she plans to attend Palomar College and double major in pediatric nursing and criminal psychology.

The Troop 8355 member joined Girl Scouts 10 years ago as a Brownie and her other honors included earning the Bronze and Silver awards.

“Earning my Gold Award means so much to me (because) it means I’ve influenced my community and helped to change the future generation,” Hernandez said. “I’m so glad I had the opportunity to do this because I really like having such an impact on my community.”

Hernandez said the endeavor also taught her that “I am capable of more than I thought I was. I have grown a lot as a leader through this project and I hope to use these skills more in the future. I learned that it is (possible) for me to speak to large groups of people if I am speaking about something that I am passionate about.”

As for her favorite Scouting memory, Hernandez said that was made a few years ago during a trip to Los Angeles with four girls. “The night we were up there we got a pint (of) ice cream and ate (it) in our hotel room (while) watching ‘Friends’ and we went to the coroner’s office the next day.”

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Profiles of the four area Girl Scouts who received their Gold Award at the council’s June 16 ceremony are being published throughout the summer.

email: rbnews@pomeradonews.com