Back On the Ice with the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois

For the past year, the SKATE for Girls UIUC team has worked tirelessly to reestablish our organization in the UIUC area. After jumping through numerous administrative hoops, we finally began our programming this fall. So, over the summer, Mayumi (Founder and President), Joyce (Treasurer), and I met each week to begin drafting a curriculum and preparing the materials we needed. Although I loved spending time with my two best friends while doing work to support an organization that means so much to me, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. My favorite part about working for SKATE for Girls was when we got to interact with the students and see all our hard work come together; however, this time I wouldn’t be there. That was when we realized that the SKATE for Girls x Girl Scouts Day would fall on my school’s fall break and so I immediately booked my train ticket.

Participating in the SKATE for Girls x Girl Scouts Day was so incredibly rewarding. It may sound silly, but during these programs you get in a ‘zone’. You know the program and the schedule inside and out and it's exhilarating to watch it unfold in real time. Handling each unexpected turn, from a student forgetting their gloves to realizing you may be running short on time, and collaborating to handle these problems seamlessly with the other volunteers creates a sense of community. Of course, seeing the smiles on the girls’ faces and hearing them engage in the activities is the most rewarding of all. Overall, while I have loved contributing to SKATE for Girls behind the scenes, actually having the chance to be there on a day of programming was so fulfilling. I can’t wait to continue to watch our organization grow and flourish at UIUC.