Navajo Girl Scout visits White House

Y'át'ééh President Obama, Ahéhee' Girl Scouts

By Diana GreymountainTomorrow, I'll be visiting the White House. I've never been to Washington, D.C., so it's very exciting. I'm going to the White House because I'm a Girl Scout and President Barack Obama will be awarding Juliette Gordon Low, founder of Girl Scouts of the USA, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

I have a connection with Mrs. Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she founded Girl Scouts, a month before my home state of Arizona became a state. I'm from Page, Arizona, and have followed in Mrs. Low's path by becoming a Girl Scout. Tomorrow, her family will receive the Medal of Freedom--the highest honor a civilian can get--on Mrs. Low's behalf and I'll be there representing Girl Scouts.

I'm going because a few Girl Scouts from around the country were invited to attend and I was lucky enough to be one of them. I am working towards my Gold Award, which is the highest honor in all of Girl Scouting. I am especially proud of that because I will be the first young woman of Navajo heritage to earn the award. My project involves working with the National Park Service to refurbish a local trail. I am leading the effort to re-mark, make signage for, and rediscover the cultural significance of the Hanging Garden Trail in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.Comment:  For more on Scouts, see Navajo Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts Build Chumash Village.