Two local Girl Scouts attend Conference for Women

"Find your dream and go after it!" That was the message two local Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania learned as they attended the 2010 PA Governor's Conference for Women recently.

Erienne Galvin of Albrightsville and Samantha Miller of Jim Thorpe were among 20 Ambassador Girl Scouts who made the trip to Pittsburgh with adult volunteers for the seventh annual conference.

They were exposed to several renowned speakers from various career paths.

The theme at this year's conference was "Your Time is Now," and topics covered included Internet safety, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, improving organizational skills and more.

Some of the girls also attended a career fair and mentor match program.

The girls attended the Young Women's Program portion of the Governor's conference, which was made up of a series of breakout sessions geared toward junior and senior high school girls.

They also attended a speech given by former Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell.

More than 15 speakers, including authors, TV news anchors and CEOs, presented at the Young Women's Program.

Girls were selected to attend the conference through a nomination process. To be eligible for nomination, a girl must be a junior or senior in high school and a participating member of Girl Scouts. They are then nominated by an adult volunteer or troop leader who has worked with them in Girl Scout programs.

In addition to learning about career opportunities and life skills, girls who attended were also eligible to receive scholarship funding.

More than 40 Pennsylvania colleges and universities commit to this program to provide scholarship funding for qualified attendees. Four-year institutions dedicate $2,500 in scholarship funds for four years for each attendee.

For girls planning to attend two-year colleges, $750 is awarded for two years.

Girls who attended the conference also met several girls from the Girl Scouts in Western Pennsylvania Council and spent the night at one of their camp locations.

During their stay, they experienced some of the sights of the city of Pittsburgh, including a river cruise and a tour of the Pittsburgh University campus.