Joanne Crepeau Future Leaders Scholarship
Girl Scouts of Maine is dedicated to preparing girls for a lifetime of leadership—in their own life and in the world. As women, we face a number of unique challenges but we also have an unparalleled reach to make positive impacts and Girl Scouts is deeply committed to filing a pipeline of women leaders to make those impacts.
For graduating seniors who are about to embark on their adulthood journey, we hope you will keep your passion for issues that are important to you and make this passion part of your life long into the future.
Girl Scouts of Maine is very proud to present our fifth annual Joanne Crepeau Future Leaders Scholarships to Girl Scouts who exemplify our goal of leadership development. We had many exceptional applicants and we want to say thank you to all who applied and wish we could have given you all an award.
Since 2019, Girl Scouts of Maine awarded over $80,000 to more than 50 deserving graduating Ambassador Girl Scouts who best answered and presented their thoughts on these questions:
- How has Girl Scouts made a difference in your life?
- What do you see as the biggest challenge facing girls and women today?
- In 5 years, how do you see yourself addressing this challenge?
The application for next year's scholarships will open in February 2024.
2023 Scholarship Recipients
2022 Scholarship Recipients
2021 Scholarship Recipients 
Alexa Barstow
A BRONZE LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP
is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout from Rockland and will be
attending Bryn Mawr to major in Political Science and History. Alexa
credits Girl Scouts with creating a safe space for her to elevate her
voice and listen and learn from others, as well as the value of hard
work, commitment, and perseverance. The challenge facing girls today is
being underestimated and underrepresented, especially in government.
After her degree, Alexa plans on going to law school to pursue activism
in politics and government because women’s voices need to be better represented.
Madelyn Buzza
A BRONZE LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP
is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout from Mapleton and will
attend the University of Maine at Presque Isle to major in Social Work.
She credits Girl Scouts with developing her confidence, her leadership
skills, and public speaking. She believes a top issue for girls and
women is body image and its detrimental effect on self-confidence. As a
future social worker, Madelyn hopes to help others overcome negative
self-images and become courageous and strong in mind and body.
Harshini Chaganti
A GOLD LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout from Scarborough who plans on pursing a B.S. degree in Premed at Penn State University. Harshini credits Girl Scouts with exposing her to many volunteer experiences in and outside her own community, including helping unhoused people and young hospital patients. Girl Scouts also has developed her leadership skills with planning activities and with younger Girl Scouts. Harshini sees a great need for women to “break the glass ceiling” and serve in top leadership positions to a more equitable numbers. She notes that 40% of all physicians and surgeons are women, but only 16% are deans at medical schools. She hopes to inspire young girls and women to reach their full potential. Her strong presentation earns Harshini the additional Jo Stevens Scholarship in addition to the Gold Level Future Leaders Scholarship.
Erin Corcoran
A BRONZE LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP
is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout from Rockland and will
attend Smith College to major in Biochemistry. Erin credits her Girl
Scout experience in pushing her out of her comfort zone. A challenge
that Erin continues to see, although some may think it is an issue of
the past, is gender inequality, particularly in STEM programs and career
fields. Erin has first hand experience with not only being one of few
girls participating in AP STEM classes and robotics, but noticing there
is often a lack of respect for girls who are involved. Erin wants to
work to increase the respect given to women in STEM fields and show
girls by example that they are capable and no one should make them feel
unwelcome in their chosen activities or field.
Adeline Dolley
A GOLD LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP
is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout from Brunswick who plans on
St. Michael’s College to major in Health Science, Premed. Adeline notes
the variety of Girl Scouts experiences that have made a huge difference
in her life: joining the Junior Maine Guide program, being a Camp
Counselor in Training, serving as a Maine delegate to the Girl Scouts
National Council Session, and helping to plan World Thinking Day. All
these and many other experiences have developed her leadership
abilities, especially with younger Girl Scouts who see her as a role
model. Adeline sees the detrimental pressure faced by girls and women
regarding body image and conformity to certain physical attributes as
great barriers to the acceptance of and love of themselves. As a future
pediatrician, she hopes to help teach her young patients and their
families about “self-love” and teach them ways towards a positive self-image.
Elaine Hutchins
A BRONZE LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP
is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout from Winter Harbor and plans
to attend the University of Maine at Fort Kent and major in Nursing.
Elaine has participated in a wide array of Girl Scout activities that
include earning the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards, traveling, camping
at both resident camps, serving the community, and participating in the
Product Sale Programs. She sees that the pay gap is a big factor in
women’s equal participation in the economy and achieving financial
success in life. As a future nurse, she plans to address pay equity and
affordable childcare in her workplace with her leadership skills.
Abigail Larrabee
A SILVER LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP
is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout who lives in Kennebunkport
and will attend Paul Smith College, majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries
Biology. Abigail’s Girl Scout activities were many, but the most
impactful to her were those focused on the environment and the outdoors.
Through Girl Scouts, she connected with a Trout Unlimited program and
has served in many ways with that organization to conserve, protect, and
restore Maine's trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. Abigail
sees inequality in the workplace as a huge challenge for girls and
women, especially in STEM fields. Her goal is to pave the way for more
girls to enter into the science and conservation fields.
Allison Maurice
A SILVER LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP
is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout who attends Traip Academy in
Kittery and plans to attend Dickinson College majoring in Biochemistry.
Allison credits Girl Scouts with giving her stability and support as she
grew up traveling with her military family. Wherever she lived, she
could rely on Girl Scouts to provide friends and experiences like her
Take Action project on coral reefs in Guam. Allison sees the long
standing prejudice of inequality as the greatest barrier to women’s
leadership advancement today. This can take many forms from
objectification of women to the dismissal of women’s voices in
discussions. She has a great passion for the empowerment of women and
hopes to guide girls in overcoming inequity through Girl Scouts and
other activities.
Samantha Perkins
A BRONZE LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP
is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout from Searsport and will
attend Husson University for a degree in Physical Therapy. Samantha
credits Girl Scouts with developing her as a person who enjoys helping
others and with the ability to advocate for herself. She participated in
creating a community garden for a soup kitchen, has traveled with her
troop to Boston and New York City several times, and worked to build
awareness of domestic violence. She sees the challenge of unequal gender
norms as hurdles facing women and will advocate for equality in her
career in sports medicine.
Emily Robinson
A BRONZE LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP
is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout from Kennebunk who will
attend Husson University for Graphic Design. Emily credits Girl Scouts
with overcoming shyness, making lifelong friends, and learning critical
lessons that have made her a better person. A goal for women that she
sees as critical is for women to have the freedom to be themselves
without judgment and to love who they are. She hopes that she will be
able to inspire girls to obtain their college degree.
Jessica Schlotterbeck
A GOLD LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP
is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout from Lisbon who will attend
the University of Southern Maine in the fall. Joining Girl Scouts at a
young age helped Jessica with her social anxiety of new people. Selling
Girl Scout cookies, activities at camp, and making new friends had a
tremendous impact on her ability to overcome her fears and made her more
social. She sees a great need for women to be healthier and have better
nutrition given that 66% of women in the U.S. face obesity. Her own
experience with weight gain has taught her the skills for leading a
healthier and happier lifestyle and her goal is to impart this to Girl
Scouts and women with her degree in Health Sciences.
Grace Stevens
A BRONZE LEVEL SCHOLARSHIP
is presented to this Ambassador Girl Scout from Wells and plans on
majoring in Pre-veterinary Medicine at a major university. Grace credits
Girl Scouts with exposing her to new found confidence through many troop
activities, community service projects, and especially events like
travel to New York City, the Boston Museum of Science, and Transforming
Leadership. She sees a need today for greater knowledge for young girls
on the many career opportunities they can embark on, especially in STEM.
Girls need to see women in major roles and have them be mentors. She
hopes that her career in veterinary medicine will help inspire girls to
reach for their dreams.
