Girl Scouts of Maine 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 third annual Future Leader 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.

In 2021, Girl Scouts of Maine awarded $19,500 to 12 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?

Read more about these incredible girls below. See how we celebrated them, and hear from them on our June 12, 2021 Celebration Saturday video.

2021 Future Leader 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.