Girl Scouts of Orange County (GSOC) hosted Voice for Girls 2025
May 05, 2025
Female Empowerment Top Priority for
Girl Scouts of Orange County
IRVINE, CA (May 5, 2025) – On Friday, May 2nd, Girl Scouts of Orange County (GSOC) hosted Voice for Girls, a powerful advocacy event focused on equipping the next generation of female leaders to thrive in the workforce. Held at the Newport Beach 
Country Club, the event featured an inspiring all-Girl Scout panel who shared their perspectives on the importance of mentorship, opportunity, and championing girls' potential. In addition to the Girl Scout Panel, VFG Keynote speaker Emily Calandrelli—a renowned aerospace engineer, science communicator, television host, and Girl Scout alum—delivered a compelling message about her professional journey, breaking barriers in STEM and empowering young women in the workplace.
Emily Calandrelli’s message echoed the core mission of the Girl Scouts: to build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. She challenged the misconception that women must compete against each other for limited opportunities. Calandrelli said, “There is room for all of us. Competition happens at the bottom and collaboration happens at the top.”
Calandrelli and the Girl Scout panel addressed a packed house of 230 attendees including Orange County businesses and community leaders. After their address, the Girl Scouts received a standing ovation. The inspirational panelists, all Girl Scouts who are in process of or have earned the coveted Girl Scout Gold Award- the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, included:
Kate N., a Girl Scout Ambassador with Troop 3742 in Ladera Ranch, who empowered students to overcome their fear of public speaking by coaching a middle school mock trial program. Kate also created a nonprofit, Teen Legal Advocates, which teaches basic legal rights to youths in underserved communities.
Zoe T., a Girl Scout Ambassador with Troop 882 in Yorba Linda, who developed a financial literacy program for kids/teens and founded a club called “The Money Project” at her high school to teach financial literacy to her peers. Zoe’s online curriculum reached more than 40 youth in 6 states.
Nadia T., a Girl Scout Ambassador with Troop 3116 in Laguna Niguel, who created a beach volleyball camp for middle school girls that not only taught them how to play volleyball but, just as importantly, allowed the participants to learn mental health skills, nutrition, and taking care of their bodies.
Vikki Shepp, EdD, Girl Scouts of Orange County’s CEO, said, “Today’s girls are tomorrow’s change-makers, cure-finders, and leaders. Girl Scouts impacts the lives of girls from kindergarten to 12th grade. After they graduate from high school, they move on to the next phase of their lives—and we are just as committed to making certain they enter an adult world that welcomes and supports them. Our Voice for Girls forum explores how we can shape a culture that empowers girls, leading to a workforce that recognizes values and amplifies their strengths. Why is this important? Because when they succeed, we ALL succeed.”
Voice for Girls, presented this year by U.S. Bank, is an inspiring and interactive annual think tank that aligns local leaders around a vital mission—to support and champion girls in reaching their full potential as leaders in society.
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About Girl Scouts of Orange County
We are 25,000 strong – 15,000 girls and 10,000 volunteers and adult members who bring girls’ dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs reaching girls in every zip code in Orange County, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and thousands of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and take action to affect the issues most important to them. To join, volunteer, or support Girl Scouts of Orange County, visit www.girlscoutsoc.org.
