
Article for Orange Coast Magazine Written By: Alan Gibbons, Anastacia Grenda, Chelsea Raineri, Valerie Takahama, Theresa Walker
Photo of Saachi By: Emily J. Davis
They show off the best of Orange County, and we think you’ll be proud to count them as neighbors and friends.
Webster’s dictionary offers two definitions for kickass: 1. having a strong effect on someone or something; powerful 2. exceptionally good; spectacular, impressive. The women we’ve chosen for our second edition of this feature easily live up to both descriptions. They’re but a sampling of the leaders in our community doing amazing work in many areas. They show off the best of Orange County, and we think you’ll be proud to count them as neighbors and friends.
Portola High senior in Irvine; adviser to Girl Scouts of Orange County Board of Directors
BONA FIDES: At 14, Pavani learned during a Laura’s House workshop for Girl Scouts that one in three women experience domestic violence. So she started a high school Domestic Violence Prevention Club as a freshman, and an Instagram page (@phsdvp) spreading awareness. A presentation by a nurse on how to prevent someone from bleeding to death led Pavani to organize Stop the Bleed trainings that have reached more than 150 youths and adults, and earned her the Girl Scouts Gold Award last year. Other volunteer work, including for Southern California Hospice Foundation, has garnered recognition. All the while, Pavani captained the girls varsity tennis team that won a Division 3 CIF title in 2019. She aims for a career in health administration, hoping to bring affordable and accessible quality care to all.
IN HER WORDS: “Realizing how little I had known about these issues led me to wonder how much did my peers know? If I’m so in the dark, how oblivious might my peers be? Just wanting to bring that kind of awareness to my school and people my age is what drew me into these issues. I want to share things with other people and be part of a community.”
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Girl Scouts of Orange County
We are 25,000 strong – nearly 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 want to 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 make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit www.girlscoutsoc.org.