Orange County Catholic: Connecting Girl Scouts and Our Catholic Faith. Spotlight on St. Barbara Parishioner Therese Tran
February 27, 2024
SPOTLIGHT ON ST. BARBARA PARISHIONER THERESE TRAN
BY MEG WATERS
THERESE TRAN. PHOTO COURTESY OF GIRL SCOUTS OF ORANGE COUNTY
There is something about music that can take us back in time to the memories, sights and sounds of another place.
Music connects immigrants emotionally with their heritage; even if they have only heard the tune from a beloved family member, the sound and cadence can transport the imagination to a homeland they may have never seen.
Girl Scout Gold Award winner Therese Tran grew up loving traditional Vietnamese music but was sad to learn that her La Quinta High School classmates had never heard the music – even her Vietnamese American friends were unfamiliar with the sounds.
She decided to make it her project to connect young people to ancient Vietnam through its music and culture. Enlisting the help of the Lạc Hồng Performing Arts Group, Therese hosted a workshop at school that included a live performance with traditional Vietnamese instruments.
AS PART OF HER GOLD AWARD PROJECT, GIRL SCOUT THERESE TRAN HOSTED A WORKSHOP AT HER SCHOOL THAT INCLUDED A LIVE PERFORMANCE WITH TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE INSTRUMENTS. PHOTO COURTESY OF GIRL SCOUTS OF ORANGE COUNTY
The project earned Therese a Gold Award, the highest achievement a girl can earn in scouting. According to the Girl Scouts, the Gold Award is given to girls who identify an issue or need within their community, identify a solution, create a detailed action plan and spend at least 80 hours bringing it to fruition.
Therese, who is a parishioner of St. Barbara Catholic Church in Santa Ana, is also part of the Girl Scouts’ “My Promise, My Faith” program, which encourages girls to explore their faith traditions with their families and faith leaders.
“I think the Girl Scouts are closely aligned with Catholic values of family and service,” said Therese, adding, “What I learned about myself is that I’m way more capable than I thought I was for being able to accomplish my Gold Award. I hope my project has inspired students to learn more about traditional Vietnamese music and their cultures in general.”
According to Vikki Shepp, Ed.D., CEO of Girls Scouts of Orange County, “Through participating in the Gold Award process, Therese Tran connected her Vietnamese culture to students at her high school, which illustrates a core Girl Scout component of family and community involvement which are also important to the Catholic Church.”
Dr. Shepp, who worked for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles before becoming involved with Girl Scouts, sees the interconnectedness between scouting and the Catholic faith.
“There is a beautiful synergy between Catholic teachings and the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Girl Scouts is spiritual at our roots. Our founder, Juliette Gordon Low, said, ‘We are a spiritual organization, and we want every girl to be able to explore her spirituality. We have a solid relationship with the Catholic Church and help girls of all religions connect what they do in Girl Scouts with their faith.’”
Further connecting scouting to our Catholic Faith, during Girl Scout Week, the Diocese of Orange and Girl Scouts of Orange County will celebrate Mass on Saturday, March 16.
The Mass will be celebrated at 4 p.m. and presided over by Bishop Thanh Thai Nguyen.
An awards ceremony will follow until 7 p.m. at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove.
Girl Scouts of all ages and families are invited to register to attend. Girl Scouts are asked to wear their Girl Scout uniform. All participants will receive a special blessing. Eligible Girl Scouts will receive earned faith awards and recognitions, including My Promise, My Faith Awards, OC Faith Award certificates, Catholic religious recognitions, and Gold Award Girl Scout recognition at the awards reception.
Families are encouraged to enjoy this event together.
To register to attend the Diocesan Girl Scout Mass & Awards Reception, visit girlscoutsoc.org under Diocesan Girl Scout Mass.
