Girl Scout Troops 60593, 60766, 64473, 64175, 49861, 40914, 60447, 68220 and Boy Scout Troop 317.
Thanks to memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in August 2022 by the FBI and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), 16 Girls Scouts from 8 different troops were treated to a special program seeking to increase young women’s interest, confidence, and competency in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Our Girl Scouts, between 10 and 17 years of age, along with a few fellow [boy] Scouts, learned about the mission and work of the FBI and its STEM-focused career offerings. FBI community outreach specialists Leah Hapner and Isra Yousif shared their stories about what drew them to the FBI, what positions women currently hold in the FBI, and how they would like to increase the number of women special agents (23% of special agents are women at the moment). We also learned about the FBI Teen Academy: a week long program for high school students that takes place in different cities throughout Colorado on topics including terrorism, cyber crime, public corruption, polygraph exams, evidence response, SWAT, and the day-to-day operations of a typical FBI office. “Students also learn from special agents, intelligence analysts, language specialists, and professional staff about investigative tactics that include gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and assisting with cases.”*
Our group was granted a demonstration by a bomb tech expert on robots, bombs and radio communication. And as a special surprise, we were treated to a tour of the Evidence Response Team Rooms. It was a fantastic morning full of new information, for which we are incredibly grateful!