The sisters of Kappa Delta Sorority hosted an enriching day of college life for 132 local Girl Scouts to commemorate National Women's Friendship Day on Sunday, Sept. 21.
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Girl Scouts ranging from sixth to 12th grade attended classes designed to develop their practical skills. They also toured the campus.
"We're hoping to show them the importance of a college education and that a lot of the skills you learn in college are applicable to your life in the future," Erin Cleary, senior law and justice major and coordinator for the event, said.
The Girl Scouts are just one of Kappa Delta's four national philanthropies.
The sorority sisters often work on monthly projects with a local troop of elementary school-aged girls to help the troop earn badges.
Last Sunday was the first time the sorority worked with older Girl Scouts, as the groups came together to celebrate National Women's Friendship Day.
"It's a holiday that was developed as a time for you to remember your mothers, your sisters and all of your female friendships that are a part of your life," Cleary said.
The President of Kappa Delta's alumni association, Alicia Sachow, came up with the idea to invite Girl Scouts to the College and the sisters ran with it, according to Cleary.
The leader of Troop 103 in Pennington, Daryl Delaney, praised the mission and organization of the event.
"I think it's very motivating for the girls to come to a college campus to interact with older young women and it inspires them to want to go on to college," Delaney said. "I've been very impressed with how professionally run this has been."
Classes took a practical approach to teaching leadership, health, math, arts and crafts, communications and Spanish. The girls were divided into groups and rotated to different classrooms every half hour.
During math, for example, the classroom was set up as a store and the girls shopped around, learning how to take percentages off items that were on sale and balance a checkbook.
Latin music resounded from the Spanish classroom, where the sisters taught the Girl Scouts the Mexican Hat Dance.
Gen Bruns, an 11-year-old from Pennington, took a break from her dancing, to describe her favorite session, health, and said the campus was "really cool."
In the arts and crafts classroom, 11-year-old Taquaysha Bell from Trenton showed off her artistic talents by making a tie-dyed butterfly ornament.
Bell's visit to the College was her first activity with the Girl Scouts and has already inspired her to set her sights on future admission.
"I had told my mom that I wanted to go here," Bell said. "It's pretty."
The participating Girl Scouts are from all over New Jersey.
Sherry Anderson, the associate executive director of the Girl Scout council overseeing Middlesex and Mercer county troops, appreciated the diversity of the event.
"Some of the girls that we have here come from underprivileged areas and probably think that they can't go to college," Anderson said. "We hope that this exposure will help them understand that they can go to college and see that there is a better future out there."
Interest in the program was so overwhelming that Kappa Delta needed to cut off registration early.
The sisters now plan to hold the event annually so more girls can experience its benefits.
Lauriena LaCroix, senior business administration major and president of Kappa Delta, said each Girl Scout will receive a badge from the sorority to recognize her participation.
