Destiny Green, grade 9, has participated in Girls Inc. for more than two years and participated in the Thinking SMART program in Spring 2019. Girls ages 11 through 14 participate in the group and Destiny is always excited to lead and work with the girls in a new science experiment.
“Sometimes my science classes at school are boring so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really ended up liking Thinking SMART because we’re not just sitting around talking about science,” says Destiny. “We actually get to see how these things work and we get to work together with the other girls which makes it even more fun.”
“The first experiment was about aerodynamics. We learned how different shapes and weights can affect how far an object can go in midair. The other one I liked was the Germinator activity because we got to squish tomatoes and it was a lot of fun taking out the tomato seeds and putting them in the baggy that would make them grow roots.”
Destiny has participated in a number of Girls Inc. programs including Friendly PEERsuasion, Mind + Body, Growing Together and Project BOLD. Thinking SMART is the first STEM-based program Destiny has participated in.
“I would tell any girl that hasn’t tried experiments to give it a try, and if you have a friend bring them along because it will make it even more fun.”
During the last two years Destiny has gone from a shy and quiet girl to a strong and bold leader. The other girls in the group even call Destiny, “Future President!” Her skills to delegate and lead are admired by her fellow peers that everyone agrees they would vote for her to make wonderful changes in our communities.
Destiny’s response to everyone addressing her as “future president,” is this:
“I like that they see me as a leader because it means they believe in me and it built my confidence. That’s why I’ve talked more during group and make sure that the other girls are being respectful. I like to make sure they are all good and I let them know they can always come to me for anything.”
She is someone the girls can go to for anything and has been a true example of what a strong, smart and bold girl is.