Celebrating World Mental Health Day with our Social Work Intern Class of 2025

From right to left: Marian Estrada, Katelynn Kirchubel, Brittany Greco, Olivia Oliveria, Abigail Castro, and Tielynn Scott.

We are excited to announce our six social work interns for the 2024-2025 school year at Girl Scouts of Sierra Nevada. This year, there was a lot of excitement about our program with over 50 applicants for the position.

Our internship program gives students at the University of Nevada, Reno a unique chance to gain experience in non-profit social work while helping mentor girls in our Council-Led Troop Program.

For World Mental Health Day on October 10, we celebrate our social work interns and their specialized education that elevates their ability to be strong mentors and strengthen the mental wellbeing of our communities.

FINDING A LOVE FOR THE OUTDOORS

With the vast outdoor experiences available in the Sierra Nevada region, Girl Scouts gives girls a unique opportunity to learn new outdoor skills while building courage, confidence, and character. These skills result in a lifelong love for the outdoors and higher life satisfaction. This Fall, interns completed outdoor art, archery, and eco-learner badges with girls. Many girls and families participated in our Girl Scouts Love State Parks Weekend at Washoe Lake and Van Sickle Bi-State Park.

Taking care of the environment is teaching girls to take care of themselves.

Tielynn Scott

BEING A MENTOR GIRLS CAN COUNT ON

Girl Scouts fosters growth-promoting relationships in which girls are given the chance to be mentored by an adult that can help them feel seen in their unique interests, identity, and capabilities like nothing else the world can offer.

In Girl Scouts, I can be a good example to girls by teaching them the importance of being together.

Marian Estrada

UPHOLDING AND SPREADING THE GIRL SCOUT MISSION

The Council-Led Troop Program helps us address barriers to participation in Girl Scouting such as the lack of adult volunteers to run troops and funding. By having paid staff run troops we can give every girl an opportunity to be a Girl Scout by meeting them where they are at low-income housing communities, Title I schools, libraries, and afterschool programs.

There is purpose in this work through spreading the positive outcomes to girls in Northern Nevada.

Brittany Greco

PASSING ON VALUABLE GIRL SCOUT TRADITIONS

With 112 years of Girl Scouting, we celebrate and pass on many of our Girl Scout traditions. With half of our interns being Girl Scout alumni, they get to pass on skills they learned as girls to the future generations. This creates a special mentor relationship that only Girl Scouts can provide.

My favorite memory with my troop growing up was making yarn dolls.

Katelynn Kirchubel

ADVANCING HUMAN RIGHTS FOR WOMEN

As chartered by the US government, Girl Scouts since the beginning has existed to advance the rights of women through giving them skills and confidence that help them be successful. One of the key tenants of social work is advancing human rights which aligns deeply with the Girl Scout mission.

As a first-generation student, I want to inspire other girls to pursue higher education

Abby Castro

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS

While interns are accruing hours for graduation, they are also becoming role models for girls in the Council-Led Troop Programs to learn about what it’s like to study in the field of social work.

There is a place for everyone in the field of social work.

Olivia Oliveria

We are excited to see the impact that our social work interns make this school year. The application period to be a part of our social work internship program for the 2025-2026 will be open in May. To learn more about our social work internship program, apply here.