Hope

Hope, 13, is a fun-loving Girl Scout Cadette from the mountains of North Carolina. The Girl Scout experience facilitates leadership development through outdoor adventures, first aid training, and acquiring practical skills. Although Hope admits she “hates camping,” she does enjoy canoeing, making s’mores over the campfire, and helping cook with the gas stove. Hope also has a knack for selling Girl Scout cookies—“except when it’s cold”—and earned her Bronze award and a rock climbing award. Next on Hope’s goal list is the First Aid Merit Badge. 

In the meantime, Hope keeps busy with swimming, fishing, and “chasing ducks around the pond” near her family’s house. Hope says she doesn’t like sports, but we noted her skills at the 500-meter dash and long jump. At school, she’s in a special education program as well as in mainstream courses in theatre, physical ed, technology, and music. A student aide will typically accompany her to modify these. Hope says that she sometimes likes math at school, but loves science—particularly when she can collect water samples from the creek behind her school. 

At home, one can find Hope playing ukulele, listening to kids’ Christian music, following along with a Frozen-themed yoga video, or—her favorite—planning birthday parties for people, streamers, balloons and all. Her mother Kathy says that Hope loves to help cook dinner and assist with planning meals. She also loves to sing, noting that her favorite singer is herself (10/10 answer).

At her family’s Lutheran church, Hope participates in mainstream Sunday school, and has received communion and been baptized. Places of worship that make services and sacraments inclusive in this way are not the norm everywhere, but are growing in number. Hope is proud to have Down syndrome, and says that it’s not “catchy, like the flu or chicken pox," and that she just wants to do things that everyone else is doing, such as hanging out with friends. Kathy adds, “She learns differently, but can learn to do new things, like math, coins, telling time and growing up to be a cook or a hairdresser!”

Hope, we know that you can achieve all of these things and more. Even better— you know that our greatest strength is in being ourselves. Keep being the star you are!