When University of Pennsylvania student Amy Phillips learned about the Girl Scouts at Penn program, she immediately joined.

Having been a Scout from kindergarten through high school, Phillips was thrilled to be able to continue her involvement at Penn.

A senior anthropology major, with a concentration in medical anthropology, Phillips is now co-director of the Girl Scouts at Penn program. The group works with local troops providing services and activities.

“Girl Scouts has always been a part of my life,” says Phillips, of Warrenton, Va., “Having that impact and strengthening of a female community has been so essential and vital in my life; I can’t imagine not having it.”

An initiative of the Fox Leadership Program, GS@Penn’s 12 members provide support and programming for low-income Girl Scout troops in the surrounding community. Like Phillips, some of the Penn students are former Girl Scouts, while for others it’s a whole new experience. 

“It’s a niche group,” says Phillips, “but everyone who joins Girl Scouts at Penn is very passionate about working with and mentoring the girls.”

Each semester GS@Penn hosts area Scouts at campus events that focus on important issues that young girls face in low-income communities. On Dec. 6, nearly 100 Girl Scouts came to Penn for the Girls Understanding Technology and Science event, which introduced them to a wide range of scientific topics. This year, the day-long event focused on health-related issues. The theme corresponded with Penn’s academic “Year of Health” theme. Partnering with other Penn student groups, GS@Penn hosted activity stations where the Scouts could get information about issues such as healthy eating, exercise and ways to prepare healthy, nutritious food.

Some of the girls have been coming to the Penn events for several years. Phillips enjoys seeing how GS@Penn has an impact in the surrounding community.

“Seeing the girls transitioning from middle school to high school continue in the programming,” says Phillips, “and seeing the girls come back every year, saying, ‘I learned this last year. What am I learning this year?’ It’s a satisfying, gratifying feeling.” 

Some of the girls who had never thought about applying to college, are now planning to after attending the GS@Penn college workshops and SAT preparation sessions. 

Doing service work comes naturally to Phillips, who’s also a member of Alpha Phil Omega, a co-ed, national service fraternity for college students. Phillips says helping others energizes her. 

“It makes you more committed to what you’re studying because it shows you what you’re studying can have an impact later.”

In addition to her work with the Girl Scouts, she works part-time at the Philadelphia Department of Health. Also, she was an intern last summer through the Fox Program's summer fellowship program with the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., working on a project evaluating how states used federal funds to implement children’s health insurance programs.

Following graduation, Phillips plans to pursue a career in public health.