My daughter wanted to do girl scouts. As they moved to Juniors, I was asked to be a troop co-leader. As a co-leader, we were working on the eco-badge. Each of the girls selected the name of an influential female role model for the ecology. The names were put in an hat, and my daughter selected Dr. Jane Goodall. While we were reading about the work that Dr. Goodall does, we found out that she was coming to speak in the area. I felt that seeing her presentation was a once in a lifetime experience. At the end of the presentation, Dr. Goodall did photos and book signings. At first, my daughter (in 5th grade) didn’t really understand the impact of whom we were seeing. After listening to Dr. Goodall’s introduction and hearing her life story, my daughter was very impressed. Dr. Goodall impressed me as well. Since that time, we have seen her speak a few more times, and we have taken steps to continue her work. In a world where we have very few role models, Dr. Goodall really stands out.
