Girl Scout of the Month: Girl Scout Ella Muilenburg Leading with Service
December 01, 2025
Girl Scout of the Month
Leading With Service, Safety
Cadette Girl Scout Ella Muilenburg is already making a big impact in her community, from implementing LifeVac devices in local schools for her Silver Award to engaging in civic learning and hands-on service. She shares how Girl Scouts has shaped her leadership journey and what goals she's excited to pursue next.
You've already earned your Bronze Award and are now finalizing your Silver Award. Can you tell us about your Silver Award project and what inspired it?
For my silver award project, my partner, Colette Acevado, and I put LifeVac devices inside the buildings of the Hauppauge School District. A LifeVac is an anti choking device. My mom teaches CPR classes and one of her students mentioned the LifeVac device. This sparked the idea of using it for our silver award project. What further convinced us to use LifeVac for our project was one specific choking incident that occurred at my school. A little boy in 3rd grade had food stuck in his throat. He could still breathe but it was lodged in his throat and he couldn't swallow it nor could the Heimlich maneuver be used. This fully convinced us to use this for our silver award project.
You recently earned your Democracy badge at a Mock Legislature session with Suffolk Legislator Leslie Kennedy. What was that experience like, and what did you learn about how local government works?
It was a lot of fun. We got to discuss local issues and voice our opinions on them. I learned how the local government is run, how bills are made into laws, and I got to meet some of the people who run our local government.
Community service is clearly important to you. What motivates you to stay so involved in helping others?
I try to participate in community service events that relate to my interests, and I have my friends alongside me so we have a lot of fun. It makes me feel good and accomplished when helping others.
How has being a Girl Scout shaped your leadership skills and the way you see your role in your community?
Girl Scouts has helped me build courage, confidence, and character to help me make my community a better place. It has also helped me have a bigger role when it comes to helping our community.
Looking ahead, what goals or projects are you most excited to take on next, perhaps even working toward your Gold Award?
I am definitely most excited to work on my gold award, but I still have a couple of years until I start on that. The next badge I'm working on is the animal helper badge. I will be going to Pal-o-mine in Islandia to work with the horses.
LongIslandPress.com, December 2025 Issue. Read it online here (page 11)
